Frank can see it in the kid’s eyes. He’s thinking. Thinking men are dangerous. So take him out, Frank thinks. You can’t afford to have this guy on your tail. He resettles his aim and squeezes the trigger. 45 The bullet smacks the wood a half inch above Jimmy the Kid’s head. His whole body quivers and then he fights for control of himself and wins. A dumber guy would have thought that Frankie Machine had missed, but Jimmy is smarter than that. Frankie Machine doesn’t miss. Frankie was sending a peace message: I could have killed you if I wanted, but I didn’t.
