CHAPTER 5
ON THE RUN
"I knew we should've whacked the sonofabitch! I KNEW it!"
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gautieri was fuming angrily as he packed his car. Silvio Dante was helping, trying to get some stuff, including a painting of Tony (as a Revolutionary War general) and Pie-Oh-My into Paulie's way-too-small trunk.
"It's a rule of Nature - don't trust a fucking junkie! NEVER! They'll always sell you out, especially when they need a fix! Why in hell couldn't Tony see that!"
Silvio shrugged. "Well, Tony always said he was family."
"Family my ass - Chris was a dopehead. That means he lost his rights! Why the fuck should we have let that doped up finook shit on everything?"
Silvio tried to calm his friend down. "Look - if it'd been my choice, I'd have done it, Chrissie would've been dead. But guess what, Paulie - we're not in charge. Whether we like it or not, Chris is a made man. Tony is the boss. That's the way things are." He shrugged again. "It's not like there's another crew out there willing to take us on for more money."
Paulie snarled. "Yeah, right. Maybe we should've taken Tony out."
Silvio gave him a look. "You nuts? Take out Tony?"
Paulie gave him a stare. "Why not? Why the fuck not? Maybe things would be run better from here on out."
"Yeah, right. You're stuffing your car full of shit, and you're gonna be the boss. Look, Paulie, you're my friend, you're a good earner, and you're a good fella. BUT - you ain't boss material, and everyone knows it."
"So what the fuck do I do? Turn on him like that dopehead did?"
They looked at each other for a moment.
Paulie spoke first. "Why not?"
"Sure, why not....."
ON THE RUN
"I knew we should've whacked the sonofabitch! I KNEW it!"
Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gautieri was fuming angrily as he packed his car. Silvio Dante was helping, trying to get some stuff, including a painting of Tony (as a Revolutionary War general) and Pie-Oh-My into Paulie's way-too-small trunk.
"It's a rule of Nature - don't trust a fucking junkie! NEVER! They'll always sell you out, especially when they need a fix! Why in hell couldn't Tony see that!"
Silvio shrugged. "Well, Tony always said he was family."
"Family my ass - Chris was a dopehead. That means he lost his rights! Why the fuck should we have let that doped up finook shit on everything?"
Silvio tried to calm his friend down. "Look - if it'd been my choice, I'd have done it, Chrissie would've been dead. But guess what, Paulie - we're not in charge. Whether we like it or not, Chris is a made man. Tony is the boss. That's the way things are." He shrugged again. "It's not like there's another crew out there willing to take us on for more money."
Paulie snarled. "Yeah, right. Maybe we should've taken Tony out."
Silvio gave him a look. "You nuts? Take out Tony?"
Paulie gave him a stare. "Why not? Why the fuck not? Maybe things would be run better from here on out."
"Yeah, right. You're stuffing your car full of shit, and you're gonna be the boss. Look, Paulie, you're my friend, you're a good earner, and you're a good fella. BUT - you ain't boss material, and everyone knows it."
"So what the fuck do I do? Turn on him like that dopehead did?"
They looked at each other for a moment.
Paulie spoke first. "Why not?"
"Sure, why not....."