Nick DiVecchio had seen Phil Smith pull off some amazing feats in the past half hour, but he knew there was no way he'd get past a carload of Gambini's best gunslingers. He tried to grab Latisha's hand, but the girl dodged him. "You hurt me," she whimpered.
"Look, kid," Nick said impatiently, "I'm real sorry, okay? But Mr. Smith said to get you to the plane, and that's what I'm gonna do. There are very bad men with guns coming, and they won't hesitate to hurt you way worse than anyone back at the apartment. Now, you can grab my hand and come along on your own, or I can pick you up and carry you. Either way, we're going."
Latisha grabbed his hand as Denyce grabbed his other hand and they sprinted toward the hangar as the Cadillac disgorged its load of five very angry and armed to the teeth mafiosi.
"You better figure out some way to pay for those tires, Mr. Smith," one of them said slyly.
Phil just looked at him and smiled. "I've slipped away from an NYPD dragnet. I've busted up a Colombian drug ring. I just took out five of your buddies less than an hour ago. If you little-leaguers think you've got something for me, I would usually be more than happy to accommodate your pathetic attempts at retribution. But since I'm on a schedule, I'm afraid I can't help you there."
"Too bad," another one said as he raised his gun. "It's much more fun when they put up a fight."
Phil looked over his shoulder and saw the private jet taxiing out of the hangar and come to a stop. Nick DiVecchio leaned out of the door and motioned to him.
"I bet I could hit it from here," a third gunman said with a smile as he aimed a high-caliber automatic in that direction. "Take 'em all out while you watch, and then figure out some way to stop you."
Phil smiled.
"I bet you could."
The Cadillac's gas tank spontaneously ignited, setting off ammunition and explosives hidden in the car. The resulting explosion launched the car twenty feet in the air and incinerated everything within a fifty-foot radius.
Except for Phil Smith. He simply took in the scene with grim satisfaction, then turned and walked toward the plane.
