Prek indicated first Neri and then Genti. Neri had crammed his body into the corner of the couch. His hands were thrust down between his knees and his body was slumped forward although his head was up and he was looking at Prek. His eye, where Prek had smashed him in the face with the pistol, was a livid red. It would turn into a big black shiner, if he lived that long. Genti was sitting at the other end of the couch. He wanted to be sitting up with Prek, who was perched on the back of the couch opposite with his feet on the seat cushion, but he understood the symbolism. He was in the doghouse almost as much as Neri was.

“You fucking idiot,” Prek said to Genti.

“Hey, I trusted him too,” Genti said.

“I trusted you! And you egged him on with all your sex talk.”

“Well, you didn’t say, ‘I’m going out to the van now, Genti. You make sure that Neri keeps his pants on.’ You said, ‘The boss says he doesn’t know yet, leave the girl alone,’ and you said it to both of us. I figured he heard it as good as I did.”

“So you went off and took a nap.”

“You were right outside, Prek. If you were so worried about her, why didn’t you stay in here? It’s as much your fault as it is mine.”

“My fault?”

“Okay, Prek, not your fault, but I didn’t touch her. What about this little fucker?” Genti waved his hand in the direction of Neri.

“I never did nothing,” Neri said very quietly.

“What did you say?” Prek said.

“He said he never did anything,” Genti said. “He said you stopped him before he got anywhere. He said that already.”

“Didn’t look that way to me.”

“Me, I tend to believe the guy. I would if someone near shot my head off like you did, then hit me in the face with a gun. This guy, I tell him the truth. Listen, Prek, the girl ain’t gonna remember anything either way.”

“That’s not the point.” Prek was yelling now. “He’s saying he didn’t do anything and I’m saying that is not what I saw.”

“Which part, Prek?”

“Which part what?”

“What did you see?”