INT. HOUSE - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS ACTION - SUNSET
SNIPER and MORENO, big and intimidating like Smiley, have
been playing poker around a beer-bottle covered table.
Smiley, Alonzo and Jake enter.
SMILEY
Put it on the counter.
Alonzo and Jake place the boxes on the counter. Sniper,
Moreno, ignore Alonzo. And vice versa.
ALONZO
Can I use the head?
SMILEY
Go for it.
ALONZO
(to Jake)
I'll be two seconds. We're
already late.
Alonzo exits to a hallway. Smiley opens a box. Pulls
out a nice CD player.
MORENO
That's nice. Lemme get that.
SMILEY
You get the Osterizer. This is
mine.
Smiley opens a microwave box. Jake reacts.
JAKE'S POV
The box is crammed with cash from Roger's locker.
BACK TO SCENE
SMILEY
Dreamer! Got your bony a** in
here!
DREAMER, 19, an attractive young lady, enters. Smiley
stacks the heavy packages in her arms. He tops it off
with the pillowcase of Jake's money.
SMILEY
Count that sh** in the bedroom.
DREAMER
Thanks, eh. I was doing stuff.
Learn to count, math whiz.
SMILEY
Wait up.
Smiley pulls a small electric money counter from a
drawer. Dreamer's hands are full. So he balances it on
her head.
SMILEY
Don't drop it.
She gives him a dirty look and exits. Smiley takes his
seat and picks up his cards. He eyes Moreno.
SNIPER
You looked at 'em.
MORENO
No I didn't.
Smiley tosses them to Sniper.
SMILEY
Deal again.
SNIPER
Play cards, cop?
JAKE
Not really.
MORENO
Beer?
Moreno offers one. Sniper deals in Jake.
JAKE
No thanks.
SNIPER
C'mon and play a hand.
MORENO
Don't be rude, dude. One hand.
SMILEY
Don't sweat it. We ain't playin'
for money.
JAKE
We gotta go.
SMILEY
Alonzo's probably taking a dump --
Go ahead and have a seat.
Sniper finishes dealing. Jake looks at the cards
intended for him.
JAKE
Okay. One hand.
Jake sits. Now he can see a shotgun against the wall by
Moreno. The three Cholos check their hands, signal for
more cards. Jake checks his cards.
MORENO
How long you been a cop? You look
like you're in high school.
JAKE
Nineteen months.
MORENO
Like it?
JAKE
I should'a been a fireman.
MORENO
My cousin's a fireman. And his
kid's a Police Explorer. Gonna be
our man on the inside.
SNIPER
I'd love to be a jura. Drive
around all day getting f**ed up.
Talkin' to the ladies. Any heads
that talk sh**, f** 'em up.
SMILEY
Listen to your bullsh**. You
couldn't hack takin' orders --
They order you around all the
time. You gotta do everything
they say, huh?
JAKE
Yeah, it's pretty strict.
Especially when you're just
starting out.
SMILEY
Sounds like the service. You
serve?
JAKE
No. Never been in the military.
But half the guys I work with
were.
SMILEY
I was in the Army. Ranger Alert
Battalion. Carried a machine gun.
SNIPER
Kick back, Rambo -- Waddaya got,
dog?
JAKE
Huh?
SNIPER
Your hand, homes.
Oh -- Jake lays down his cards.
JAKE
Three of a kind.
SMILEY
Man... didn't get squat.
He tosses away his hand, Moreno, too. Sniper shows his
cards with a grin.
SNIPER
Two pair.
Sniper collects the cards. Shuffles.
SMILEY
What are you doing? The cop won.
SNIPER
I got two pair.
SMILEY
Three of a kind beats two pair,
dumba**.
MORENO
See why we don't play for money?
Smiley slides the deck to Jake.
SMILEY
Your deal.
Jake looks down the hall. Getting up:
JAKE
We have to go. I'm gonna get
Alonzo.
SMILEY
Kick back and party.
Smiley pulls aside the curtain.
JAKE'S POV
An empty street. The G-Ride is gone.
SMILEY (O.S.)
Ain't nobody out there for you.
ON JAKE
He feels like a toddler lost in a department store. He
sits back down. Moreno laughs.
MORENO
Alonzo played you like a booger.
SMILEY
Deal.
Jake shuffles. Smiley lights a joint. Offers it to him.
SMILEY
It's P.C.P. Wanna hit?
JAKE
No thanks. I already smoked out
today.
SNIPER
sh**. I'll step on that P-dog.
Sniper takes it, inhales. Jake dealing cards. The joint
rounds the table.
MORENO
Lemme see your cohete.
SNIPER
Your gun, dude. Let him see your
gun. Under your shirt.
Jake is outnumbered, outsized, outgunned. All he can do
is take the pistol from his holster and show Moreno.
MORENO
That's down. What is it? A three
eighty?
JAKE
Three eighty stainless. Double
action. Nine round mag.
MORENO
Lemme see it. Ain't gonna blast
no one.
Jake hands it over. Moreno examines it with sk**ed
hands.
MORENO
f** a vat up with this.
He hands it back. To Jake's relief.
SNIPER
Gimme two cards.
Jake does. Dreamer enters.
DREAMER
There's extra.
SMILEY
I know. That's ours. Set it
aside. Sure about the count?
DREAMER
You count it if you don't believe
me.
SMILEY
Okay. Thanks -- Gimme three.
Dreamer grabs a beer and exits. Jake deals three.
SMILEY
Alonzo pulled off a miracle, huh?
Times are tight. That's a lotta
cash.
SNIPER
Who'd he jack?
JAKE
(dealing cards)
I dunno.
SMILEY
He jacked Roger. Blasted the
dude.
Moreno guffaws. Sniper chuckles.
MORENO
Damnnnn. Alonzo's scandalous.
SNIPER
That's some cold sh**. Vato'll
jack anyone.
MORENO
Alonzo's a low-down dirty ruthless
vato.
SMILEY
That's why I never shake his hand.
He don't respect sh**.
(to Jake)
Know what all the money's for?
JAKE
No.
SMILEY
Alonzo's a hothead. Last week in
Vegas some dude was talking sh**
so Alonzo beat his a** and k**ed
him. Turns out the dude was
somebody. He ran a big game and
owed big money. Now Alonzo owes
the money.
JAKE
How do you know?
SMILEY
I'm the man in the middle. I hear
sh**. They gave Alonzo till today
to pay up. His name's already on
a list. There's a crew up from
Sinaloa to do the mission.
They're gonna blast him. No one
thought he could get cash like
that.
SNIPER
Dude made a pact with the devil or
some sh** 'cause only a miracle
could'a saved his a**.
JAKE
It's no miracle.
SNIPER
Alonzo takes care of business.
SMILEY
Cops get crafty in a clinch.
MORENO
And get away with it -- Been to
jail, cop?
SNIPER
That's a stupid question. If he's
been to jail, he wouldn't be cop.
JAKE
You can be a cop as long as you've
never been convicted of a felony.
MORENO
There goes my chance. I got like
eighty strikes.
SNIPER
f** cops. Cops turned out my
little brother.
That went over Jake's head.
SNIPER
You hear me?
JAKE
What? He got arrested?
SNIPER
No. Two f**in' juras turned him
out. They took his manhood. They
booty-tagged him in the back of a
black and white.
JAKE
That can't be true.
SNIPER
Do I look like I'm lyin',
motherf**er?
JAKE
I didn't say you were lying. I
just haven't ever heard anything
like that.
SMILEY
'Cause you're a rookie. Put in a
few years' work and you'll know
what's up.
MORENO
Makes me wanna turn out a cop --
Ever had your sh** pushed in?
JAKE
What?
MORENO
I had my sh** pushed in.
SNIPER
Me too. My sh**'s been pushed in.
Smiley?
SMILEY
(grins)
I'm always gettin' love from the
homies.
Smiley caresses Jake's thigh under the table. He almost
leaps from his chair. Everyone laughs.
SMILEY
Jumpy motherf**er.
SNIPER
(disgusted)
He's a f**in' buster.
MORENO
You never been booty-busted?
Jake tries to laugh. But it's getting weird.
SMILEY
Hey, cop. Win this hand and we
won't bust you out.
MORENO
Unless you want us to.
Laughs. Sniper reveals his cards.
SNIPER
I got two pair again.
MORENO
(tossing his cards)
Didn't get sh**.
SMILEY
(grins)
Gotta straight.
SNIPER
Uh-oh. This jura's gonna be
wearin' a dress.
Everyone looks at Jake -- well? He lays down his cards.
JAKE
Full house.
SMILEY
Lucky f**er.
SNIPER
You won. Deal again.
Smiley taps the deck. Jake looks at it. At them.
MORENO
Deal, homie.
Jake picks up the deck. Starts dealing.
SNIPER
There's a new chick in the
neighborhood.
SMILEY
Oh yeah? What's her name?
MORENO
Vanessa... Vanessa Salguero.
Everyone but Jake laughs.
SMILEY
I seen her around. Think she's a
good girl or a bad girl?
SNIPER
She's a good girl. Innocent.
Easy to play.
MORENO
How's she like the neighborhood?
SNIPER
Dunno.
(to Jake)
How you like the neighborhood?
Jake realizes he's Vanessa. Laughter. Jake finishes
dealing. Sets down the deck. Smiley arranges his hand.
SMILEY
Gimme three.
MORENO
f** this buster. Let's get this
sh** over with.
Looks of agreement are traded. Moreno grins at his
shotgun. Sniper shifts his weight. Smiley
whiteknuckling his beer.
SMILEY
Hurry up, cop. Gimme three.
Jake reaches for the deck.
This happens fast:
Jake flings the deck in Sniper's face.
Smack! Cards scatter.
Jumps up from the chair, flips the table into Moreno.
Smiley SMASHES a beer BOTTLE on Jake's head.
Moreno grabbing the shotgun.
Crack! Jake socks Smiley's jaw. He goes down, amazed to
find himself on his a**.
Crack! Sniper uppercuts Jake.
Smiley grabs Jake's legs, yanks him to the deck --
kerchack!
JAKE'S POV
The bore of a 12 gauge and Moreno's leering face.
BACK TO SCENE
Jake gives up, his broken scalp gushing blood.
JAKE
... uncle...
Dreamer pops her head in.
DREAMER
Dang! You guys f**ed him up.
MORENO
Get outta here. Take the girls
next door. Or you're next.
She gives him the finger, pops out. Smiley pats Jake
down. Pockets the gun.
SMILEY
You f**ed up, fool. You know
that.
He finds Jake's handcuffs -- clicks his wrists together
behind his back. He takes his badge, clips it on his
belt.
SMILEY
Look. I'm a cop. Gonna start
taxing.
Smiley commences kicking the hell out of Jake:
SMILEY
You're under arrest. For being a
cop. For being a buster. For
dogging me in the mouth in my own
pad. And for bleeding on my clean
kitchen floor. You have the right
to be kicked. And the right to be
slapped.
Smack! He slaps him. Everyone laughs. Smiley finishes,
panting.
SMILEY
There. Get him in the bathtub.
Moreno grabs Jake's hair, Sniper grabs an arm, they jerk
him to his feet.
SMILEY
Gotta f** this vato up.
They run him out of the kitchen, Smiley follows.