As Vinny pulled Tommy up to leave Jen and Barry's, ready for a chance to get away from it all, Blue was thinking that this would be just the right thing, even though he had no idea what the Shadowlands were. That's when Vinny walked straight into a brick wall. Actually it was a well-built, motionless, statue of a man who stood directly between Vinny and the exit doors. When Vinny bumped into him, he remained expressionless, he did not budge.
"Excuse me, " Vinny said politely and gracefully stepped around the man, still pulling Tommy along by the shoulder. Instantly, another two statues appeared from behind the man, blocking the exit of Jen and Barry's Ice Cream Shop, passive aggression in the flesh. The danger was palpable. The men, both larger than the first stood motionless yet resolute. A couple of weeks earlier, Vinny would have known his next move, a quick right with the base of his hand into the face of the guy on the left, sending the cartilage of his nose up into his brain, excruciating pain, or death likely, giving Tommy the opportunity to perform a leaping kick right over Vinny's own outstretched body, to the throat of the other statue, breaking the windpipe, possibly severing the jugular or both, again pain or death. The third guy would be easy, unsure as to which one of them to go for, he would suffer the wrath of both, death. Today, however, things were different. Tommy was different, and Vinny was smart enough to choose another path. "Hello Gentlemen," he smiled as he let go of Tommy's shoulder with a gentle stroke, as if to say keep calm. Blue was not a fighter, so Tommy had no trouble at all following that path.
The fearsome duo swung open like an iron gate and a man no larger than a grade-schooler emerged from between them, smiling and popping whole peanuts, still in the shell, into his mouth. He smiled sardonically, "Well, what do we have here? The walking dead and the next of kin! You know, I always get a kick out of zombie movies. Those damn things move so slowly, yet they always manage to catch up with everyone who runs and hides from them. And the only way to kill them for good is to cut their heads off or to blast them to bits. Well, I am not running, nor am I hiding. So what'll it be? Taking off the heads? or Blasting to bits?
Blue hadn't met Sal Lorenzo yet but it wasn't too hard to figure out that this must be him. This process of identification took him long enough to leave him seemingly speechless, prompting Sal to continue,"What's this? Max never told me that she blasted a hole in your gut AND cut your little tongue out, she's a good girl that Maxie!"
"I'm just a little stunned," Blue countered, making Sal laugh, looking to his minions for the obligatory chorus, but Blue silenced the laughter with a deadpan, "I just had no idea you liked ice cream, and look, you've brought your own peanuts, business must not be so good."
Vinny winced in mock pain and followed with a brilliant idea of his own. "If that's the case, " he smiled as he smoothly fell backward onto a stool at the counter, " let me buy you and your "friends" an ice cream"
The "friends" looked to Sal with indignation but to their surprise he accepted with a grace that said two things. I can play this game as well as anybody and I am not going to kill you today. "Why Vincent, how very diplomatic of you," he accepted as he stepped up and ordered a fudge sundae with extra peanuts, " and three chocolate dipped cones, rolled in nuts for my associates." He turned to Tommy and Vinny and whispered, "gotta keep their gun hands free."
"Excuse me, Mr. Lorenzo," interjected the largest of the associates, a big black man, with a smooth deep voice, who bashfully added,"I'm allergic to nuts."
Vinny and Tommy laughed so hard that it was infectious. Sal began to laugh, as did his associates, one by one, including Duane, the allergic one.
"Make one of those without nuts," Sal added as Vinny held a fifty dollar bill aloft, tears in his eyes, smiling and breathless.
The server took the fifty and Tommy quickly pulled Vinny up and toward the door saying,"Enjoy your ice cream gentlemen>"
"Tommy," Sal replied in an ominous tone,"You and I need to talk. And Soon. And Vinny," he softens, "thanks for the ice cream"
Without hesitation, Tommy and Vinny leave Jen and Barry's, destined for the Shadowlands.
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