Chapter 6: Thank you.
"George Kurle again?"
This response made Donnie frown, as no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't believe that it was George Kurle who sent those two after him.
Based on Donnie's understanding of George Kurle, if he really wanted to kill someone to silence them, he could have done it back on the battlefield. At that time, Donnie was under his command, and any excuse for reconnaissance could have led to Donnie dying on the battlefield without anyone suspecting a thing!
He definitely wouldn't wait until now to make his move!
If this matter was indeed orchestrated by George Kurle, then there was only one reason, George Kurle must have used his identity or background in Atlantic City to find out about the higher-ups' attitudes towards the Prohibition.
But if that were the case, they should have come to him directly to take back the Korla Bar, not resorted to such means?
Having figured this out, Donnie beat up Daniel even more viciously, but until Daniel finally closed his eyes for good, he still insisted that it was George Kurle who sent him, with no other reason given.
As for the other, Brill, Donnie did not keep him alive either. Since they could no longer provide any useful information, the only option was to get rid of them to prevent future problems!
After dumping the bodies in the car, Donnie prepared to start the automobile and leave the place, as the gunshots were sure to attract attention!
Luckily, the gunfight hadn't damaged the two Ford Model Ts.
But Donnie didn't get straight into the car; instead, he opened the right side door first, then adjusted the angle of the spark plugs and the throttle lever, before grabbing a crank handle with his right hand, inserting his left index finger into a coil, and pulling hard while turning the crank until the engine roared to life.
Then Donnie quickly climbed into the driver's seat, turned the spark plug again, and set the throttle lever to the position of two twenty-five.
Only then was the car truly started!
"Although I can't be sure whether or not George Kurle is behind this, these two have solved one of my problems, providing me with a vehicle!"
Donnie, driving away from the scene, had mixed feelings!
As mentioned before, Donnie wanted to use bootleg liquor to accumulate initial capital during Prohibition, but to brew his own liquor, he needed a place to do it.
In Atlantic City, Donnie only had the Korla Bar and absolutely no way to brew alcohol in secret, so the best place for that was Elwood Village.
And now, these two cars had become the transport means for moving the liquor when the time came!
"If George Kurle really did orchestrate this, could there be problems at the bar?"
Donnie's thoughts drifted back to the biggest question in the affair. If this was indeed Kurle's doing, then he would certainly have targeted the Korla Bar!
Instead of deciding to return to Atlantic City immediately, Donnie continued driving toward Elwood Village.
Here, he dealt with the two assassins by catching them off guard, but if he went back to Atlantic City, that was George Kurle's territory, and with Kurle's current position as Deputy of Public Safety, he could easily dispose of Donnie!
Only when the power by his side was strong enough, could Donnie confidently face George Kurle!
After driving a few more kilometers, Donnie brought the car to the edge of a cliff. On the right side of the road was the Atlantic Ocean, which was different from the beaches of Atlantic City, as here it was met by steep cliffs.
Donnie carried the two bodies out of the car and dumped them by the cliff edge. Just as he was about to kick them over, something occurred to him. Bending down, he began searching the bodies for something.
Soon, Donnie found what he was looking for—the cash on the pair!
"Could it really be so much?" Donnie stared at the three hundred or so in cash he held, somewhat surprised. Americans weren't accustomed to carrying too much cash on them. If it weren't for serving in the military for two years, and the prior intention of saving for his brother's college education, he wouldn't have had any savings as well.
Now that these two had a full three hundred or so on them, Donnie felt like thanking them!
After a thorough search, ensuring not a single cent remained on their bodies, Donnie finally threw their corpses into the sea.
Back in the car, Donnie looked at the two revolvers on the passenger seat and the three hundred or so in cash. He felt somewhat bewildered, uncertain if they had come to assassinate him or to bring him a windfall.
Just as he'd left Atlantic City, pondering over what he lacked in his plans to capitalize on Prohibition, these two hitmen had seemingly delivered the answer...
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At the same time, another Ford Model T left Atlantic City, heading in the direction of Elwood Village.
There were also two people inside this car, but the one sitting in the passenger seat was not fiddling with a handgun, but rather a Kodak pocket camera, and he asked the driver.
"Joe, are we lost? Why haven't we seen Donnie Block's body yet?"
"Relax, it can't be wrong. There's only this one road to Elwood Village!" Joe retorted, irritated at the implication they were off course, but then added with some concern, "What worries me is whether Brill and Daniel are capable of killing Donnie Block."
"We were right there when the boss instructed those two. I believe Brill and his partner can handle an unarmed Donnie Block!"
"The boss also said that Donnie Block was incredibly brave on the battlefield, a formidable character!" Joe muttered, "If Brill and his partner really haven't succeeded, James, your report won't make the front page of the 'Atlantic City Forum' tomorrow!"
James looked at Joe with a puzzled expression, curiously asking, "How come you don't seem worried at all?"
Joe chuckled, "What have I got to worry about? I'm not close with Brill and the others; we've only had a few drinks together. Besides, the boss had a contingency plan all along. Whether Donnie Block lives or dies, it makes no difference to the boss!"
"So as long as the boss has no losses, you have no losses, right?" James asked with a smile.
"Naturally." Joe's eyes turned to a spot not far ahead of the car, where they then pulled over to a stop, "After all, he's the one who pays my salary!"
With that, Joe jumped out of the car. They had stopped at the very place where Donnie had just fought with Brill and Daniel.
"Unless something unexpected happened, it looks like Brill and Daniel have indeed taken a fall!" Joe analyzed, looking at the bloodstains and signs of struggle on the ground.
James, with his camera in hand, also got out and started taking pictures of the scene, asking, "How do you know that?"
Instead of answering James's question, Joe asked, "Are you done taking photos? If so, let's keep moving. If we don't see Donnie Block's body by the time we reach Elwood Village, then we can be sure that Brill and Daniel have fallen, and we'll need to report back to the boss!"
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