EXT. DESERT SCENE - DAY
A solitary ACE waiting in the vast desert, looking around.
ACE looks at a sage brush and sand and a few rocks on the
desert floor. This could be a hole meant for him. He steps
away from it.
ACE (V.O.)
Meeting in the middle of the desert
always made me nervous.
It's a scary place. I knew about the holes in the desert, of
course, and everywhere I looked, there could have been a
hole.
EXT. DESERT ROAD - DAY
Aerial shot of NICKY driving.
ACE (V.O.)
Normally, my prospects of comin'
back alive from a meeting with Nicky
were ninety-nine out of a hundred.
But this time, when I heard him say,
'A couple a hundred yards down the
road', I gave myself fifty-fifty.
EXT. DESERT - DAY
ACE still standing in the desert. NICKY's car suddenly appears
as a reflection in ACE's sunglasses, shaking ACE out of his
desert-induced reverie. NICKY's car pulls up by ACE. He gets
out and storms up to him.
NICKY
Where the f*ck you get off talkin'
to people about me behind my back?
Goin' over my head?
ACE
What people?
NICKY
What people! What'd you think, I
wasn't gonna find out?
ACE
I don't even know what you're talkin'
about, Nick.
NICKY
No? You said I'm bringin' heat on
you?! I gotta listen to people because
of your f*ckin' sh*t?! You're ordering
me out?! You better get your own
f*ckin' army, pal!
ACE
I didn't do anything. I mean, I didn't
order you or anybody... I only told
Andy Stone that you had a lot of
heat on you, and that was a problem.
NICKY
You want me to get out of my own
f*ckin' town?!
ACE
Yeah, I said I - let the bullsh*t
blow over for a while so I can run
the casino. Anything goes wrong with
the casino, it's my ass. It's not
yours, it's my ass.
NICKY
Oh, I don't know whether you know
this or not, but you only have your
f*ckin' casino because I made that
possible!
ACE
I -
NICKY
(Interrupting)
I'm what counts out here! Not your
f*ckin' country clubs or your f*ckin'
TV shows! And what the f*ck are you
doin' on TV anyhow?!
ACE
What are you -
NICKY
(Interrupting)
You know I get calls from back home
every f*ckin' day?! They think you
went batsh*t!
ACE
I'm only on TV because I gotta be
able to hang around the casino. You
understand that. You know that. Come
on.
NICKY
Your f*ckin' ass! You could have had
the food and beverage job without
goin' on television! You wanted to
go on TV.
ACE
Yeah, I did want to go on TV. That
way I have a forum. I can fight back.
I'm known. People see me. They know
they can't f*ck around with me like
they could if I was an unknown. That's
right.
NICKY
You're makin' a big f*ckin' spectacle
of yourself.
ACE
Me?! I wouldn't even be in this
situation if it wasn't for you. You
brought down so much f*ckin' heat on
me. I mean, every time I meet somebody
here, the big question is do I know
you.
NICKY
Oh, sure. Now you want to blame your
f*ckin' license on me, is that it?
ACE
No, it - it - Nicky, when you asked
me if you could come out here, what
did I tell you? I mean, you asked
me, and I knew you were going to
come out no matter what I said, but
what did I tell you? Do you remember
what I told...
NICKY
(Interrupting)
Back -
ACE
...you? Do you remember what I told
you?
NICKY
Back - Back up, back up a f*ckin'
minute here. One minute. I asked
you?! When the f*ck did I ever ask
you if I could come out here?! Get
this through your head, you -
ACE
(Interrupting)
You never - ?
NICKY
Get this through your head, you Jew
motherf*cker, you. You only exist
out here because of me! That's the
only reason! Without me, you,
personally, every f*ckin' wiseguy
skell [Skell: the lowest form of
wiseguy - a drunken bum] around'll
take a piece of your f*ckin' Jew
ass! Then where you gonna go?! You're
f*ckin' warned! Don't ever go over
my f*ckin' head again! You
motherf*cker, you!
NICKY drives off, leaving an angry and frustrated ACE to
ponder the desert and the holes.