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You are about to investigate a kidnapping. It's up to you to navigate the darkest parts of the concrete jungle to try and bring a little girl home. Just don't get you and your partner arrested or killed. Do you think you can handle it? Let's see!
[[Begin]]A late-model green Toyota Camry pulls into the circular driveway of 166 Sultan Drive, a moderate-sized house as far as McMansions go. Out of the driver's side steps a Hispanic woman in her mid-30's with auburn hair, wearing a leather coat with matching black blouse, slacks and flats. She stands five-foot-six with a nice set of curves, though her most striking features were her brown eyes and full red lips. Her passenger is a Black man, almost six feet, with a mustache and bald fade haircut. A solid man, but by no means muscle-bound, smartly dressed with his own leather jacket, dress shirt and slacks. They walk up to the front door and ring the bell. A maid answers.
"Good evening," the man says. "I'm Ron Shelton, this is my partner, Jenny Morales. We're from S&M Investigations. Is this the Wong residence?"
A man and woman come to the door before the maid could answer.
"It is," the man replies, "but no one here called for a private investigator."
"Honey," the woman who is clearly his wife says, "maybe they can help find Emily."
"No!" the man snaps. "We'll let the police handle this!"
"But Frank-"
"What did I say, Margaret?!"
During this exchange, Jenny notices a young man walk down the stairs, then shoot back upstairs.
[[Jenny insists someone called them and enter the house]]
[[Ron and Jenny calmly leave the house]]"Listen," Jenny says as she and Ron push their way inside, "we wouldn't drive all the way out here if someone hadn't called us."
"No one did!" Dr. Wong says with anger in his voice, "Now leave before the police come and I have you arrested!"
At this point, Jenny is not about to back down.
"Okay, if you're not convinced we were called today, ask your son. He called me today so we can try to find your daughter."
Dr. Wong has reached his boiling point.
"Joseph," he says, "come down here!" A skinny teenager, the same one Jenny saw earlier, came down the stairs. "Did you call these people to help find Emily?"
Silence.
"No, Dad," Joseph answers, "I didn't call anyone."
"WHAT?!" Jenny says in disbelief. "What do you mean 'no'? You DID so call me!"
"Are you calling my son a liar?!" Dr. Wong screams.
"Are YOU calling my partner a liar?!" Ron yells.
Tempers escalate, with Ron and Dr. Wong, a stocky man not afraid to fight, getting in each other's faces. Jenny and Mrs. Wong try to hold the men back when someone throws a punch, hitting Mrs. Wong. Dr. Wong blames Jenny, punching her. Ron goes after Dr. Wong and all four adults are fiercely fighting on the floor. At this point, the police come in and break up the fight. As the Wongs have their injuries treated, Ron and Jenny get handcuffed and tossed into a police car. Looks like the Wongs will have the cops handle things after all.
GAME OVER"Excuse me, sir," Jenny says, "did I hear your wife say your name is FRANK Wong?"
"Yes, I'm Dr. Frank Wong."
"Oh, I'm sorry, we have you confused with someone else. We didn't mean to bother you, especially during a family emergency."
"Yes, yes," Ron says, "we didn't mean add any more undue stress to you at such a time. We hope the police can find your daughter. Good night and God Bless."
Ron and Jenny proceed to get back in the car and drive off, however, they don't drive far. They pull over in front of a house up for sale and Jenny takes out her cell phone and makes a call.
"Hello, Joseph? It's Jenny Morales."
"Oh, hey." It was the young man she saw at the stairs.
"Why didn't you tell your parents you called us?"
"I don't know. I just--"
"Never mind. We don't have time to waste. If you still want our help, we need to get into your sister's room."
"Okay. Her room is up and to the right of the front door. I'll leave the window open. You can get end by climbing that garden bush thing."
"Okay, good. My partner will be up there in a sec."
"I'll meet him in there."
"Alright, bye. Okay, Ron, you can use the trellis to climb into the open window."
"Right," Ron says as he puts on a pair of gloves. "Be right back."
Ron dashes across the yard, up the sturdy steel trellis, and through the window in no time flat. He quickly introduces himself to Joseph and begins to look around Emily's room. It's a typical room for 13-year-old girl; pink color scheme, posters of pop stars, stuffed animals, a number of trophies and awards showed how accomplished she is. What stands out is how clean the room is. No signs of struggle. Ron then sees a napkin with a red smear on the floor. Joseph reaches for it, but Ron stops him.
"That's a clue, kid", Ron tells him, "plus I'm guessing it's laced with chloroform."
"Chloroform?" Joseph asks.
"Probably what they used to knock your sister out."
They hear footsteps and voices coming.
"It's my dad," Joseph says.
[[Ron shows Dr. Wong what he's found]]
[[Ron pockets the napkin and climbs out of the window]]"You still payin' tonight, one way or 'nother," D-Troy says as he pats his waist.
Both Ron and Jenny sense what he has. Ron realizes he must stall D-Troy long enough for Jenny to get in position. He is able to do so while Jenny pulls out the switchblade she always keeps on her.
"Well, whatchu gon' do, bitch?!"
Jenny winked at Ron from behind.
"I don't have the cash, so...NOW!!"
Jenny leaps onto D-Troy's back, takes her knife, and slices through the giant's juggular. He grasps his throat in an attempt to stop the bleeding with one hand and tries to reach for his .45 in his waistband with the other, but Ron pulls out his own knife and rams it into D-Troy chest. He drops to the floor, and as he draws his last breaths, Jenny pulls her .33 semi-automatic and pumps two shots into his skull.
"Guess that settles our debt, huh, Jen?"
"I think it does."
After washing their hands, Ron and Jenny returned to the bar.
"Salud!" Jenny said as they took their shots.
"Salud! Oh, hey, I just remembered why we came here in the first place, P.K. We need you to tell us what shade of lipstick this is?"
P.K. takes the napkin as Ron warns her about the chloroform.
"Bloody Mary. A shade you should know the taste of, Ron."
"You mean..."
"Only one woman I know still wears this."
"Bianca Ortega!"
"Give me another shot!" Jenny says with disgust.
"Same here."
They down their drinks. "What's she up to these days?" Ron asks.
"She's got a new strip club. The Rendezvous, out on Mission, near Sommers."
Ron and Jenny down their drinks and dash out.
"Hey, what about the drinks?"
"Put them on our tabs!" they both call out.
After a change of clothes, the two head to the Rendezvous, a building lit garrishly by neon with small businesses to the west and industrial spaces and warehouses to the east. It has just a small lot for valet parking only, but there is plenty of street parking. As Jenny drives, she feels they're being followed, When they arrive, she parks on the street across from the club.
"Well, come on," Ron says, "let's go."
"What? How are BOTH OF US supposed to get in there? I mean, you can get in no problem, but I'll stick out like a sore thumb! On top of that, I think somebody's been tailing us."
"You got your .33?"
"Yeah, but how do we get in there with them?"
"Let me handle it. C'mon."
"Not until you tell me what you're going to do?"
"Don't worry, I'll get us in. Trust me."
"Alright, but you better know what you're doing."
They make their way to the club where they see a security guard and two men smoking next to the valet stand. While the guard nods at Ron, he gives Jenny a weird look.
"Evening," the guard says, "ID's, please."
Both shows their ID's and the guard gives an approving nod. He then reaches for a wand metal detector.
[[Ron reaches for his gun]]
[[Ron reaches for his wallet]]"Like I said," D-Troy growls, "you payin' yo' tabs TONIGHT!!"
"Well, Jen, looks like we'll have to give him what's coming to him."
"Looks like."
Ron swings and punches D-Troy right in his face while Jenny goes low and lands one square in the groin. While D-Troy is doubled over, the two private eyes continue to attack the brute's head, but he's able to collect himself and land a thunderous left to Jenny's mid-section, knocking the wind out of her. He then turns to Ron and lands a wicked one-two to his face, causing him to fall back onto the corner of a pool table. Jenny struggles to breathe as D-Troy catches her in a corner and plummels her viciously, leaving her a bloody mess on the floor. D-Troy then goes back to Ron and punishes him in the same brutal fashion. With both his victims beaten to within an inch of their lives, D-Troy picks Ron up by the shirt collar and Jenny by her hair and drags them toward the back door, kicking it open.
"P.K.!" he shouted. "CLEAN THIS SHIT UP!!"
Now in the alley behind the bar, D-Troy tosses Ron and Jenny against a nearby dumpster. The cool night air wakes them up but they can no longer put up any type of fight aside from coughing. Through their bruised, swolled eyes, they now see D-Troy holding a .45 semi-automatic handgun.
"Like I said," they barely hear D-Troy say, "you and yo' bitch are payin' yo' tabs tonight!"
He fires a bullet into each of their foreheads.
He places them both in the dumpster and closes the lid.
Ron and Jenny die within seconds.
GAME OVER"I don't think there'll be any need for that, man," Ron says as he draws his gun. Fucking lunatic! Jenny says to herself as she looks on in horror and disgust.
"Whoa, hey, c'mon man, I'm just doing my job! I don't have cash or anything on me!" The poor guard pleads for his life as he drops the metal detector.
"You let us in and nobody gets hurt." Ron says with a cold calmness.
Just then, the two smokers approach from behind.
"What's the problem?" one of the men asks.
"Nothing you need to worry about," Ron answers without taking his eyes off of the guard.
"It appears there is," the other responds.
"Like I told my friend here, we get in and no one gets hurt!"
"I can tell you right now you're not getting in."
"Oh, and make you so sure of that?" Ron says as he turns to face the men.
"This makes me sure."
As Ron is turning, he catches sight of a 9mm semi-automatic pointed right at him. Before he can react, the man pulls the trigger and a bullet pierces Ron's temple. He's dead before he hits the pavement. Jenny reaches for her gun, but the second man has had his gun held close to his waist, aimed at her during the whole exchange. He fires and she takes one in the heart through her left breast. She drops face down into the sidewalk. She too is dead within minutes.
"Kevin," the first man says to the guard, "call the police. Tell them...there was an attempted robbery."
GAME OVER"Aw, c'mon, man," Ron says to the security guard, "there's no need for that."
"I gotta search everybody, chief. It's my job."
"But we're friends of Ms. Bianca, the lady running this place. Trust me. If you just let us in, you won't get in trouble, I swear."
The guard still looks at Ron and Jenny with a hint of skepticism.
"I'm sorry," the guard says with a sigh," I've still got to search you two. It's the rules."
"Hey, buddy, can I ask you a question? How long have you been out here, four, five hours, something like that, right? And you gotta be out here another four or so? Let me help you out here."
Ron pulls out his wallet, palms a bill, and places it the guard's hand. It's a crisp, new $100 bill. The guard looks at it, then takes a deep breath.
"Okay," the guard says, "I'll let you guys in. But I got one question: your girl. Is she, like a lesbian, bi or what?"
Ron shrugs off the question. Jenny elbows him in the side as they enter the club.
The inside of the club has a full-service bar to the left, purple velvet chairs and sofas along the walls, a stage with a small runway, poles on each side, and chairs below it directly in front of them, a room covered with a curtain for private dances to the right. The DJ booth is to their immediate right out of their line of sight. Throughout the club, there are women in various states of undress, from waitresses in bras and panties to a completely nude dancer on stage collecting $1 bills from patrons. In addition, there were well-dressed men, most likely security guards, standing around the club. They count six, including one standing by a door marked simply "Private."
"I think I know where Bianca's office is," Ron tells Jenny. "You want to go in with me?"
"No!" Jenny answers with particular disgust.
"Fine, then you can stay out here." Ron responds as he gives her about $20 in ones.
"What's this for?"
"The girls on stage. If you just sit there, they'll think something's up."
"Okay, whatever. Wait! What if one of them asks if I want a lap dance?"
"Then either say no or pull out a twenty, then sit back and enjoy the ride. Oh, by the way, the lady's drink is a waste of money. Don't bother with it."
CONTINUE ON ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PATHS
[[Ron approachs the guard at the door marked "Private"]]
[[Jenny takes a seat in front of the stage]]Ron makes his way across the club, admiring all the women as he makes his way towards the door marked "Private." He is met by a large man in a suit and tie.
"Can I help you," the man says cooly, clearly wanting Ron to go back into the main part of the club."
"I need to see Ms. Ortega," Ron answers with slightly faked urgency. "It's extremely important!"
Whether he fully believes Ron, the guard turns and picks the receiver of a nearby phone and dials.
"Ms. Ortega, there's a--what's your name, sir?"
"Ronnie Shelton."
"A Ronnie Shelton here to see you. He says it's real important that he sees you."
There's a pause while he receives instructions. He nods and says "yeah" and "uh-hun" occasionally. He places his hand over the receiver's speaker.
"She says she don't want to see you."
[[Ron asks to speak with Bianca on the phone]]
[[Ron continues to explain how important it is that he sees Bianca]]Jenny takes a seat next to the stage, while receiving looks of bewilderment and arousal from the men sitting around her. She looks back with a scowl, as if to ask what they were all staring at. The dancer on stage, a large-breasted woman with lots of make-up, glitter, a pierced navel and tattoos, gives the impression that she's only there to dance and not ask questions. She goes into her routine and Jenny gives her a dollar. One man gives her a dollar and rubs her breasts in Jenny's face. The other men sitting around the stage laugh. As Jenny hands out more money, the dancer shows more of herself until the only article of clothing she has on are a pair of stilleto heels. Jenny does her best to appear aroused, but it's an effort just pretending not to find the whole place repulsive. She repeats her act with two more performers but she starts to worry because she's almost out of money and Ron hasn't come back yet. She finally runs out of money, and when one dancer finds out, she makes a face and seems to turn to another patron, however Jenny notices that the dancer is looking back toward the front door. Ron or no Ron, she realizes she's going to have to make a move, but before she can, someone taps her on the shoulder.
"Excuse me, ma'am," a man in a suit says, "if you don't any money to give the girls, you'll have to give up this seat."
"I'm waiting for a friend," she says quickly.
"We've got other customers that want a seat. Now, you can either use our ATM to get more money, wait at the bar, or wait outside. Either way, you can't sit here without paying the girls."
[[Jenny refuses to get up]]
[[Jenny says she'll leave the club]]"C'mon, I gotta, man, it's important!" Ron pleads with the guard. The guard turns back to the phone.
"He still insists he needs to see you, ma'am."
More nodding and "yeah" and "uh-huh." Finally, he hangs up the phone.
"Sorry, sir, she says she don't want to see ya. Now you're gonna have to go back--"
"Listen, man, I gotta see her--"
"She said NO!"
Ron and the guard begin to struggle as Ron tries to make the door. During the struggle, the guard catches sight of Ron's gun. He calls out a security code on his headset. As others rush to the scene, the guard manages to wrestle the gun away from Ron and kick it back behind him toward the door. Ron continues to fight with the guards when one hits him over the head with some heavy object, knocking him unconscious. When he comes to, he finds himself in an alley behind the club. As he tries to focus his eyes, he sees someone else lying next, trying to figure out where they are also. It's Jenny. She has a few bruises on her face and her two black eyes indicate a broken nose.
"Hey!" one of two men shouts at Ron. "On your feet, boy!"
The idea of being called "boy" by some random white guy makes Ron want to ram his fist down the guy's throat, but the gun in the man's hand keeps him at bay.
"Alright," the man continued, "who are you and what do you want to see Bianca for?"
"I just need to talk to her for a few minutes," Ron answers.
"What about her? She doesn't strike me as a dyke."
"Who says I'm not?" Jenny says as she stands up next to Ron, not having any other response.
"There's got to be something else to all this. Why else would you need to bribe Kevin to get in with THIS GUN RIGHT HERE?"
Damn! Ron thought. They were the two guys smoking outside earlier.
"Listen," Jenny continues, "if you want us out of here, we'll leave and never come back."
"I don't know," the other man says," they've caused a lot trouble tonight and this black bastard seems to have a hard-on for Bianca. Should we trust them?"
"Here's what I think."
The man who ordered Ron on his feet fires two shots point blank at him. The shots hit with deadly accuracy. Jenny stands in horror at the ease in which the man shot her partner.
"I'll go along with that," the second man answers as he shoots Jenny with the same coolness as the first. She falls lifelessly next to Ron.
"What should we do with them?"
"Let the trashmen deal with them. They're paid to deal with garbage, after all."
GAME OVER
"Please let her know that, even though things got bad with us," Ron continued, "it shouldn't have ended the way they did and I hurt her and that was wrong."
The guard relays the message back over the phone then looks back at Ron.
"He sounds sincere. Do you want me to let him in? Okay. Will do. Okay." He says to Ron, "she says you can go in." Ron smiles and thanks the man as he enters Bianca's office.
Her office is decorated very stylishly, a top-of-the-line modern sofa on the left, a glass coffee table in the center and two chairs on the right, all three pieces matching the sofa. There's a black and white rug on the floor, photos of Bianca and various celebrities, famous and infamous, and a desk at the back of the room. As Ron enters the room, Bianca comes from behind the desk. Bianca stands five-foot-nine with blonde hair, with fair skin and a slender face and the same shade of lipstick on the napkin Ron found at the Wong residence. She wears a bright red dress with black leather boots. The dress is cut high at the thigh to show off her legs and cut low to show deep cleavage. She has a perfect 42-24-38 figure, albeit courtesy of the finest plastic surgeon in town. She gives Ron a somewhat forced hug, complete with the obligatory pat on the back as she sits on the couch and he takes one of the chairs across from her.
"It's been a while, Ronnie," Bianca says.
"I know. How long has it been, five, six years?"
"Seven years at the end of this month."
"Wow! Time does fly. It was just before that mess with your...last business."
"Go ahead, Ronnie, call it an escort service. Hell, call me a madam. The D.A. and the judge did."
"Yeah."
"As a matter of fact, you weren't around too much when I needed you and I think I know why."
"I was around. I was busy trying to get you a better attorney until I heard you took a plea for five and no, she had nothing to do with anything that went on between us."
"Hmmm..."
"She didn't. I swear."
"Okay, fine, but what about after I went in? You only came to visit once."
"I got busy. Besides you stopped writing after I wrote you twice, so what was I supposed to do?"
"What was I supposed to say: 'Hi, Ronnie. How's everything going with you and Jenny? Have you fucked her yet? Yesterday, the food made me sick again, I didn't get jumped in the shower or out on the yard, and my new roommate wants to hook up with me. Love, Bianca.' Is that what you wanted to me to write?"
"Okay, I get your point. So, now, you're out, and I gotta say, you've done pretty well for yourself in such a short time straight out of prison."
"Well, I have friends who actually wanted to help me out."
"Hey, I didn't even know where you were until tonight."
"There's obviously a good reason for you coming here."
"There is."
The two move closer together.
[[Ron shows her the napkin]]
[[Ron wraps his arm around Bianca]]"I told you, I'm waiting for a friend here."
"So you're not moving, huh?"
"Nope!"
The man nods to another man in a suit and the two proceed to lift Jenny off the chair and out of the club, creating a bit of a commotion. As she struggles with the men, causing more of a scene, one man spots her gun, grabbing it. He points it out his colleague. He promptly shoves Jenny against the wall. The club is now silent save the music which is soon turned down.
"Alright, bitch, what's the deal with the gun?" one man barks.
"That's my business!" Jenny answers defiantly. The other man punches her in the stomach.
"Once again, why did you bring the gun in here?!"
"Like I said, none of your fuckin' business!"
That answer gets her hit in the face twice, one breaks her nose, the other splits her lip.
"Okay, one last time, are you going to explain why you have this gun or not?!"
She spit bloody saliva at her interogator. He responds with two hard hits the midsection and two more to the face, knocking her out. They drag her toward a back door, where a third man tells them to throw her out into the alley. Outside, she lands next to a dumpster. When she comes to, she sees a man lying next to her. It's Ron. He's been badly beaten too, and is just now starting to come around.
"Hey!" one of two men shouts at Ron. "On your feet, boy!"
Jenny knows the idea of being called "boy" by some random white guy makes Ron want to ram his fist down the guy's throat, but she also knows the gun in the man's hand keeps him at bay.
"Alright," the man continued, "who are you and what do you want to see Bianca for?"
"I just need to talk to her for a few minutes," Ron answers.
"What about her? She doesn't strike me as a dyke."
"Who says I'm not?" Jenny says as she stands up, not having any other response.
"There's got to be something else to all this. Why else would you need to bribe Kevin to get with THIS GUN RIGHT HERE?"
Damn! Jenny thought, they were the two guys smoking outside earlier.
"Listen," she continues, "if you want us out of here, we'll leave and never come back."
"I don't know," the other man says," they've caused a lot trouble tonight and this black bastard seems to have a hard-on for Bianca. Should we trust them?"
"Here's what I think."
The man who ordered Ron on his feet fires two shots point blank at him. The shots hit with deadly accuracy. Jenny stands in horror at the ease in which the man shot her partner.
"I'll go along with that," the second man answers as he shoots Jenny with the same coolness as the first. She falls lifelessly next to Ron.
"What should we do with them?"
"Let the trashmen deal with them. They're paid to deal with garbage, after all."
GAME OVER"Alright, alright," Jenny says, "I'll go, but first, may I freshen up first?"
The men give her a blank stare.
"I need to use the bathroom," she says flatly.
"Oh," one of the men say. "Let her use the one the girls use, in back of the curtain there."
Jenny gets up as the men lead her towards a curtain between the stage and the Private room. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots a fire alarm switch. She pulls it, setting off strobing lights and a blaring siren, sending the club into a panic. She sees Ron coming out of the Private room, mouthing something. They meet and dash through the curtain into the dancers' dressing area with the men that asked Jenny to leave chasing behind. Women scream at the sight of men in their personal area. With the men gaining on them, Ron fires a shot into the air just above their heads while weaving and knocking over chairs. The chaos makes it difficult for the men to return fire without hitting one of the dancers, allowing Ron and Jenny to escape through an emergency exit. They find themselves at the rear of the parking lot, the only thing standing between them and Jenny's car is a parking attendant.
[[Ron and Jenny make a dash to the car]]
[[Jenny talks the attendant into giving her a different car]]Ron reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out the napkin he got from the Wongs' home and shows it to Bianca.
"Earlier tonight, I picked this up at the home of a young girl that was kidnapped today," Ron explains.
"And why are you telling me this?" Bianca asks.
"We think this shade of lipstick right here might be yours."
"You don't think I had something with some kidnapping?!"
"Maybe, we don't know."
"YOU DON'T KNOW?! THAT'S YOUR ANSWER?! I DON'T BELIEVE THIS SHIT!! HOW DARE YOU COME IN HERE OUT OF THE BLUE WITHOUT A WORD FOR DAMN NEAR SEVEN YEARS AND ACCUSE ME OF KIDNAPPING A LITTLE GIRL! It's that bitch Jenny, isn't it? She's putting you up to this. I know she did!"
"She's not putting me up to anything. We're just investigating a case. So, where were you today?"
"I'm not telling you anything!"
"Listen to me, I don't believe you did it, but someone might be setting you up."
"FUCK OFF!"
"Fine, whatever."
The guard that stood next to the phone enters.
"Something wrong, Ms. Bianca?" he asks.
"Yes, Mike. Please escort Mr. Shelton outside."
"But, Bianca, don't you care that--"
"Please, Ron, I've heard enough. Don't make a scene. I don't want to have to call the police."
"The police are already on their way, ma'am. There was some woman that wouldn't leave. Jim and Danny tried to carry her out when they saw she had a gun, so they called the cops."
"Is she still here?"
"Yeah, they're holding her until the cops get here."
"Have them bring her in here."
Mike speaks into his headset and two men bring Jenny into Bianca's office. The looks the women give each other show that there's never been anything but animosity between them.
"Do you have the gun she brought into the club?" Bianca asks.
"Yes, ma'am, right here." one of the men says as he holds a bag he put the gun in. At that moment, Mike notices Ron's gun. The guards swarm Ron, and since they catch him off-guard, he is disarmed quite quickly and his gun placed in the same bag as Jenny's. At that moment, the police enter the office. The guards explain how Jenny refused to leave, Bianca explains how Ron showed her the napkin from the scene of the kidnapping and how the two of them are working together. The police feel it's enough to arrest Ron and Jenny. The two are handcuffed and led out of the club amidst murmuring and laughing. As they head to the police station, Ron and Jenny realize that the police now have the napkin, just like the kidnapper wanted, after all.
So if Bianca gets blamed for all this and goes back to jail, she can't say she wasn't warned.
GAME OVER"Well," Ron says, "if nothing else, we've always had that passion, that spark, that fire."
"This is true," Bianca agreed. "We could be pissed off at each other, sitting, watching TV, hell, even in public, we'd go and find an out-of-the-way spot, and go at it."
"Yeah! I remember a few nights we'd crack open a bottle of wine or tequila, then, next thing you know, clothes on the floor, us on the bed."
"Or on the couch, on the floor, on the table, on the counter. on the patio!"
Ron and Bianca laugh as she reels off the places they had sex.
"We had some wild nights!" Ron says.
"And we did some wild shit!" Bianca adds.
"Oh yeah! Seems like just the slightest thing and we just went crazy."
"We were just that crazy in love."
"Maybe that's it, or we were always horny as hell."
"That's also true!"
They share a small laugh.
"It's almost like we can pick up right where we leave off."
"It does, doesn't it?"
Ron and Bianca move closer and kiss, their lips meet gently at first, then firmer, until finally their tongues wrap around one another. Ron then places his hand on her cheek, then slowly slides it down to her chin, to her neck, and coming to a rest in her cleavage, massaging her breast gently. Bianca, in turn, places her hand on his knee, moving it up his thigh and finally rubbing his groin area. They look longingly into each other's eyes when their gaze is broken by the sound of a shirl siren.
"The fire alarm!" Bianca says.
"Stay here!" Ron orders her as he goes to the door. Her eyes widen as she see him draw his gun while opening the door. He comes across Jenny running past.
"C'mon, man, we gotta get outta here NOW!" Jenny says to him. He turns back to Bianca.
"Meet up back at your place later tonight, okay?"
"Okay."
Bianca sits on the sofa, thinking of all the people to break up what was going on, why did it have to be Jenny?
They dash through the curtain into the dancers' dressing area with the men that asked Jenny to leave chasing behind. Women scream at the sight of men in their personal area. With the men gaining on them, Ron fires a shot into the air just above their heads while weaving and knocking over chairs. The chaos makes it difficult for the men to return fire without hitting one of the dancers, allowing Ron and Jenny to escape through an emergency exit. They find themselves at the rear of the parking lot, the only thing standing between them and Jenny's car is a parking attendant.
[[Ron and Jenny make a dash to the car]]
[[Jenny talks the attendant into giving her a different car]]The two see Jenny's car and make a mad dash for it. The parking attendant spots them, but they are already past him before he can make any attempt to stop them. He instead goes to the security guard at the front door. Meanwhile, Jenny and Ron make it into her car and close the doors behind them. As Jenny hurries to start the car, Ron notices they're no longer being chased. Rather, the parking attendant and security guard are talking to their former pursurers, all four men standing at the front door. Both of them question this behavior, but not enough to stop and ask them. Jenny starts the car and applies the brake to put the car in gear.
A huge explosion engulfs the car. A car bomb. The two are killed instantly.
The men at the door felt Ron and Jenny were making trouble for the club, so they do what any halfway decent security detail does in this situation: make the trouble disappear.
GAME OVERRon and Jenny stand at the back on the parking lot, seeing nothing but a parking attendant standing between them and her car. Ron starts to move but Jenny holds him back.
"They probably know which car we came here in," Jenny says. "We need to find another car."
She looks at the cars in the lot and eyes a black sports car close to the entrance, tells Ron to wait there until she gets the car, then makes her way towards the attendant, a slim youth wearing a suit that hangs a bit loose on him, his hair slightly messy.
"Pardon me, young man," she says. "I'd like my car please."
"Which one is it, ma'am?" the attendant asks.
"That one right there," she answers, pointing to a black Porsche 911.
"Are you sure that's yours?"
"Yes it is."
"I think you might be mistaken, ma'am, because I saw Mr. Baker drive up in it, and he's a regular."
"Well, yeah, but he had a little too much to drink tonight so he asked me to come and drive it home for him."
"Okay, then, where's the ticket?"
"I don't have it, but he specifically asked me to drive it home."
"Well, I dunno."
"Oh, c'mon," Jenny says as she begins to unbutton her blouse. The attendant tries desperately to keep his eyes on Jenny's face. She leans forward and gently rubs the lapel of his jacket and licks her lips. At that point, he breaks down and gives Jenny the key to the car. She winks at the young man as she starts the car. She honks the horn and Ron dashes passed the attendant, patting him on the back, and climbs into the car as it screeches off eastbound on Mission. Jenny controls the finely-tuned machine as if she's racing on a world-class speedway. Suddenly, a bullet comes through the back window. Ron looks back to see a blue Ford Mustang thundering toward them.
"I'll hold them off," Ron says, pulling out his gun. "You stay directly in front of them. Don't let them catch up to us."
Ron returns fire while Jenny swoops directly in front of them, sitting as low as she can behind the wheel. Bullets fly back and forth, and Ron hits one of their pursurers and watches his head snaps back. As they continue to drive, Jenny sees two signs: "ROAD WORK AHEAD" and "USE ALTERNATE ROUTE." She soon sees barricades directly in front of her and a small side street, Cullen Street, to the left.
[[They keep straight on Mission]]
[[They turn left onto Cullen]]Jenny continues straight, swerving through the barricades, driving on dirt under a railroad underpass and entering an active construction, lit with stadium lights. Workers scatter as the cars come to a halt and their respective occupants continue to exchange gunfire. Ron and Jenny hide behind steel girders, each taking peeks to say if they can spot the gunmen. As they wait and catch their breath, the sound of sirens can be heard in the distance. Shortly thereafter, blue and red flashing lights shine against the building material. Officers order Ron and Jenny to come out from behind the girders. They stand slowly with their hands raised. As the police arrest them, they see the construction site turned into a crime scene, with a yellow tarp draped over the back door of the other car and the men handcuffed and yelling at Ron and Jenny.
Reckless driving, grand theft auto, and two dead bodies, and all from trying to find a lost, little girl. Turns out the old saying is true; the road to Hell really IS paved with good intentions.
GAME OVERJenny makes a sharp left turn onto Cullen Street, a small two-lane strip of road with small machinist shops and other light industrial businesses on one side and the railroad tracks on the other. She drives the black Porsche on both sides of the street, with her and the blue Mustang dodging oncoming traffic at break-neck speed, exchanging gunfire.
"How many shots you think you got left?" Jenny asks Ron.
"Not sure. Trying to make 'em all count. We gotta lose 'em and quick!"
At that moment, Jenny spots the headlight of an oncoming freight train and an intersection. She mashes the gas pedal as far as she can towards the crossing and then, at a near 90-degree angle, zooms in front of the train as the crossing gates come down. They both cheer loudly as she and Ron see the Mustang continue past the crossing and the train chug along the track.
They drive around for a while, not only trying to put distance between themselves and their pursurers but to also plan their next move.
"I have to see Bianca, Jen," Ron says.
"Why do you have to see her?" Jenny asks flatly.
"I still have to tell her about the napkin and the set-up."
"Didn't you tell her back at the club?"
A pause.
"Well, no. I, uh, didn't exactly get around to it."
"Why not? Oh, don't tell me you two were--"
"No, we didn't do anything. I mean, it was leading up to that, but that's when the fire alarm went off."
"I swear, men are all alike!"
"Hey, I'm just going to go over there to let her know what's going on and that's it."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
"Hmmm...okay, but I hope you're not expecting me to go up there with you."
"Oh, no. I know better than that."
"And I'm not waiting outside for you, either."
"Right. Besides, we need to get rid of this car."
"How are you going to get home from Bianca's?"
"Don't worry, I'll figure something out. What about you?"
"I'll leave this thing somewhere and go from there."
CONTINUE ON ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PATHS
[[Ron meets up with Bianca at her place]]
[[Jenny gets rid of the car]]"You haven't seen her in about seven years before tonight. Are you sure she lives in the same place?" Jenny asks.
"Remember back during her trail and we helped her move her assets around?"
"I remember."
"Well, her condo was moved to a holding company which rented it out and sub-leased it and all types of other crazy legalese shit that would make your head spin, so when she got out, it was there for her to move back in. She certainly can't say we never did anything for her."
"And she's never done anything TO us."
Ron sighs as he hears Jenny's remake. "Here it is right here."
Jenny pulls over in front of a white building with aquamarine trim. Ron gets out of the car and goes a security gate, painted to match the trim, with a keypad, speaker and directory. He finds Bianca's name and enters the corresponding number. Bianca's voice crackles over the speaker. Ron answers and a buzzing sound indicates the door is unlocked. He gives Jenny a thumbs-up as he enters and she drives off. Inside, Ron enters a plexi-glass elevator and presses the button for the fourth floor. As the elevator goes up, Ron can see an open courtyard with swimming pool and hot tub, patio tables and barbecues, as well as an pathway to other amentities; a weight room, tennis court and indoor pool and spa, all accented by small, outdoor footlights. He reaches the fourth floor and makes his way to unit 430 and rings the doorbell. Bianca answers. She's wearing a small, black silk robe. Her breasts are almost fully exposed and it barely reaches past where her thighs come together. She is wearing fresh make-up. Without saying so much as a word, Ron enters and the two immediately embrace and kiss in the same passionate manner as they did in her office. When they pull apart, she wipes the lipstick off of his mouth. They smile and laugh. She turns and he can clearly see her black panties.
"The place looks nice," Ron says, "but then again, you always had a flair for style."
Bianca's condo has the same modern look as her office at the club, mostly white with black accents, with a 50-inch screen TV and statuettes and books about photography and art on the coffee table and bookshelves.
"I know," Bianca answers with a laugh, stepping into her kitchen. "Would you like a drink?"
"Whatcha got?"
"Well, I have water...and milk...and soda...and juice...and this!" she steps back in with a bottle of wine and two glasses. Ron smiles, then opens the bottle for her and fills the glasses. They toast, lock arms and take quite large swallows of wine. They then give each other three small kisses.
"You're right, Ronnie," Bianca says, "we can pick up after all this time, after everything that's happened, right where we've left off?"
"Yeah. Could be for the same reasons we mentioned earlier. You know, never losing that spark."
"Or, again, us being absolutely horny all the time!"
They both laugh out loud as they drank the rest of their wine and refills their glasses with considerately more than before. Gradually, they finish the entire bottle. By now, the intoxicating effects of the alcohol is beginning to take hold of them. Bianca tries to stand but immediately sits back down.
"Wh-where are you...you going?" Ron is barely able to ask his question while leaning forward over the couch.
"I want to get...something...out of...of the fr-fr-fridge," Bianca stammers. "More wine. That's it! MORE WINE!"
"YEAH! MORE...MORE WINE!" Ron shouts out.
"Shh...shh-shh. You can't be so loud. Unless we're in bed!"
They both made silly laughs. The two lean into each other, then turn and kiss. As the kisses get more passionate, Bianca unbuttons Ron's shirt, and his chest is pressed against her bare breasts. They feel each other's bodies, becoming increasingly excited by the second.
"I want you badly, Ronnie!" Bianca moans.
"I want you now!" he answers back with fire in his voice.
"Not here. In my bed."
The two quickly move into Bianca's bedroom, a pastel boudoir with a queen-sized canopy bed draped with satin as its centerpiece. The comforter is removed and the two lovers climb onto the bed. Completely nude, the lovers' passion becomes a raging inferno.
"Ronnie."
"Yes, Bianca."
"Take me. Now."
Ron wastes no time in responding. Contraceptives be damned!
After reaching a glorious climax, Ron and Bianca fall asleep in each other's arms. After awakening, Ron looks at the clock on Bianca's nightstand. It's two-thirty.
[[Ron rolls over and goes back to sleep]]
[[Ron climbs out of bed, get dressed and leaves]]After dropping Ron off at Bianca's place, Jenny drives around looking for somewhere to ditch this car. More than likely, somebody's reported this thing stolen by now, and it's only a matter of time before the cops find it, and she's not up to trying to explain why she's behind the wheel. Fortunately for her, at this time of night, the streets are essentially deserted, but she also knows she can't drive around all night. She decides she needs to drop it off at one spot and somehow make it home unseen, or at least be seen somewhere else. She eventually sees an all-night diner across from a dead-end street with a few garages and machinists' shops. She parks the car out of sight of the main thoroughfare, waits until there's no traffic and heads into the diner.
The diner is empty except for a lone waitress and a cook Jenny can hear back in the kitchen. The waitress is a middle-aged woman, not particularly beautiful but by no means a dog. She greets Jenny with a warm smile and approachs her with a menu in hand.
"Evening, honey," the waitress says. "Just yourself tonight?"
"Yeah, just me."
"I'm surprised to see a pretty young thing out alone at night."
"Well, I got a lot on my mind."
"Don't worry, you'll be alright once you get something in your stomach. You want to sit at the counter or at a table?"
"You don't mind if I have a booth, do you?"
"Certainly. Right this way."
The waitress leads Jenny to a booth with a window. Jenny sits with her back to the door.
"Would you like something to drink?" the waitress asks, handing her the menu.
"Just water for now."
As the waitress goes back to retrieve a glass of water, Jenny realizes she doesn't have any cash or her debit card on her, meaning she can't stay too long without ordering anything, and she can't pay for anything she does order. As the waitress is coming back with the water, Jenny decides to just stall as she can until she can figure out how to slip out without being noticed. The menu with its worn plastic covering and scratched-out items isn't very big, so she can't spend all night reading. She's going to have to order something. When the waitress finally arrives, Jenny orders pancakes with bacon, eggs, and hash browns with a cup of coffee. As the waitress goes back to place the order, three men enter the diner, making a terrible commotion. The waitress greets them as warmly as she greets Jenny.
"Three coffees! Black!" one of the men snaps.
They continue to make a fuss as they force their way to the booth behind Jenny. The waitress hands each man a menu and asks if they would like anything else.
"We'll tell you when we're ready!" another one snaps.
The waitress leaves and the men continue grumbling.
"Well, this night got shot to hell quick, not to mention how far back this'll set our plans!"
"Relax, Joey, we'll be alright. Things will still go off as planned."
"But they killed Danny! Our Danny is DEAD!! We can't let that black bastard and that Mexican bitch get away with that!!"
"Joey, you know if Tommy says everything will be fine, EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE!"
Oh shit, Jenny thought, it's them! The men from the club, and those voices, those Boston accents, she recognizes them now; the Moynahan brothers. Why did Bianca have to get mixed up with these sons-of-bitches? Doesn't she know how dangerous these guys are? Then she realizes how bad things REALLY are now. The waitress is going to come with the food. They'll see it and know someone else is here. They'll turn to see a gun pointed -- oh God no! NO!! The gun. It's still in the car! Damnit! Stupid bitch! she says to herself. But what's worse is if they kill her, they'll then definitely shoot the waitress and the cook. She can't let innocent people die if she can help it. As she's thinking, the waitress brings the food she can't pay for, though that's now the least of Jenny's worries. The Moynahans don't seem to notice that there's someone else in the diner for now.
"Jimmy's right, Joey, we can't worry about them now."
"Okay, fine. What about that Oriental doctor? Wong? How do we know he'll pay what he owes?"
"He'll definitely pay. Those people are too concerned with keeping up appearances to have gambling debts following them around, plus we've got his daughter."
It's all starting to add up now; Dr. Wong owes the Moynahans, so they're holding his daughter as collateral.
"How much did you offer Bianca for her part of the Rendezous?" Jimmy asks.
"Haven't made an offer yet," Tommy answers, "but whatever price we agree on, that's what I'll tell Wong."
"And you're sure Wong'll pay?"
"If he's smart, he will. Otherwise, little Emily will pay!"
"Oooh, yeah," Joey says with a perverted smile.
"Look at him, Tommy. He wants her bad!"
"Maybe we could ALL some fun with her!" All three men laugh devilishly.
Jenny pieces the whole plan together in her mind; Tommy makes an offer to Bianca to buy her out of the club, they agree on a price, he tells Dr. Wong to pay that amount to get Emily back, then Wong will do one of two things: one, simply pay the ransom, no questions asked, or two: he calls the police and tells them about the ransom demands. The cops get a "anonymous" tip about the kidnapping, pinning it on Bianca. Somehow that marked money is going to wind up as part of the payment of her share of the Rendezvous, leaving Bianca looking at going back inside for another 10-20. As Jenny thinks of how she can tell this to Ron, the waitress comes back.
"Anything else, sweetie?"
"No thank you, I'm fine."
"Okay. Well, when you're ready, here's your check."
Oh, carp. Jenny is so involved in finally cracking this case, she forgot she can't pay her bill, and the Moynahans are bound to notice the waitress walking back and forth and get suspicious. While thinking what to do, she realizes she brought her cell phone in with her, but can she do with it? She sees the restrooms in front of her with another door, an emergency exit, in between. She doesn't have time before either the waitress or the Moynahans see her still here.
[[Jenny makes a break for the front door]]
[[Jenny sneaks into the ladies' room]]The scent of bacon cooking and coffee wakes Ron up. He looks at the clock on Bianca's nightstand; 9:50 a.m. After using the restroom, he rinses with mouthwash, puts his pants on, then heads into the kitchen to find Bianca over the stove taking fresh bacon out of a frying pan, dressed in iss shirt, an apron, and nothing else. She puts it on a plate with two eggs and a serving of potatoes. Ron takes it from her and they share a kiss. She then pours each of them a cup of coffee. Ron takes his black while Bianca adds two spoons of sugar and a little milk.
"Still one of the best breakfasts in town!" Ron says with a smile.
"You've certainly earned it after last night!" Bianca says with a devilish grin. They both laugh. After breakfast, the two enjoy a second cup in the living room.
"Something's on your mind, Ronnie."
"Oh, really?"
"Ronnie, I know you. I can tell when you're thinking."
"What? A light bulb turns on above my head?"
"I just know you that well."
"Well...it's about what happened at the club last night? Why did you get mixed up with the Moynahan brothers? You know as well as me that they'll kill you if you look at them the wrong way."
"I know, but with a felony, you're not exactly the front runner for any job that doesn't involve people ordering from a value menu. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate you, what's-her-face, and your people helping me keep all this, but the offer they made me was just too good to pass up."
"It must have been for you to deal with the Moynahans. Just what was this deal of a lifetime?"
"It's pretty simple; they set up the club, find the building, get the licenses and whatever, and I hire and manage the talent."
"And I assume you are making more than minimum wage?"
"Twenty-five percent share of the club."
"Glad you're getting it, but I'm surprised they're giving you such a big piece."
"Apparently, they want their piece back."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Last week, they told me they'd buy me out."
"What do you tell them?"
"I was caught off-guard, then I told them to name their price."
"What did they say?"
"Nothing. I haven't heard back from them yet. Does that matter?"
"It could. Have you had lunch with the Moynahans recently?"
Bianca takes a moment to think.
"Last week sometime...Thursday-no, wait, it was Friday, at Ms. Vivian's Place on A Street and Houston. Why do you ask?"
"Because of this." Ron pulls out the chloroform-soaked linen napkin with Bianca's lip print. "A young girl was kidnapped Friday and this was found in her room."
"Hey, I had nothing to do with that!"
"Of course not, but Jenny and I think the Moynahans want it to look like you did, and I'd bet anything that whatever they say they'll pay you is going to come from a ransom in marked bills. Throw in an 'anonymous tip' and this napkin with your DNA and you're gonna have to lawyer up again."
Bianca became pale at the thought of going back to prison.
"Oh God no! NO!! I'M NOT GOING BACK!! NEVER!!"
"Don't worry, you're not going back, especially not when we have the only thing that could link you to the crime right here, and we're going to get rid of it."
"How?"
"You got matches or a stick lighter?"
"In the kitchen, there's a lighter in the drawer by the stove."
Ron goes into the kitchen and finds the stick lighter, then places the napkin in a iron skillet and tries to set on fire. After pouring a little vodka on it, the napkin catches fire and a key part of the Moynahan Brothers' plan is now a singed mess. He tells her to throw it in the trash when it cools off. A relieved Bianca wraps her arms around Ron and gives him a big, wet kiss.
"What now?" Bianca asks.
"You said they haven't responded to your offer yet, right?"
"No, not yet. Should I accept it."
"Yes. Whatever the offer is, no matter how crazy it seems, accept it. Say yes, and after you hear from them, let me know how much they're giving you."
"Okay, I will."
"Good. I gotta go." Ron puts on his coat and gives Bianca a kiss.
"What about your shirt?" Bianca asks as Ron heads for the door.
"Keep it."
Bianca smiles as he leaves.
Ron calls Jenny to let her know about the offer Bianca received. She tells him that while trying to ditch the car they used to escape the Rendezvous last night, she was nearly caught by the Moynahans at a diner.
"Apparently, Dr. Wong owes a lot to the Moynahans in gambling debts," Jenny says, "so they took Emily to get him to pay up."
Ron then explains the Moynahans' offer to buy the club.
"Well, looks like it's back to the Wongs' place."
"Nice. Maybe we'll actually get to set foot inside before they throw us out."
[[Ron and Jenny return to the Wong residence]]Seeing Bianca sleeping soundly, Ron gets out of bed, gathers up his clothes, and goes into the bathroom. He urinates into the toilet without flushing, then proceeds to get dressed, only to be greeted by an angry Bianca standing in front of him.
"So you were just going to fuck me, then sneak off in the middle of the night? Here I was thinking tonight was the start of something special. Apparently not."
"Bianca, it's not like that."
"Well, what is it then?"
"I...I..."
"You what? Have a case to work on? Just like all those years ago, no matter what goes on between us, I'll always come second to your work."
"I've always care about you, Bianca."
"I find that hard to believe, Ron, seeing how you're dressed and ready to leave. No, wait, I know now what's happening here, what was ALWAYS GOING ON! You and Jenny are more than just "partners," she's always been more than that, hasn't she?"
"That's bullshit! It was bullshit before and it's bullshit now! WE'RE JUST PARTNERS! THAT'S IT!!"
"You spent more time with her than me during our relationship."
"It's part of my job! You knew when we first got together."
"I bet you don't even have a case. You're on your way over to fuck her."
"You still don't get it, do you? I just have to prove it to you then."
Ron goes into the front room and pulls the cloth napkin he took the Wongs' home.
"What's that? Some handkerchief or napkin," Bianca says. "Big deal."
"Oh, there's more," Ron says.
Ron takes a firm grasp of the cloth napkin and tries to put it over Bianca's nose.
"What the...hey, what are you doing? What the hell are you doing?!"
"Smell it."
"What...why?!"
"It's chroloform!"
"Have you lost your fucking mind?!"
"I've had enough of you not believing me. You want the truth? Here it is, dammit! SMELL IT!!"
Ron forces Bianca onto the couch as she struggles to break free. The scent of chroloform is still strong enough on the napkin, but not enough to knock her out.
"Stop it!" Bianca demands. "Get off of me or I'll scream!" Ron gets off of her. "Now GET OUT! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN, RON SHELTON! YOU UNDERSTAND?"
"Fine, I'm gone. You know, Jenny's right! You're just but a pain-in-my-ass ex-con who'll be nothing more than a cheap, plastic hooker!"
Bianca grabs a nearby figurine and hurls it at Ron. He dodges it and slams the door on his way out., Bianca locks the front door behind him, not realizing he's left the napkin behind. As he reaches the street and starts to make his way home, a car pulls up beside him.
"Excuse me," the passenger asks, "we seem to be lost. Can you tell us where Foster Street is?"
"Go straight ahead. It's about three or four lights down."
"Thanks. Oh, by the way," the man continued, "isn't it dangerous to be out alone at this time of night?"
"I can handle myself, thanks."
"Well, you never know what can happen to you out on these streets."
"What's that suppose to mean?"
"Just exactly what I said. You never know what'll happen to you out here."
At that moment, the man draws a gun and shoots Ron at point blank range, two to the chest. Ron can't even react. A woman walking her dog finds his body the next morning.
Police responded a gruesome scene at a diner that same night. Three people shot to death. The cook, a waitress, and a customer apparently trying to escape.
She's identified as 37-year-old private investigator Jennifer Morales.
GAME OVERJenny realizes she has to make a break for it. She waits until the waitress is facing away from her, talking to the cook. She slides out of the booth and starts to run as fast as she can, but she must have hit something because as she dashes pass the waitress, she turns and yells at her.
"Hey! What do you think you're going? You get back here!"
This catches the Moynahans attention.
"It's that bitch from earlier!" Jimmy shouts.
The three brothers get up, reaching into their coats, drawing guns. The waitress screams at the sight of the guns. Jimmy turns to her, pulls the trigger and fires a bullet straight into her chest. The cook peaks over the counter and Tommy pierces his skull with a deadly accurate shot. Joey blasts away at Jenny as she races towards the door. He gets her in the back, taking her down. He then dashes over to her and puts two more shots through the back of her head as she crawls on the floor with her last bit of life. The three brothers leave the diner, now a bloodbath, jump into their car and speed to Bianca's condo.
Tommy Moynahan rings Bianca's doorbell. He clutches his coat as if he were in terrible pain when rattling coming from the other side of the door.
"What are you doing this time of night?" a drowsy Bianca asks, peeping a slightly opened door.
"I'm hurt, Bianca," Tommy says, telling her an absolute lie.
Bianca closes the door to undo the security latch and open the door completely. Tommy rushes in, covering her mouth and shoving his gun into her stomach. Jimmy and Joey step in and each stand at the end of the hallway, facing Bianca.
"We know your boyfriend's here," Tommy tells Bianca. "Call him out here. Do it, or you die!"
"Ronnie, could you come out here, please?" Bianca says with a quiver in her voice and tears in her eyes. A unsuspecting Ron comes into the dark living room, wearing just his underwear. Joey sucker punches him and Jimmy knees him in the gut, then both brothers begin punching him on the floor. Ron puts up hardly any defense as Tommy turns on the lights then stands over a bloody, battered Ron. He kicks Ron in the stomach and he smiles as Ron groans in agony.
"Get him on his kness," Tommy tells his brothers. They lift Ron up and pulls his head back.
"You know, you and your girl or whatever she was fucked up the Rendezvous pretty bad tonight, and when people cause damage, they should pay for it, right? And we've been taught never to let any debts -- whether they're business or personal -- linger. Your friend already paid her share. Now, it's time for you to pay yours."
Each of the brothers pulls his gun, now equipped with silencers, and take turns firing shots into Ron, even after his lifeless body lies on the floor, laughing the whole time. Bianca can only watch in stunned silence. Tommy then turns back to her.
"You know, Bianca," Tommy says, moving closer to her, "things don't always go as we plan, so you make changes. That's what happened tonight; things happened, so changes have to be made."
He aims his gun at Bianca.
"Sorry it has to end like this, beautiful. It was fun, but..."
Bianca can only watch as Tommy takes aim and places a bullet into her heart. She grabs her breast as she falls to the floor, blood soaking into the rug. She dies in moments.
"What now, Tommy?" Jimmy asks.
"Don't know. Maybe I'll still ask Wong for the money, or maybe we can have that little girl after all, eh, Joey?" The brothers laugh as they leave their second murder scene of the night.
GAME OVERWith the Moynahan brothers keeping the waitress distracted with their rude behavior and general complaining, Jenny makes a quick dash to the ladies' room. Thankfully, the restroom is unoccupied. She enters one of the stalls and, without lowering her pants, sits on the toilet, and makes a call on her phone.
"911. What's your emergency?"
"Help me please!" she says with an exaggerated sense of fear.
"Just stay calm, miss, and breathe. Now tell us what's wrong."
"Some men were staring and saying things and, like, creeping me out at this club earlier. Then I go to this diner and they followed me and I'm afraid what will they'll do to me."
"Where are you now?"
"I'm still at the diner. I ran into the ladies' room."
"Where is the diner?"
"On Central and E Street. I can't think of the name right now."
"Is there anyone else there that you know of?"
"Just a waitress and a cook, maybe."
"Okay, stay where you are. I'm sending the police over there now. Just stay on the line with me."
"Okay."
At that moment, Jenny screams and hangs up the phone. She creeps out of the restroom and sees the Moynahans still at their booth. Just then, she sees the flashing lights from a police car pulling into the parking lot. She ducks back behind the wall as she sees the men stand up. It's all going just as she hoped; the cops are coming in the front door and the Moyhanans are looking to shoot their way out. As the officers enter, one of the brothers opens fire. As the officers return fire and bullets fly, Jenny lowers her head and makes a mad dash to the emergency exit. She manages to make it to some bushes at the rear of the building. She lays low briefly to see if any more police cars show up. No more show up, so she runs down an alley away fron the restaurant and through the darkened streets of the city. After what seems like hours, she finally makes it back to her apartment. Exhausted, she strips down to her bra and panties and falls asleep as soon as she lays down on her bed.
The next morning, Jenny hears on the news about the shootout at the diner: One officer wounded, he's expected to make a full recovery. Reputed crime figures Jimmy and Joey Moynahan killed. Police searching for a third shooter believed to be brother and head of the Moynahan criminal empire Tommy as well as a female restaurant patron who made 911 call. She calls Ron and tells him about what happened last night. Ron tells her what Bianca told him, confirming the Moynahans' intentions.
"Did Bianca say if she and the Moynahans agreed on a price?" Jenny asks.
"No, but with the police hot on Tommy's ass, he's going make his move soon."
"What did you tell Bianca to do?"
"I told her to accept whatever offer she was given. No matter what, just say yes."
"Okay, now we go back to the Wongs and tell them what's going on."
"Oh, yeah. They'll be pleased to see us again, Jen."
"C'mon, Ron, you know we gotta do it."
[[Ron and Jenny return to the Wong residence]]After a few hours sleep, a much-needed shower and change of clothes, and two strong cups of coffee, Ron and Jenny find themselves racing back to the Wong's home in Ron's '83 Mercedes 380 SL hardtop convertible. They pull into the driveway and ring the doorbell and are greeted by the same housekeeper who answered the door last night. Jenny explains in Spanish how important it is that they see Dr. and Mrs. Wong. The woman reluctantly lets them in, but they are immediately met in the foyer by Mrs. Wong.
"What are you two doing back here?!" Mrs. Wong demands. "Get out right now before I call the police!"
Jenny tries to explain the dire circumstances but Dr. Wong makes his way into the argument.
"You two back again?!" Dr. Wong screams.
"Don't worry, dear, they were just leaving."
"Dr. Wong," Ron says. "we know what happened to Emily."
"I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS! MARGARET, CALL THE POLICE!! NOW!!"
"Wait," Jenny pleads, "don't call the police. We know who has her, but we need you to trust that we get bring her back safely."
Mrs. Wong looks at her husband with a gleam of optimism, but he still is quite mistrustful of the pair.
"Tell me," Dr. Wong asks, "how did you even know Emily was missing to begin with?"
"Your son Joseph call me," Jenny explains. "He said he went up to her room to borrow some printer paper and saw she wasn't there. He asked your housekeeper if she had seen her and she said no. They checked the security cameras. They didn't see her on your property or go out the front door, but they saw some sort of figure appear to carrying something and running off. That's when he called me and my partner."
Dr. Wong's patience is wearing thin at this point. He then turns towards the staircase.
"Joseph!" he yells. "Come down here."
A gangly teen dressed in basketball shorts and a t-shirt come the stairs and joins the adults. His father then asks the youth if what Jenny said was true. After a deep breath and a glance at Jenny, Joseph sheepishly answers yes. Dr. Wong asks Joseph why he didn't call the police. The young man says he doesn't know. At this point his father begins to berate him for not calling the police sooner.
"Dr. Wong," Ron interrupts, "we can go over why Joseph didn't call the cops later, but right now, we must focus on getting Emily back."
"Yes," a much calmer Dr. Wong agrees, "that's true. You said you know who has Emily?"
"Yes, Doctor, we do. Tommy Moynahan."
The doctor turns quickly to his son.
"Joseph, go upstairs now!" The young man obeys his father without saying a word.
"So," Dr. Wong says to Ron, "you two know all about it then."
"Know about what?" Mrs. Wong asks.
"Don't worry, dear."
"No. Tell me. If it concerns Emily, I have a right to know!"
"Maybe you should tell her, Doctor," Jenny says.
"Tell me what?"
A repentant Frank Wong explains to his wife of over thirty-five years how, because of his secret gambling addiction, he owes one of the city's most dangerous criminals a small fortune which may ultimately cost him their daughter's life. Margaret Wong begins to scream in Chinese how could be so careless, so deceitful, so selfish. She starts to cry and sob. Dr. Wong tries to console her, but she pushes him away. Jenny goes over to Mrs. Wong and they sit down on a nearby couch. The housekeeper brings two glasses of water and a box of tissue.
"Okay," Dr. Wong says to Ron, "Moynahan will want some kind of ransom. Do you know how much?"
"We don't. You see, apparently this whole kidnapping was part of a plan to buy part of a nightclub a friend of mine owns with him and his now dead brothers. You pay the ransom, the police receive an 'anonymous tip' pinning the kidnapping on my friend, and she tries to keep from going back to jail, with Moynahan probably getting the club for almost nothing."
"What can we do to stop him from hurting Emily and get her back?"
"First off, the clue that was suppose to link my friend to the kidnapping is long gone, but Moynahan doesn't know that. Now, we wait for him to call and tell you how much to pay."
"What do I do?"
"You pay it."
"What?!"
"Remember, that's what Moynahan wants you to do. He needs that money for his plan to work. Besides, if you don't do it, you probably won't get Emily back."
None of this sits well with Dr. Wong. Ron, however, senses his skepticism.
"Don't worry. With his brothers dead and the police hot on his butt, Moynahan's got to make his move soon."
The phone rings. All in the room are silent.
"Go ahead, Doctor," Ron says, "answer it and put it on speaker."
"Hello," Dr. Wong says.
"Hello, Dr. Wong. It's time to settle your debt. First, I'll do all the talking. One word, I hang up and your precious Emily is dead in an hour. Next, no police, you understand, or again, Emily dies. Now, to the matter of payment. One million dollars, cash, in a laundry bag. You bring it to the handball court at Prairie View Park at 11:00 tomorrow morning. Be prompt, or else. If you cooperate, we'll let you know where Emily can be found safe and sound. Remember, one million in cash, handball court, Prairie View Park, 11 a.m., or else"
The caller hangs up.
"Well," Ron says, "there you go, Doc. You know what to do."
"Do what?"
"Put the ransom together."
"Actually put a million dollars in a laundry bag?"
"If you want Emily back, you do it."
"Can't we call the police to do this?"
Ron is about to answer him when he gets a text message. It's from Bianca: "$1 mil. 2morrow @ Rendezvous noon."
"Is it from your friend?" Dr. Wong asks.
"Yes, it was. It's up to you, Doctor. What do you want to do?"
[[Dr. Wong has the police prepare the ransom]]
[[Ron prepares the ransom for Dr. Wong]]"I think we should let the police handle it from here," Dr Wong replies.
"Alright, Doc. If you want to, go ahead and let the police take it from here. There should be enough to get Emily back and put Moynahan away for good! I'll call the police and give them an 'anonymous tip' and clear my friend's name. Remember, even with the police helping you, DO WHAT MOYNAHAN SAYS! If he thinks something's fishy, then God knows what he'll do. Remember that."
"Yes, I'll remember that."
"Good. Well, then, my partner and I will leave you to take it from here. Good luck."
Ron explains to Jenny what Dr. Wong has decided to do and the two of them head for the door. On their way out, Dr. Wong calls out to them.
"Before you go, my wife and I would like to apologize for the way we've acted today and especially last night. You've clearly gone out of your way to help to save our daughter. Thank you."
The Wongs then shake hands with Ron and Jenny.
"It's not time to celebrate just yet," Ron reminds him. "Remember what I said."
"Of course."
"Let us know how everything turns out," Jenny says.
"We will," a teary Mrs. Wong replies, "and thank you so much!"
After the two get into Ron's car, he calls the police to tell them about Tommy Moynahan being responsible for Emily's kidnapping, the ransom, and Bianca's meeting with him tomorrow.
"Well," Ron asks as they drive off, "what do you want to do now?"
"Eat," Jenny replies. "I'm hungry."
"Sure! What do you have a taste for?"
"Italian."
"You want pizza?"
"No. Italian, like pasta and breadsticks and stuff."
"Why not burgers?"
"You always suggest burgers."
"I like burgers."
"Oh, geez! I don't anything wrong what Italian, and when are you going to get a new car?"
"What's wrong with my car?"
"It's older than me!"
This leads to a lively, albeit slightly ridiculous, disagreement, the type that only best friends can have.
The following evening's news begins with the safe return of 13-year-old Emily Wong to her family and crime boss Tommy Moynahan arrested on a slew of charges, both related and unrelated to the kidnapping. At their office, Jenny gets a phone call from Dr. Wong inviting her and Ron to dinner, while Ron receives a text from Bianca inviting him to her place that night.
"How about this," Ron says, "you go to the Wongs' for dinner and I go to Bianca's for...well, never mind for what. Besides, you can give them our bill while you're there."
"How about this," Jenny responds, "you see the Wongs and give them our bill and I go to Bianca's"
"Hold it right there, Jennifer Morales. I know you and what you think of Bianca. You going over there means nothing but trouble."
"Why, Ron Shelton, I don't know what you're talking about. I conduct myself like a lady at all times," she answers with a slight undertone of sarcasm.
Another lively -- and ridiculous -- argument ensues.
THE ENDDr. Wong takes a long sigh. "He did say 'no police.' Maybe we should handle this ourselves."
"If you want to do that," Ron says, "We can help you put the ransom together, but first, can you get a hold of one million dollars in cash by 11:00 tomorrow?"
"It won't be easy, but for Emily, I'll do anything!"
"That's what I'm talking about, Doc! If you can get the money together, we'll go ahead and do this! We'll get Emily back and put Moynahan away for good! I'll call the police and tell them about the meeting and clear my friend's name. Remember, WE HAVE TO DO WHAT MOYNAHAN SAYS! He's still dangerous, and if he thinks something's fishy, then who knows what he'll do. Remember that."
"Yes, I'll remember that."
"Good. Well, then, my partner and I will leave you to take it from here. Good luck."
Ron explains to Jenny what Dr. Wong has decided to do and the two of them head for the door. On their way out, Dr. Wong calls out to them.
"Before you go, my wife and I would like to apologize for the way we've acted today and especially last night. You've clearly gone out of your way to help to save our daughter. Thank you."
The Wongs then shake hands with Ron and Jenny.
"It's not time to celebrate just yet," Ron reminds him. "Remember what I said."
"Of course."
"Thank you so much for your help," a teary Mrs. Wong says.
After the two get into Ron's car, he calls the police to tell them about Tommy Moynahan being responsible for Emily's kidnapping, the ransom, and Bianca's meeting with him tomorrow.
"You got something on your mind, Ron," Jenny says as they drive off. "I can tell."
"You know," Ron answers, "this case has given us nothing but grief since we first knock on the Wongs' door."
"You do have a point now that I think about it. We've been chased, been this close to being beaten to death, shot at, my car's wrecked, with not that much to show for it."
"Who says we won't have anything to show for it?"
"What?"
"I mean, maybe we can get something more than just our fee."
"What do you suggest we do?"
"Dr. Wong is about to put a cool mil in a laundry bag and hand it over to one of the biggest criminals around. Doesn't that sound silly to you?"
"It does, but do you think we can really get away with stealing a million dollars from a millionaire doctor who owes it to a homicidal gangster?"
"I think so."
"I think you've lost your mind."
"If we take it one step at a time, we can do it. First, call your brother George. Have him put together a million in fake bills. I'll call Dr. Wong and offer to let him use my car to make the drop-off."
"Why do that?"
"I'll say we'll hide in the back seat and cover him in case Moynahan decides to try something crazy."
"This is all well and good, but what happens after we get the money?"
"Let the police sort that out."
"Along with whatever dead bodies turn up?"
"Perhaps."
"You know, we're going to jail if this doesn't work."
"After all the shit we've been through, do we really anything to lose, Jen?"
"Going out in style, are we?"
"Looks like."
Ron stops at a laundromat, goes in and buys two identical, blue laundry bags while Jenny calls her brother George, a prop man with access to fake money used in films and TV shows. They pick up the stacks of bills and place them in one of the bags, then they call Dr. Wong telling him about their offer to let him use Ron's car for the drop-off tomorrow. Dr. Wong agrees.
The next morning, Ron puts the money Dr. Wong has managed to assemble in one of the laundry bags; a cool one million dollars. As Dr. Wong gets into the driver's seat, Ron tells him he's putting the money into the trunk, which he does. Behind the second bag with the fake money. He then gets into the front passenger seat. Jenny is sitting in the back seat.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Dr. Wong asks nervously.
"Relax," Ron reassures him, "we've got you covered. You drop me off at the baseball field with the big grandstand and I'll be sitting on the bench closest to the handball court. You park over by the handball courts and make the drop. If anything happens, Jenny's got you covered with that rifle, and if he heads my way, I can take him. If things get crazy, just duck down and head back to the car, okay?"
"How will YOU take care of Moynahan if something goes wrong?"
"With this." Ron says as he pulls out a .45 with a silencer.
"Trust us, doctor," Jenny says," we won't let anything happen to you."
"Okay, I trust you."
"Alright, we're good to go!" Ron exclaims. "It's almost 11:00. Drop me off here, then park over by the handball courts."
Dr. Wong lets Ron out by the baseball field and he walks to the bench where he can see the drop-off spot with a magazine in hand, pretending to be an ordinary bystander. Dr. Wong then parks the car close to the handball court.
"Remember, doctor," Jenny reminds him, "drop off the bag, then walk back. Don't run, don't make any sudden moves, just stay calm and come right back. Moynahan's probably gonna be watching you. Again, Ron and I are right here, okay. You ready?"
"As ready as I'm going to be."
"Okay. Go."
Dr. Wong gets out of the car and opens the trunk, taking the bag with the fake money and starts to carry it over to one of the large brick enclosures that serves as handball courts. One would hard pressed to find out the last time anyone actually played handball here, so it gets more use as a canvas for graffiti artists and taggers, though the city has done all it can to try and keep the walls a rather bland shade of blue. The back wall stood twenty feet high. The side walls sloped down gradually for twenty feet, then ended at a height of six feet. There are a total of four courts; two facing the parking lot and two on the other side facing tennis courts. As Dr. Wong made his way towards the court, Jenny crawled into the driver's seat, then carefully reached back for the rifle. She can see Ron sitting on the bench. She hated the spot Moynahan picked. A lot of wide-open space for Moynahan to pick Dr. Wong off, or if he wanted to, he could easily corner the doctor in the court and Wong wouldn't stand a chance. As the doctor drops the bag drops off and turns back. Jenny sees a man heading towards the court. He's wearing a grey hoodie, jeans and sunglasses. Who the hell is that, Jenny asks herself. Get lost, whoever you are! The closer the man gets to the handball court, the more uneasy Jenny gets. Then it hits her. That could be Moynahan, or someone who's working for him. As he gets closer still, she notices he's fiddling with something in his hoodie pocket. Is it a knife, a gun, what?! Wait, is he just someone taking a walk in the park? Dammit, why is this guy here now? Jenny calls Ron's cell phone.
"Do you see that man headed towards the handball court?"
"Yeah, I see him," Ron answers. "Is it Moynahan?"
"I don't know."
"If it is, we can't let him get to Wong?"
"But what if it's not?"
"Listen, Jen, whatever you decide, I'm with you 100 percent."
Jenny realizes if she doesn't shoot the man and it IS Moynahan, Dr. Wong is as good as dead. If she does shoot, and it's NOT Moynahan, there's a good chance she'll have to beg a judge and jury to keep a needle out of her right arm.
[[Jenny shoots the man]]
[[Jenny doesn't shoot the man]]Jenny does whatever she can to keep her cool, trying to hold a steady aim in case she has to pull that trigger. She can hear Ron talking to her in her Bluetooth earpiece, but it's all just a dull roar. All she can focus on is the mystery man. Is he just some random passerby, one of Tommy Moynahan's hired guns, or is it Moynahan himself? As the man moves closer to the handball court, something catches her eye. Something shiny that he takes out of his pocket. A GUN! Big mistake, you son of a bitch! Jenny says to herself. It's not even a question of what to do now. She takes a breath, takes steady aim, and pulls the trigger. A shot rings out, screams of other park visitors can be heard in the distance, and the would-be hitman drops to the ground, dead with a bullet through the temple. Dr. Wong looks at the man, then Jenny. "Told you we had you covered!" she says with a smile.
Within minutes, the handball court is swarming with police. The body being taken away is in fact Tommy Moynahan, and Ron and Jenny explain that they were hired by Dr. Wong to find his missing daughter. The doctor shows the police a picture of Emily, an AMBER Alert is issued, and her disappearance is the top story on all the afternoon and evening newscasts. The manager of a motel across the street from Bruno's recalls seeing a girl matching Emily's description being taken in one of his rooms, and the late-night newscasts report Emily's safe return.
Ron and Jenny send Dr. Wong a bill. The doctor responds with a lawsuit citing that he was placed in undue danger.
All that...and nothing to show for it.
THE ENDThe man just continues to walk closer to the handball court, ready to intercept Dr. Wong. Time seems to stand still, and Jenny starts to sweat, making it harder to hold the rifle steady. For some reason, her vision seemed to blur, and when she blinks at one point, her eyes stay shut.
What just happened? she asks herself. Did I just black out?
Before she can compose herself, two shots ring out and the mystery man starts to run off with the laundry bag. Jenny tries to aim and fire, but her shot hits the court wall. She looks at the handball court and gets a glimpse of Dr. Wong face down on the concrete. She starts the car and drives toward Ron. He hops in and she speeds off. The two head back to their office. Ron quickly takes the bag with Dr. Wong's money out of the trunk as Jenny frantically tries to unlock the office door. She manages to open the door, Ron runs in and she locks it back. They catch their breath as the realization of how much of a clusterfuck this case has suddenly become. Tommy Moynahan, or one of his hired guns, may have killed Dr. Wong and now has a bag filled with counterfeit money, meaning he may not meet with Bianca at the Rendezvous club nor reveal where Emily is. The news reports of the shooting at the park. They both know it's Dr. Wong, and they now have a bag filled with one million dollars of his money. Ron opens it and the stacks of money tumble out into the floor. As Ron picks up a stack, he notices something strange.
"Hey, Jen, look at these bills. Look! They're marked!"
Jenny notices the same thing. They begin to pick up and examine more bills.
"These are marked, too!" Jenny says.
"So are these! What about those you've got?"
"All of these are marked!"
"Dammit! I didn't think he'd have though to mark this shit. We need to find out how much we'd much got that's not marked."
They spend the next half hour checking and counting the bills that aren't marked. Out of the one million in cash in the bag, only $20,000 of it was unmarked. As the two of them sat there feeling screwed over, Ron sees what time it was; 11:30. He grabs his car keys and heads out the door.
"Where are you going?" Jenny asks him.
"To the Rendezvous club. That's where Moynahan's headed. You know he's pissed now that he's stuck with that fake money. Wong is already dead and Emily might be too at this point. I can still at least save Bianca."
"After all the shit you've been through with her, to say nothing of what I'VE gone through with you because of her, you're now gonna risk your life for her?! I say, whatever happens at that meeting is her own fault!"
"Are you finished?"
"One more thing: we already called the police and they're waiting for that meeting to take place. If you still want to get caught up in that shit, go right ahead, but I'm not promising I'll be here when, or if, you come back."
"Are you done now?"
"Yes."
[[Ron leaves the office]]
[[Ron stays in the office]]Ron turns and leaves the office. Jenny sighs.
CONTINUE ON ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PATHS
[[Ron goes to the Rendezvous]]
[[Jenny sits at her desk]]Ron breathes a heavy sigh, then takes off his jacket and sits down at his desk.
"Let the police take it for here," Jenny says. "Besides, the farther we can distance ourselves from all this shit now, the better."
"You're right," Ron says in agreement. "Plus, we need to get rid of this marked money."
They proceed to place all the marked bills back into the laundry bag. Ron then receives a text from Bianca: Moynahan came with the $$. Police busted in and arrested him! He then tells Jenny the good news.
"Cool, but how do we know Moynahan's still not going to try to drag us down with him?"
"Nobody's gonna want to hear anything he's got to say. They've been trying to bring him down for years. They'd give us a medal first before they charge us with anything, but if you want, we can talk to Vinny."
"Yeah. He'll know if we really do have anything to worry about."
Vinny is an attorney Ron and Jenny call on if they have any legal issues (he's the man that handled Bianca's finances while she was in prison). They explain everything that's happened regarding the Wong case to him.
"If Moynahan did decide to try and pin any of his brothers' murders or the kidnapping on you," Vinny stated, "it's at the very least circumstancial, at worst it opens a can of worms he won't want to deal with. As for the money, ditch the marked bills and don't keep the legit money on you too long. Spend it, put a little bit in the bank, give it away, just don't hold to it for long."
"Okay, Jen, any ideas about with to do with it?"
"I know where we can dump this."
They load the bag into the trunk and drive up to an old, abandoned restaurant and banquet hall on a hill overlooking the city. Jenny's family used to have get-togethers here, but since it went out of business, it's served as a camp for the homeless and occassional dope spot. Fortunately for them, no one appears to be here. Jenny puts the bag in a corner and gets back into the car.
As far Ron and Jenny are concerned, this case is over. Dr. Wong is dead, Tommy Moynahan is sitting in a holding cell, they didn't find Emily, but when Mrs. Wong is told about her husband's death, she can tell the police about Emily's kidnapping then. Back at the office, they think about what to do with the unmarked money.
"Put some in the bank?" Ron says.
"Hmmm...no" Jenny answers. "Give some to charity?"
"Well, some crackheads'll get it, so I say that counts as charity."
Jenny couldn't help but laugh at that. "Vegas?"
"Vegas sounds good to me."
"Cool! Let's go!"
Just then, the phone rings.
"You wanna answer it?" Ron asks.
"Not really. You want to?" Jenny replies.
"Nope." The phone continues to rings. They glance back and forth between the phone and each other. Finally, Jenny sighs and answers the phone.
"S&M Investigations. How can we help you?"
Looks like Vegas will have to wait.
THE ENDRon leaves the office he's shared with Jennifer Morales for the past twenty years and heads off to the Rendezvous. A bright, garish, neon funhouse at night, it's a dull, unassuming building blending into the background, barely seen by the traffic whizzing by on Mission Boulevard. He spots Bianca's custom Ferrari Testarossa convertible parked in front of the club and he parks behind her. He scopes out the area to see if he sees anyone he recognizes -- or could recognize him. He doesn't anyone who could give him any trouble, he gets out of his car, but then realizes there's no way to get in, at least not without possibly causing a huge mess. Just then, a stroke of luck. Ron sees a custodian heading inside the building. He goes up to the man and asks to borrow his work shirt and hat. The man, who speaks little English, explains if he doesn't clean the club, he doesn't get paid. Ron, who speaks little Spanish, offers the man $200 -- two of the marked $100 bills Ron still has on him -- and the man gives him the shirt and hat, lets him in the rear door, and shows him where the cleaning supplies are. The inside of the club is just as drab and lifeless as the outside this time of day. Bianca is sitting alone at one of the tables.
"Eduardo? Is that you?" Bianca asks.
"Yes, Ms. Bianca," Ron answers with his back to her, talking with the best Spanish accent he can muster.
"Are you catching a cold? You don't sound too good."
"Yes, Ms. Bianca," Ron says with a few coughs. "but I'll be okay."
Ron begins to wipe the chairs with a rag when Bianca's cell phone rings. She answers and tells the caller she'll let them in. Ron takes a quick glance back as she goes to the door and sees her come back talking with a man. Tommy Moynahan. He's carrying a briefcase as they talk about great a deal this will be for both of them and other small talk. As they sit down at the table, however, Bianca says something that Ron can't help but focus on.
"You're early," she says. "You said noon."
"I was in the area already," Moynahan explains, "so I figured I'd come by and get this out of the way now."
Ron checked his watch; 11:50. He told the police 12:00. If they didn't see Moynahan come in, Ron may have to take care of Moynahan himself.
"Who's he?!" Moynahan barks, pointing to Ron.
"That's just Eduardo, one of the cleaning men."
"Does he have to clean now? He's got all day, doesn't he?"
"He's not bothering anything, plus he can be our witness."
"Fine, but he better be able to speak English."
"He does. Now can we get down to business?"
"Of course," Moynahan says as he places a piece of paper and his briefcase on the table. Bianca opens the case, looks inside and immediately scowls at Moynahan.
"Are you serious?" Bianca snaps at him.
"Of course I'm serious, bitch! That's one mil you're turnin' your plastic nose up at!"
"Take a look, asshole! Tell me who the fuck this is on this bill? It sure as hell isn't Ben Franklin!"
Ron realizes it wasn't Moynahan who shot Dr. Wong in the park and took the money this morning, and he obviously didn't put the money in the case; it was just delivered to him, he came over here and rushed to drop it off to Bianca.
"GOD DAMMIT!!" Moynahan screamed.
"Take this case full of bullshit and get the hell out of here!" Bianca shouted at him as she shut the case and ripped up the contract. Moynahan, however, wasn't about to be told what to do by some woman. He grabs Bianca and punches her square in the nose. but just as Moynahan pulls out a 9mm semi-automatic in puts it in her face, Ron turns toward them, with his .45 pointing straight at Moynahan. Moynahan, for some odd reason, doesn't seem fazed.
"Something told me you'd come back around here, trying to be some big hero, saving the day," Moynahan says with an evil smile on his face, holding Bianca as a hostage now.
"I'm not letting leaving you here alive. This ends NOW!" Ron says coldly.
"Well, if that's your attitude, it doesn't matter what I do, now does it? If I'm a dead man either way, I might as well take Bianca with me."
"Don't listen to him, Ronnie," Bianca cries out. "You can take him out right here and now!"
Ron can see the tears well up in Bianca's eyes.
"Listen..eh, Ron, is it? I'm not a complete dick. I'll make a deal with you: drop your gun and kick it over here, and I'll let Bianca go. Deal?"
"Don't do it! We both know he can't be trusted!"
"What do you say, Ron, my boy? What'll it be?"
[[Ron drops the gun and kicks it to Moynahan]]
[[Ron doesn't drop the gun]]Jenny still can't believe after everything Bianca has put Ron -- and at time, her -- through, he's actually going to that club to save her ass. She doesn't want to see Bianca killed, but if she ends up back in jail, Jenny wouldn't shed any tears. She looks at the clock on the wall; 11:55. She recalls Ron saying the meeting at the Rendezvous is at noon. Part of her says let Ron go if he's so concerned, plus she knows he can take care of himself, but there's that part of her that feels Ron can always use some back-up. She knows he'd be there for her. She bundles the money back into the laundry bag, then heads downstairs and hops on her Harley that she keeps at the office building garage. She speeds toward the Rendezvous club, but by the time she arrives, the police have got the place surrounded. She sees a body bag being wheeled out on a stretcher. She wonders whose body it is. Is it Tommy Moynahan? Is it Bianca? Is it Ron?
[[Jenny goes into the club to find out who was killed]]
[[Jenny rides away from the club]]Ron sees the opportunity to save Bianca's life. He drops his gun and kicks it over to Moynahan. Moynahan releases Bianca and she immediately runs into Ron's arms. During the embrace, Moynahan quickly picks up Ron's gun and shoots Bianca twice, one in the back and one in the neck. Ron feels her shutter and her eyes glaze over as the life begins to drain from her body. As she dies in her arms, Ron's sadness quickly turns to rage as he is now facing Moynahan, now grinning from ear to ear.
"Don't go blaming this on me," Moynahan says with a sarcastically scolding tone. "I told you if you give me your gun, I'd let Bianca go. I said NOTHING about NOT shooting her! Now, one more bit of business to tend to. This is for my brothers! GOD REST THEIR SOULS!"
He points Ron's own gun at him and fires three time at point blank range. Ron drops to the floor sprawled over Bianca's body. Moynahan then flees out the back door.
The top story on all the evening news would be Ron and Bianca being found shot to death in a local strip club, Dr. Wong shot dead in a park, and a 13-year-old found dead in a seedy motel across the street from Bruno's. Her name: Emily Wong.
Jenny cried all night after watching the news.
GAME OVERRon knew he couldn't trust Tommy Moynahan as far as he could throw him. He held his gun steady on Moynahan.
"Well," Moynahan demands. "What are you going to do? Don't tell me you're willing to risk Bianca's life."
Ron stares at him without saying a word.
"If that's the way it's going to be..."
Before either man can act, the police rush in and order Ron and Moynahan to drop their guns. Ron drops his gun but Moynahan holds on to his with Bianca still his hostage. The police order Moynahan again to drop his gun. This time, he pushes Bianca into Ron and turns to fire at the police. Ron and Bianca dive to the floor as the police immediately open fire, riddling Tommy Moynahan's body with bullets. The crime lord collapses into a lifeless, bloody heap on the floor. With Bianca still in Ron's arms, the police ask them what happened. They tell them exactly what happened and they are let go.After he bids good day to Bianca, Ron drives back to his office and finds that Jenny has left.
The money is no longer on the table. He checks their office safe. It's not there, either. He searches the entire office and there's no sign of it anywhere. He tries to call Jenny on her cell phone, only to hear it ring in the office.
She took the money and ran off! Ron couldn't believe she would do that! He's known her since they both dropped out of the police academy and risked their lives countless times on dozens of cases over the past twenty years. They've crossed the line a few times and Dr. Wong's death today wasn't the first time an innocent person or even a client ended up dead, but through it all, they could always count on one another.
At least, until now.
Ron picks up her phone and throws it against the wall. He then proceeds to completely trash the office, turning over anything that's not nailed down, ripping frames and pictures off the wall, throwing papers everywhere. After about twenty minutes of this, he slumps into a corner, his head between his knees. He's gone from shocked to angry to sad to betrayed. After a while, he calls Bianca to tell her what happened.
"THAT BITCH!! I knew she couldn't be trusted!" Bianca screamed. "How much did she end up taking?"
"The bag had a million bucks in it, but only $20,000 of it was unmarked."
"That's it? Doesn't sound like much to me, to be honest."
It didn't seen like a whole lot once the amount is said out loud.
"If you really want money for all this trouble," Bianca continues, "I can give you two, three, five times that, no problem. Listen, why don't you come over for a while? Take your mind off things."
"Sure. It probably will do me good. I'll be there in about a half hour."
Ron picks himself off the floor, gets his jacket and keys, and heads out to Bianca's place. Even though Bianca lives only about ten miles away, it's still the longest drive he's ever had to make. He knows his partnership with Jenny is over. He can't tell the police what she's done; she'd tell them everything and everyone would end up doing time. He couldn't worry about that now. Bianca is waiting for him.
Maybe she and Ron could get away from it all.
THE ENDJenny parks her motorcycle and she goes toward the club. The police have the entrance taped off but she ignores the tape and an officer's order to stop and enters the club. She finds among the officers milling about Bianca seated talking to a detective...and Tommy Moynahan handcuffed in another chair.
It was Ron's body on that stretcher.
As Jenny processes what has happened, Moynahan sees her.
"She's the one!" Moynahan screams. "She shot my brother Danny! ARREST HER! SHE DID IT!!"
"What are you talking about, Moynahan?" a detective asks.
"That Mexican bitch shot my brother last night! Cuff her! Lock her up!"
"Quiet, Moynahan!" the detective snaps at him. He then turns his attention to Jenny. "May I see your I.D., miss?" She complies with his order. "Could you wait here please?" He then orders an officer to take Moynahan away. A few moments, the detective comes back over to Jenny. He asks her to stand up.
"Jennifer Morales, you're under arrest for grand theft and the murders of Darnell Troy Jenkins and Daniel Moynahan." the detective says as he handcuffs and reads her rights to her. She is placed into the back of a black and white and taken away.
Jenny knew that she and Ron were flirting with danger too many times with this case. Now, all she could do is wonder who got it worse; her, facing life in prison but still alive, or Ron, who won't face a day in jail but is dead.
Some choice.
THE ENDJenny waits at the corner to see if another body gets wheeled of the club. After a few more minutes of police milling about, she sees Ron come out -- with his arm around Bianca. As he walks her to her car, they embrace and share a very passionate kiss. Jenny has seen enough and rides back to the office. As she rides back, she asks herself why she isn't happy for Ron. Maybe it's because of all the crap he went through the first time with her (it was because of her that they got mixed up with D-Troy to begin with, how they almost went to jail trying to help her hide her assets, and what was she thinking getting involved with the Moynahans?) and while she'd hate to see that happen to him again, she realizes that he's a grown man and, in the end, he's going to do whatever he wants regardless of what anyone tells him. So, why not let him do what he wants this time? But she's not going to be around to pick up the pieces when she breaks his heart...again!
She rides back to the office, places the unmarked $20,000 back in the laundry bag, puts the marked bills in the office safe, sets her cell phone down on her desk, rides home with the laundry bag to get a change of clothes, then hops on the freeway heading north. She's got no particular destination in mind, she just starts riding.
She understands her twenty-plus-year partnership with Ron is over. She also knows he can't go to the police and drop a dime on her; she'd take him down with her, and God help Bianca if she tries to do it.
Jenny has to make a clean break, and $20,000 is not a bad way to start.
THE ENDRon knows Dr. Wong wouldn't be too happy to see him in his missing daughter's bedroom, so he climbs back out the window and down the trellis. Seeing a police car pull into the driveway, he hides on the side of the trellis until the cops are inside and he can hear the front door close. A quick dash across the yard and he is safely back in the car. He pulls out the napkin and shines a flashlight on it to show it to Jenny.
"Chloroform?" Jenny asks.
"Yeah," Ron answers. "This has to be a professional job, to know when she'd be home, which room was hers, then to get all the way to the house, up to the window, knock her out, then get out with her ALL without being detected."
"I don't think even the best pros can do all that without SOME inside help."
"You think Wong paid to have his own daughter kidnapped?"
"Stranger things have happened and being a doctor, he could get a hold of chloroform."
"But why call the cops? Why not call...a private investigator?"
"Or two?"
They both can't help but laugh at that.
"But why leave the napkin behind?" Jenny asks. "That's a rookie mistake."
"They obviously wanted to be found, but why? This red smudge here? This would be lipstick or lip gloss?"
"Lipstick, yeah. Maybe it's the girl's."
"Didn't see any in the room."
"Don't think her parents would let her wear a shade like this, anyway."
"You recognize the shade?"
"No, but I know who may. You thirsty?"
Ron knows exactly what she means.
"Bruno's?"
"Right!" Jenny says with a smile.
Bruno's is a seedy dive bar in a sketchy part of town, about as far away from Sultan Drive as you can get. A place where a misunderstood word, look, or gesture can earn you a trip to the hosptial or worse, but it was the place to go for all the info on who's doing dirt...if you know who -- and how -- to ask. The most consistent source of legit info was P.K. the bartender; a short, busty brunette with an encyclopedic mind, a big smile, a rockabilly style, and a beehive hairdo. Ron gives her a warm greeting and she reaches over the bar to give him a hug and a kiss on the lips. She hugs Jenny too, and as much as Jenny resists, P.K. manages to plant a full kiss right on her lips. Jenny wipes it off as P.K. and Ron laugh.
"The usual, P.K.," Ron says, "shot of rum for me, shot of tequila for Jen, and two beers."
P.K. pours the drinks. "Twenty-five bucks, Ronnie."
"Put it on our tabs."
"Sorry, sweetie, no more credit and no more drinks until you two pay your tabs."
"Quit playing, P.K. Serve the drinks. Bruno knows we're good for it."
"She ain't playin' 'sweetie,' an' Bruno ain't got no say in things 'round here no more!"
Ron and Jenny turn to see D-Troy, a six-foot-four tatted hulk with scars on his face and hate in his eyes and heart. They've dealt with him before, the last time had them and Bruno get D-Troy five years behind bars.
"D-Troy, my brother!" Ron says, "what a surprise! You look great! I didn't think Bruno would let you back in here, though."
"Like I said, Bruno ain't got shit to do wit' things no 'mo! I run this now, muthafucka!"
"Oh? Bruno sell it to you, you win it playing cards...or did he leave it to you in his will?"
"Don't let yo' mouth git you fucked up!"
"My bad, man That wasn't cool. Moving on, how much do we need to pay off our tabs?"
"You an' yo' bitch owe me 200 EACH! That's 400!"
"Damn, we drank that much? Okay, lemme get my credit card--"
"Cash. 400!"
"Jen and I don't carry that much cash on us as a rule. Tell you what, I'll go to the bank tomorrow and--"
"One way or 'nother, y'all payin' yo' tabs TONIGHT!"
"Like I said," Ron says through his teeth, "we don't carry that much cash on us!"
[[Jenny sneaks around D-Troy while he's busy with Ron]]
[[Jenny moves next to Ron, sensing Ron is ready to take on D-Troy]]Just then, Dr. Wong enters the room, shocked to see Ron in his daughter's room.
"A-HA! Something told me you and that woman were behind this! Officer! OFFICER!!"
"What is it, Dr. Wong?" an officer asks.
"Dr. Wong," Ron says, "please believe me, I had nothing to do with your daughter's disappearance, but this could be a major lead--"
But Ron knew he had to get out of there fast when he sees the cop talk into his radio. Praying the cop isn't reaching for his gun, Ron races back to the window, shimmying down the trellis and starts running back to the car, only to see another cop pushing Jenny hard down onto the hood, handcuffing her. Damn! Ron thought as he slows down slightly. He doesn't have long to be sad. The officer tackles Ron in the middle of the yard, placing his knee in his back while putting on the cuffs. As he and Jenny are taken away, he hopes the police can figure out what to do with that napkin.
For Emily's sake.
GAME OVER