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San Francisco Heart, by Ed N. White

5/11/2019

 
I froze my ass in San Francisco. I know that’s not how the song goes, but that’s what was happening. An unexpected blast of cold air blew in from the bay, dropping the temperatures way below average for this time of year. I was unprepared for this bringing only a light jacket with me from Florida. Just enough to cover my gun. The man I was looking for could be found on Friday nights at Kennedy’s, an Irish pub with an Indian restaurant attached. I guess anything is possible if you know where to look.
I drove my rental up Columbus Avenue and, after several tries, found a parking spot on a side street a block away. I rechecked my phone for his picture, then deleted it. It would be hard to miss a three-hundred-fifty-pound guy who wasn’t that tall.
He was in a corner with a much younger woman. They were arguing. Her beauty was stunning, made more so by her emotion. She raised a hand as if to slap him. He grabbed her wrist and twisted it, causing her pain. He released her, and she stepped back and headed my way, head down, probably crying. As she passed, her heat and scent touched every nerve.
I went to him and stood there, staring. He knew who I was and said, “Let’s go outside.” He nodded toward the door and waddled through the crowd with his fat ass rolling from side to side like ocean swells.
We sat in a new Tesla. “Nice car.”
He looked at me as if to say, ‘What did you expect.’ My dislike was growing exponentially.
“Who’s the woman?” I already knew the answer.
“That’s it. That’s why I hired you.”
“I told you I didn’t do women or children. You lied to me.”
“Everyone has a price.” I felt his smirk in the darkness.
“Double.”
“I’ll give you half now. Half when it’s done.”
“Cash.”
He reached under the seat and withdrew a zippered banker’s bag. Opened it, sounding like a band-aid being ripped off a hairy arm, and handed me two packs of C-notes. “Count it.”
“I trust you.”
“So, we're good?”
“Not quite.” I reached inside my jacket and pulled the gun stuffing it hard between his fat rolls that would snuff the noise like a silencer. His breath sucked in, and his eyes bugged out.
I leaned closer, “Listen carefully. "I have friends out here. They’ll keep watch. If anything happens to that woman, they will cut you into fish bait. Capeesh?"
He nodded. What else could he do?
I left him there, sitting in his own stain. I left San Francisco with my heart intact.
Eileen Collins
5/11/2019 04:19:25 pm

This packs a lot of drama into a short-short story. The great succinct dialog is a perfect fit.

Gloria
5/11/2019 06:49:23 pm

Great story

Kathleen
6/11/2019 12:06:16 am

Glad you didn’t leave your heart in San Francisco. I know some people, such as Tony Bennett, used to sing about that being an issue there. Better to leave the city with your heart intact and a stack of C-notes.

Don Tassone link
6/11/2019 11:55:05 am

What a story. Love the vivid descriptions. I could almost hear Mickey Spillane in my ear. Well done.

Ginny De Greef
6/11/2019 02:41:30 pm

Loved it. Great story, descriptions and ending.

Priscilla Watkins
6/11/2019 02:45:12 pm

tight and tidy - love it.

Harry Barnes
6/11/2019 11:48:20 pm

Ed White is becoming a household name as author of fast-paced thrillers. Snappy, street-wise dialog, danger, and action... That's Ed.
Write on.

Bob Thompson
8/11/2019 06:05:38 pm

suspense keeps you on "the hook" right to the end. Story gives new meaning to the phrase , "catch and release".

Kim Favors
10/11/2019 07:39:27 pm

Wow!

tedstrutz link
11/11/2019 10:32:00 pm

Nice noir feel.


Comments are closed.

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    Friday Flash Fiction is primarily a site for stories of 100 words or fewer, and our authors are expected to take on that challenge if they possibly can. Most stories of under 150 words can be trimmed and we do not accept submissions of 101-150 words.


    However, in response to demand, the FFF team constructed this forum for significantly longer stories of 151-500 words. Please send submissions for these using the Submissions Page.

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    One little further note. Posting and publishing 500-word stories takes a little time if they need to be formatted, too.
    ​Please note that we tend to post longer flash fiction exactly as we find it – wrong spacing, everything.

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