“…Specially h’wen he’s in a place as..”, Smokey coughs and laughs “..cola-ful as this, shall we say. An mos specially h’wen he’s an uninvited, an certainly unwelcomed, guest.” The look Smokey has just showered the driver with should have been enough to strip him to his core. The drive merely brushes the hands off him as soon as they relent, and makes a show of straightening out his shirt, which was a rumpled mess to begin with.

Since Smokey’s had his say, he doesn’t even deem to look at the driver. In his mind, he’s done with him. That’s letting the driver off easy, considering the various punishments Smokey has meted out for infractions less serious than merely “lookin at ‘im funny”. In that sense, the driver is the worst kind of ingrate: not only does he refuse to acknowledge his just being saved from Smokey’s peculiar brand of justice, but he seems to deny that he was in any danger in the first place. The hitchhiker looks the driver up and down. It’s a surprisingly unexpressive look, considering how long it lasts before he turns back to Smokey. The black man appears to be getting ready to bolt.

“So what’s the plan?” He hates to irk Smokey when so much is depending on his arbitrary decisions. Smokey is the kind of guy who likes to hold everything back until it become absolutely necessary to divulge the slightest bit of information: just enough to get the job done.

A flash of irritation interrupts Smokey’s otherwise calculating face. He seems seconds away from spitting, “you know what you impatient cracka? You can see your own way outta Vegas. An keep yo damn money. Cos I’ll make sure whatever sonnofabitch that’s comin’ afta you gives me double once he skins yo skinny white ass soas I can give it to ma bitch to wear as a coat.”

All he says is, “the plan? The plan is to get yo honkey asses outta Vegas. An not have you come back, if we can help it.” Smokey looks around at his boys on this last note. They approximate smirks of agreement, but cannot look up. They had all been watching the driver, even if a single eye wasn’t on him. To his credit, the driver plays it cool enough, though he obviously would like to be out of that menacing club and back on the road, at the wheel of his own pickup.