To Protect And Swerve

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In Chapter 20 of GUN-WILD, robbery-homicide detectives Bobby Teen and Taya Ralls trace the bank robbers' marked bills to a convenience store on the Venice Boardwalk. Meanwhile, in the gang's blacked-out RV in a nearby parking lot, Cam and Rod awaken to a bisexual orgy in progress, and things quickly turn bloody ...


EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - CONVENIENCE STORE - DAY
A tiny, sleepy joint. LOCALS shuffle by STREET VENDORS.

A pair of HOMELESS KIDS
hold up a sign: FUCK MILK. GOT POT?

INT. CONVENIENCE STORE - CONTINUOUS
Detectives Bobby Teen and Taya Ralls
speak with the STORE OWNER (50’s),
a wiry, angry-looking Armenian.

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
You mean to tell me
I’m out a hundred bucks?

BOBBY
(holds up the bill)
I’m sorry, but it’s evidence.

He zips it into a glassine bag.
Puts it in his pocket.

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
But that’s my MONEY.

TAYA
I’m sorry, sir.
It’s standard procedure.
You’ll get it back.

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
Yeah, right -- it’ll get put
in some fucking evidence locker,
and will get mysteriously LOST.

BOBBY
EXCUSE ME?

TAYA
Could you describe the young woman
who spent the bill?

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
She was a young girl, early 20’s.
Boardwalk’s full of ‘em.
They all look alike. Blonde.
T-shirt and jeans. Flip-flops.

BOBBY
(squinting at something on the wall)
That your license to sell beer and wine?

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
Uh -- yeah.

BOBBY
Boy, I’d bet business would go
WAY down if you couldn’t sell
Colt 45 and Thunderbird.

Pause.

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
She was kinda strange.
Kept giggling to herself.
Bought all kinds of junk food,
and a ton of beer and wine.
Surprised she could carry it all.

TAYA
Was she wearing a baseball cap?

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
Yeah. Yankees cap.
Don’t see them that much around here,
come to think of it.

BOBBY
What about her T-shirt?

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
Some band shirt. My Life With --

TAYA
My life with?

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
Some cult.

BOBBY
A cult? But you said it was a band --

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
The Thrill Kill Kult. That’s it.
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult.
With a cartoon of a -- stripper or something.
Dominatrix shit.

Bobby and Taya exchange glances.

BOBBY
Thank you very much.
You’ve been most helpful.

TAYA
Don’t worry about the money.
I promise we’ll have it
dusted for prints and mailed to you
in a couple of days.

ARMENIAN STORE OWNER
(still pissed)
Okay.

Bobby and Taya amble outside onto --

THE BOARDWALK
Bobby pulls out the bag.
Takes out the hundred. Smiles.

TAYA
What are you doing? That’s evidence.
BOBBY
(waves it at her)
Already dusted for prints.
C’mon, let’s go grab a slice to eat
while we canvas the area.
I know a great place
right down the street.

TAYA
You’re evil.

BOBBY
To protect and serve -- ourselves.

INT. WINNEBAGO - UPSTAIRS BEDROOM - A LITTLE LATER
The joint has become a true opium den.

Windows blacked out.
Debris scattered around.

Some Buddha Lounge chill
thumps softly in the haze.
A lone candle flickers in the shadows.

Net lays next to Cam, snuggling.
Cam is out cold, a dreamy smile on her lips.
Net strokes her hair, softly humming.

Rod lays at the end of the bed, face up.
Hondo’s on his knees beside him --
giving Rod head.

Slowly, up and down.
Up and down. In heaven.
Having a gay old time.

Net puts her arm around Cam’s waist.
SQUEEZES tight.

NET
Mmmmmm.

CAM
(awakens)
OW.
(looks)
HEY. Get the fuck OFF ME.

She WHIPS Net’s arm away.

NET
What? What’s wrong?

CAM
(awake now)
FUCKING DYKE.

Rod stirs from his opium-laced reverie.
Sees what Hondo is doing. FREAKS OUT.

THROWS Hondo off of him. PUNCHES him.
Hondo HITS the floor with a CRACK.

HONDO
HEY, ow, FUCK!

ROD
What the FUCK
do you think you’re DOING?

HONDO
You seemed to like it.

CAM
(looks)
What’s the fuck’s GOING ON?

HONDO
(to Cam)
He was fucking BLOWING ME!

Cam SCREAMS. GRABS her gun. Takes aim.
SHOOTS Hondo in the chest, BANG.

A red stain starts
growing on his t-shirt.

HONDO
You SHOT ME. Fucking BITCH!

NET
HONDO!

Net races over to him.
Cam fires again. BANG. In the neck.

Blood starts SPRAYING.
Net tries to stop it with her hands.

CAM
That’ll teach you
to mess with MY MAN --