Chapters (46)
- COVER PAGE
- PRAISE
- DEDICATION
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- SNEAK PEEK: EXIT .45
Andre said, ‘Yeah, but that’s my point. People use more than just words to say things. Don’t they?’ He leaned forward a little in his seat. ‘Like: I thought tonight was going to be a lot different. I saw things going very differently.’ He licked his lips, leaned back again in his chair. The two of them eye-to-eye and Andre still with his funny little smile. ‘But I changed my mind, decided to do it like this. Sit down. Be civil.’
What did that mean? That he had come down here to murder him, and then changed his mind? Locke felt the chill working through him again, like he’d opened the door to some kind of void. It was hard keeping his focus right here, not drifting to the notion of being shot when he stepped in the door. On the phone to his wife or one of the boys. Or he could get shot right now, thinking about them. He realised his mouth was dry, and he tried to swallow without showing it. He felt if he took his eyes off Andre he would die right here in the chair.
He said, ‘Have you got something for me? Other than a threat?’
Andre shrugged. ‘I’m not making threats. Not by your rules. I just came to say, if you got me on some kind of list, then I want to be off it. You understand?’
Locke didn’t answer.
‘I don’t want you keeping tabs on me, asking folks what I’ve been doing. This is a free country, and I’m making an effort to tell you that in a polite way. Because I don’t want a Colton Locke shadow following me around. You understand what I’m saying?’
Locke said, ‘I should take you in right now, threatening a law officer.’
Andre shook his head, eyes staying on Locke’s. ‘You’re not taking me anywhere. I turned fifty-two last month, you know that? Got me thinking—and maybe this is obvious, I don’t know—but I’ve had more birthdays than I’m going to have. It’s sort of clarifying or sobering or whatever they call it. But I tell you, once your clock starts going into the red, everything gets real focused. You know. What you’re prepared to put up with and what you’re not.’ Shaking his head again. ‘So you’re not taking me anywhere.’
Locke didn’t answer.
Andre said, ‘You can’t just shoot me, either—put these folks off their meal.’ Smiling, showing the gold teeth. ‘Or they’ll send their steak back, at least. You reckon you could eat a steak bloody, after seeing someone take a bullet?’