Dobbs and Ericka were halfway to the farm, and the drive had already taken its toll. Dobbs didn"t like long trips and said so repeatedly. He was driving his old Ford Explorer, and Ericka had offered to drive, but he"d refused.
They"d spoken very little and what had passed for entertainment had been Dobbs singing along to Teddy Pendergrass. He"d told her about the three times he"d seen Teddy perform live. “Back when he was alive,” he"d said, as if Ericka might have mistakenly thought he"d seen a ghost concert.
“It Don"t Hurt Now” was playing when Ericka asked Dobbs, “How long you and Chino been friends?”
“A few decades, I suppose.”
“You said you used to be a hitman, too. Why"d you quit?”
Dobbs chuckled. He looked at her with a gleam in his eye. “I was real good at that s**t,” he said.
