Taylor’s emotions ran the gauntlet in the two hours he killed before the 3pm rendezvous. He tried to eat a drive-thru lunch but the thought of Biagiotti putting his hands on Grace and forcing her into the car made Taylor want to vomit. He forced down the fries and half of a large Coke.
He gassed up the rented Taurus and decided another coffee was in order. Far from calming him, the second coffee of the day made his hands quake.
He thought of the gun. Parked in a Dunkin parking lot in Swansea, Massachusetts, Taylor ripped open the glove compartment, pulled out the gun and placed it in his lap. He’d never fired a gun before. He’d never laid a hand on a gun before. The thing looked sturdy enough. He probably wouldn’t accidentally shoot himself. Hopefully.
Mackey had lent him what he’d called an “old 9mm”, like it was a throw away weapon; one Mackey didn’t like and didn’t often break out at a cocktail party. Taylor flipped it over in his lap a few times. It was solid black metal, maybe steel or aluminum, a SIG Sauer P229. Christ, the thought of shooting another person scared the shit out of him and his stomach lurched again. He felt ill.
No, Taylor thought. He inhaled deep, blew the breath out. He’d just been party to a firefight. And for Grace’s safety, he’d lay down his life, he was sure of it. Yes, he reiterated to himself, he’d act with deadly force if it came to that. He shoved the gun inside the McDonalds bag and crumpled the top of the bag down, just some refuse left over from a quick lunch, if anyone were to wander by.
He reclined the driver’s seat and closed his eyes. Involuntarily, Taylor replayed the day’s events in his head again, then moved backward to the weekend.
“Fuck the gun”, he said aloud after a few minutes. “I’m going to get my bare hands on that little turd.” Taylor’s arms tensed. He saw red through his eyelids as he spoke his anger, but the audacity of the words made him smile, if only momentarily.
After another twenty minutes of collecting and organizing thoughts, past and future, Taylor jumped back on 195 West and proceeded to Providence.
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