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by Marten on Fri Aug 25, 2006 10:47 am
Traven shifted his weight from foot to foot, as he was inclined to do when he was agitated, while waiting for Cerello and Henry to arrive. He had sent them to procure the latest shipment hours ago, and they should have been due to arrive at any moment. Producing a flask from somewhere within his trench coat, Traven took a few swigs of whiskey to calm himself. Surely theyāll arrive with grins on their faces and enough booze to keep their heads over water for a month or two, he thought to himself before he caught the sound of footsteps coming down the sidewalk.
Squinting in the darkness of the alley that lay beside the Celestial, Traven quickly pocketed his flask and in its place took out his trusted .38 caliber pistol. Using his thumb to undo the safety, he pressed himself flat against one of the alleyās walls, casting his form in shadow. As the sound of the footsteps drew nearer, Traven heard the familiar chuckle of his comrade, Cerello. Stepping into the light from a nearby window that bathed the littered ground beneath his feet, he slipped his pistol into its holster as he called out, āYou imbecile, you had me worried.ā
Chuckling once more at Travenās obvious relief to see him, Cerello waved his hand before his face in a sweeping manner while replying, āIām sorry, mother. Iāll be sure to drop a line periodically from now on.ā Unable to contain himself any longer, Cerello doubled over in a fit of laughter at the look on Travenās face at his comments. Regaining his composure, Cerello clasped Travenās hand and shook it furiously, āDonāt worry, Amory. Itās all been taken care of. Henryās at the docks right now with the boys, loading some of the finest gin Iāve ever had into our safe-house.ā
Prying his hand from Cerelloās grip, Traven felt his friendās light-hearted disposition flowing into himself, his face breaking out into a wide grin. Handing his flask to Cerello, he took the moment to assess the current situation. Traven and his comrades now held control over what was the equivalent of one-third of the cityās liquor. Not only would being in control of such a large amount of booze gain respect in the underworld, but it would also allow him and his colleagues the opportunity of branching out into other forms of illegal activity. If they were to somehow gain control of a piece of land, like say, the Celestial, they would no longer need a to go between their contacts which brought the liquor into the city and Lorre, the crude businessman that ran one of the biggest speak-easyās in town. They would directly profit from their negotiations, instead of having to take whatever price Lorre was willing to pay, seeing as how he kept the heat off of their backs as long as they only provided him with their wares.
āYou know that the more you worry about what may happen farther along in the future, the more likely it is that you wonāt see someone coming out right in front of you and taking you out.ā Cerello could tell that Traven had a lot on his mind, undoubtedly wishing to expand their business, although Cerello himself knew that they would only get themselves into trouble if they did.
āThatās why Iāve got you, Christian. Youāre here to make sure nothing happens to the both of us. After all, Iām simply a businessman. You, on the other hand, know more than enough of the streets to get us along just fine.ā Shaking his head, Traven knew that taking a jab at Cerelloās entrepreneurial skills would surely deflate his good mood, even a sliver would surely keep him from interrupting Travenās scheming for the time being.
āOne of these days, Amory, Iām going to have to teach you a few things about the street. I canāt be around to protect you all the time. In fact, whenās the last time you used that old .38 you carry? In fact, whenās the last time you even serviced it? If you put more stock into things in the present, youād find that not only would you be able to hold your own, but youād be able to get a little bit more action.ā Gently tapping Traven on the jaw with his left hand, Cerello grinned as he hopped to and fro, reminiscent of Jack Dempsey.
Ignoring the blow dealt to his ability to attain women, Traven steered the conversation in a direction that would certainly keep Cerello busy. āSpeaking of action⦠How about you and I take ourselves inside and see if we canāt find a few of Lorreās girls to take care of us for the night. I think weāve earned ourselves a bit of entertainment. What do you think?ā
āIām thinking we should get the Hell out of this stinkinā alley and warm ourselves up with a drink and a girl. Did you see that pretty little thing that Lorre got his hands on? I hear sheās just turned nineteen. Iām afraid that Iāll be getting her before you, pal.ā Putting his arm around Travenās shoulder, Cerello led them out of the alley, which loomed on either side, like Moses and the split sea, and into the Celestial, pausing for a moment to reflect on the thought of getting his hands on that new girl.
āIāll be sure to teach her that Cerelloās got that magic touch.ā
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