Vegas Vengeance Read Online Free PDF Page A

blood from his face, then looked at Hawker. “Okay, okay, I’ll talk. But first you got to get me out of here. This hurts too bad. I can’t even think straight.”
    â€œYou can think straight enough for what I need to know. First you talk. Then I get you out.”
    â€œYou bastard!” the man snarled. “I might be bleeding to death!”
    â€œAll the more reason to hurry, friend.”
    The man nodded quickly. “Okay, I’ll tell you what I know. But it isn’t much, honest to god. Christ, if they ever found out I talked, they’d—they’d—”
    â€œThey’d do just what I plan to do if you don’t talk,” Hawker cut in. “With them, at least you have a chance. Tell them you had a wreck chasing me. Tell them I got away. No way they can find out you talked. Your buddy sure as hell isn’t going to tell them.”
    The worry on the man’s face wasn’t contrived. “You don’t know those animals. Hell, I’d rather have a bullet through the brain than what they’d do to me.”
    Hawker lifted the automatic. “I’ll be happy to oblige if that’s what you want.”
    The man held his palms toward him. “Not so quick, for Christ’s sake. I told you I’d talk. What do you want to know?”
    â€œYour name, for starters.”
    â€œVendelli. Frank Vendelli.”
    â€œSee? We’re off to a good start. Who hired you, Vendelli?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    Hawker pointed the automatic at him.
    â€œI don’t know, goddamn it! Not really. I got a rep with some of the organizations that have holdings in Vegas, see? Sometimes these organizations have a problem with an organization member. Or they need some employee convinced that stealing isn’t such a wise thing to do. Or maybe some out-of-town reporter comes snooping around, digging where he shouldn’t ought to dig. Then they get in touch with me. There’s no person-to-person contact. Just a phone call. They tell me who to hit, where I can find them and how heavy I should come down. I give them a location to drop the money. Hell, it could be any one of two dozen syndicates—or maybe an outside company, for all I know. Like I said, there’s no personal contact. I work alone on my rep. I hire my own muscle—like Louie there.”
    â€œYou said these people were animals. How do you know that if you don’t know what organization you’re working for?”
    â€œBecause of the way the guy on the phone told me to hit you.”
    â€œHe told you my name? He told you where you could find me?”
    â€œYeah. He called a couple of hours ago. Said you’d be driving out this way.”
    â€œDid you recognize the voice? Had you ever heard it before?”
    â€œNo. Never. I’d remember, ’cause he had some kind of accent.”
    â€œWhat kind of accent?”
    â€œHow in the hell should I know? He wasn’t from the Bronx. That’s all I can tell you.”
    â€œDid he say what kind of car I’d be driving?”
    â€œNo. Just described you. Reddish brown–haired man traveling alone. Said I was to hit you just as hard as I could. Make it last. He said he wanted them to find you in pieces. Small pieces. Said he wanted to make an example of you.”
    â€œDid the same voice on the phone hire you to kill Jason Stratton?”
    â€œWho?”
    â€œA guy who lived in a cabin back down the mountain.”
    â€œI don’t know nothing about that. But I’m not the only contract man in Vegas. There’s not that much business anymore, but there’s still a couple of others who like to keep their hands in.”
    â€œFraternal organization of hired murderers, huh? Do you guys hold meetings and do charity work, too? Maybe show color slides at your get-togethers?”
    â€œHey, I wasn’t going to slice you up,” Vendelli said quickly. “Hell, that kind