Atlantic City War by C Lowry

Author:C Lowry [C Lowry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grand Ozarks Media
Published: 2025-11-04T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

Paulie Greco sat on his brother’s couch in Clearwater, Florida, watching the Weather Channel and thinking about how he’d ruined his entire life over eighteen hundred dollars.

His brother Tommy came in from the kitchen. “You want lunch? I’m making sandwiches.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You haven’t eaten in two days. You gotta eat something.”

“I said I’m not hungry.”

Tommy sat down. “How long you planning to stay here?”

“I don’t know. Until it’s safe.”

“Safe from what? From who? You won’t tell me what happened. You just showed up three weeks ago with a suitcase and a scared look. What’s going on, Paulie?”

Paulie stared at the TV. Hurricane forming in the Atlantic. Category three. Headed toward the Gulf. Everyone evacuating. Smart people getting out before the storm hit.

That’s what he was doing. Evacuating. Getting out before his storm hit.

“I got involved in something,” Paulie said. “Something I shouldn’t have. And now people are looking for me. Bad people.”

“What kind of people?”

“The kind you don’t ask questions about. The kind you just stay away from. The kind that make people disappear.”

Tommy’s face went pale. “Jesus, Paulie. What did you do?”

“Nothing. That’s the problem. I didn’t do nothing. I just got caught in the middle. Between two sides. And now both sides think I’m a liability. Think I know too much. Think I might talk.”

“Are you gonna talk?”

“To who? The cops? The Feds? That’s suicide. You talk to them, you’re dead. You stay quiet, you’re dead. There’s no winning. There’s just surviving as long as you can.”

His phone rang. Third time today. Same number. He didn’t answer. Just let it ring. Let it go to voicemail.

Tommy watched him. “That them?”

“Probably.”

“Answer it. Find out what they want.”

“I know what they want. They want me to come back. Want me to pretend everything’s fine. Want me to act normal. Then one day I’m taking out the trash and someone puts two bullets in my head.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yeah, I do. Because that’s what happened to Joey. That’s what happened to Richie. Both of them dead. Both of them because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just like me. Just like I’m gonna be if I go back.”

Tommy stood up. Walked to the window. “You can’t stay here forever. I got a wife. I got kids. I got a job. I can’t have you hiding in my house for the rest of your life.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ll figure something out. Just give me time.”

“How much time?”

“I don’t know. A month. Maybe two. Until things settle down. Until they forget about me. Until I’m not important anymore.”

“And if they don’t forget? If you’re always important? Then what?”

Paulie didn’t have an answer. Because he’d been asking himself the same question for three weeks. And he still didn’t know.

His phone buzzed. Text message. From Marco. We need to talk. Call me. It’s important.

Paulie stared at the message. Marco. One of Sal’s guys. One of the enforcers. If Marco was reaching out, that meant Sal wanted something. Wanted him back.

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