I still couldn’t believe he worked security for the Bohannons. “Where’s everybody meeting?”

“They’re out here on the back porch. Peanut told me to grab a handful of cold beers on my way out.”

“Sounds good.” I let Wiley lead the way. “I’ll give you a hand with them beers.”

“Thank you, sir.” Wiley led me past the room where Mama stayed. She’d shut the bedroom door, but I could hear the TV’s canned laughter. That meant she was watching old reruns of a sitcom from the Eighties she liked.

I stopped Wiley at the stairs and put my hand out to him. He took it right away, and I gave it my hardest squeeze. His face barely flinched, and I knew he was trying to tough it out. “You ain’t gotta call me sir, Wiley. My name’s Mack.”

“Yessir, Mr. Mack.”

“Well, that’s a start.” I smiled, and he started to take his hand away, but I tightened my grip further, and he let out a groan. I twisted his wrist, and his voice went up in pitch, and I brought him to his knees. I wrenched his arm behind him, knocked him onto his belly, and pulled his shirt up, “What do we have here?”

Wiley couldn’t answer me for the pain he was in, but I reached for the gun at the small of his back and took it out of his pants. I let go of his arm, and he rolled over on his ass and jumped to his feet. He tried for the pistol, but I shoved him into the wall. He didn’t hit hard enough for it to make a bunch of noise, but he threw his hands over his head when I aimed it at him. “Boy, you need to calm your ass down right now ’fore I shoot you.”

“That’s my gun, Mr. Mack. Peanut’ll kill us both if he finds out you took it.”

I dropped the clip to make sure the thing was loaded and made sure a round got seated, keeping my aim on Wiley just to scare him. “Two things,” I said. “One, this’s my gun now.” The kid’s whole countenance shriveled. “Two, Peanut better not find out I got this gun, or it’s gone be me that kills you, understand?”

Wiley’s hands weren’t above his head anymore. They got balled into fists when they came down in front of him. It took me a second before I believed what my eyes were seeing. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

“I’ll fight you.”

“What do you mean you’ll goddamn fight me? I got a gun to your motherfucking face, son.”

Wiley dropped his fists. “They’ll hear it if you shoot me.”

“Peanut’ll come up here and shake my hand for getting rid of somebody so goddamn dumb.”

“Let’s go get that beer.”

7.