Louie got into the back seat of the car, feeling Tux’s gun ramming against his kidneys. He began to shake.
“Where are we going, Tux?” he asked, in a faint, muffled voice.
“We’re taking you home, pally,” Tux said amiably.
“But this isn’t the way,” Louie wailed. “Now listen, Tux, I didn’t know she was O’Brien’s girl.”
“We live and learn,” Tux said. “What’s all this about Johnny Dorman coming to see you last night?”
Louie stared at him, feeling sweat running down his face.
“That was just talk, Tux. I — I thought I’d scare the wren. There was nothing to it.”
“The boss doesn’t like his wrens scared,” Tux said. “Okay, Whitey, this’ll do.”
Whitey trod on the brake and the car skidded to a stop.
Louie looked with horror at the plot of waste land stretching out before him. Beyond the plot was the river.