‘I need it all.’
‘Please?’
‘You said you couldn’t afford to have no able man come looking for revenge. Can I?’
Jerrod swiped Bobbie’s knife across Tattoo’s throat.
The blade bit so deep it opened him up almost to the vertebrae. Jerrod wasn’t taking chances.
‘Try holding your breath, fucker.’
He kicked tattoo into the bayou.
It wasn’t deep, but it was enough to flood over the top of Tattoo.
All Jerrod could see was where his bound hands twitched and his heels kicked feebly at the water, churning up bubbles.
He sure could drink that Corona now.
But he waited.
Only when tattoo was still and the mud at the bed of the bayou claimed him did he turn away and walk back towards the bar.
One of the old men – the one who’d offered the wink earlier – slow clapped him every step. The other old man neither clapped, smiled nor nothing else. Just watched Jerrod as he approached. Then he turned and went inside the bar, obviously seeking out his favourite corner.
‘Did you call the cops?’ Jerrod looked at the bartender.
The man was fearful, but Jerrod dipped his head. ‘You had to. I get that. And it’s OK. I need to speak with them about the murder of my wife and baby any way.’
The bartender nodded. He indicated the bar. ‘It’ll be a while til they get their lazy asses out here. Come inside. As I recall you spilled your drink. Let me buy you a fresh one.’
Jerrod walked for the door. Yeah, he guessed once the cops got here it’d be a while until he would have himself another beer.
End.
The Able Man was originally published in Death Toll 2: Hard Targets
Also by Matt Hilton
Joe Hunter:
Dead Men’s Dust
Judgement and Wrath
Slash and Burn
Cut and Run
Blood and Ashes
Dead Men’s Harvest
No Going Back
Rules of Honour
The Lawless Kind
The Devil’s Anvil
No Safe Place
Six of the Best (E-book)
Dead Fall (E-book)
Red Stripes (E-book)
Instant Justice (E-book)
Tess and Po:
Blood Tracks
Painted Skins
Novels:
Dominion
Darkest Hour
Mark Darrow and the Stealer of Souls
Preternatural
The Shadows Call
Tempus: The Phoenix Man