Prek was pleased to leave the tense atmosphere of the house even to undertake the menial task of cleaning out the van, something Neri should be doing. Prek was going crazy just sitting around, waiting for Buda to call to give either a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. The other two numskulls could not stop talking about sex and who was going to be first even though the woman was no longer in their sight.

In a closet in the house he found a mop and bucket and an inventory of cleaning supplies, including a battery-operated hand vacuum mounted on the wall. Prek filled the bucket with water and poured in a generous quantity of Pine-Sol, loaded up the gear, and walked out to the van. In the morning, they would take it to a car wash and take care of the outside of the vehicle; for now Prek wanted to make sure the interior was free of any trace of the girl. He vacuumed the cab and washed down all the surfaces with Windex. When he was finished he moved to the back to continue his work when his cell phone rang.

At last, he thought.

Neri Krasnigi got up from the couch in the living room, went to the window, and watched Prek get in the back of the van with his wet mop. There’s Prek doing women’s work, he thought to himself. It seemed appropriate. He hadn’t been able to get Pia out of his mind, and he also felt slighted by Prek’s attitude toward him. Through the whole job, Prek had ordered him around, throwing stuff at him in the van, giving him the toughest part of the mission but showing him no respect at all. Even when Prek told him he did a good job it was in the tone of voice you’d use with a puppy who was taking a piss outside.

Neri had forgotten the initial terror he’d felt after he shot the student. Now he was feeling bold, accomplished, entitled—feelings that had heightened when he chugged down the last of the Red Bull. Perhaps he had a chance to show up Prek and have some fun in the process, even if it would have to be a private triumph.

Neri went to check on Genti, who’d fallen asleep on one of the sofas. With Prek out of the house and busy and Genti asleep, Neri thought he could risk a quickie. After all, what could Prek do? Neri slipped a hand into his jacket to briefly fondle his gun. It gave him courage. He was his own boss.