Page 8 - Indies Roundtable Spring 2021
P. 8
killing most of his friends. His towards Darnell and he stepped
nerves simply don’t last long in beside me as we put our backs
indoors. He is tall and lean in a to the others, especially the young
not very athletic way, and firing girl who had been petting Roux.
that many artillery rounds left “I see you have a new friend.”
him with hearing so bad that he
shouts to hear himself talk. I have “She’s from Denver. She says
her folks took to fighting all the
learned to take a step back rather
than let him see me flinch time. Mom up and left and daddy
whenever he speaks. began looking around the house
for someone to take Mom’s place.
“Different women?” I repeated. She chose not to play that game,”
Darnell caught what I was he filled me in. “You going to
asking. send someone around for her?”
“I’ve seen one of them carrying “Are you guys good with
a gym bag into Rick’s before,” he watching her back for now?” I
elaborated. Rick’s Cabaret is one wasn’t going to do nothing, but
of the better established, and doing what was expected of me
practically reputable, gentlemen’s would not help her at all.
clubs on Bourbon Street. Most
strippers carry their outfits in “Yeah, we’ll keep her close. She
says her name is Annie,” he
gym bags and look like they might
be on their way to exercise or to informed me. I pulled about sixty
cheerleader practice instead of to bucks in folded bills from my
places like Rick’s. pocket and handed him half of it
without counting. He would not
Rick’s would not be a wise accept all of it, at least not all at
place to throw around counterfeit once, but he was willing to take ‘a
money. I now had a second thing little’ to keep her fed and out of
to look into that might lead me to trouble. Taking all of it looked
whoever worked over Hardy. I did and felt too much like charity he
not believe that the beating from didn’t want.
a bouncer or enforcer of any given There was no point in showing
gentleman’s club would have Hardy’s photo to the servers at
taken on the grievous and time- Café du Monde because they were
consuming nature of what not the ones who might have seen
happened in that hotel room. him. I would need to stop back by
Dead men can’t benefit from the in the pre-dawn hours to see who
lesson of a sound thrashing. might remember him. Sadly, the
cafe was the perfect place to have
“Thanks, fellas,” I said and
passed his phony money. The
acted as though I was starting to servers make their own change,
walk away. I nodded my head
nerves simply don’t last long in beside me as we put our backs
indoors. He is tall and lean in a to the others, especially the young
not very athletic way, and firing girl who had been petting Roux.
that many artillery rounds left “I see you have a new friend.”
him with hearing so bad that he
shouts to hear himself talk. I have “She’s from Denver. She says
her folks took to fighting all the
learned to take a step back rather
than let him see me flinch time. Mom up and left and daddy
whenever he speaks. began looking around the house
for someone to take Mom’s place.
“Different women?” I repeated. She chose not to play that game,”
Darnell caught what I was he filled me in. “You going to
asking. send someone around for her?”
“I’ve seen one of them carrying “Are you guys good with
a gym bag into Rick’s before,” he watching her back for now?” I
elaborated. Rick’s Cabaret is one wasn’t going to do nothing, but
of the better established, and doing what was expected of me
practically reputable, gentlemen’s would not help her at all.
clubs on Bourbon Street. Most
strippers carry their outfits in “Yeah, we’ll keep her close. She
says her name is Annie,” he
gym bags and look like they might
be on their way to exercise or to informed me. I pulled about sixty
cheerleader practice instead of to bucks in folded bills from my
places like Rick’s. pocket and handed him half of it
without counting. He would not
Rick’s would not be a wise accept all of it, at least not all at
place to throw around counterfeit once, but he was willing to take ‘a
money. I now had a second thing little’ to keep her fed and out of
to look into that might lead me to trouble. Taking all of it looked
whoever worked over Hardy. I did and felt too much like charity he
not believe that the beating from didn’t want.
a bouncer or enforcer of any given There was no point in showing
gentleman’s club would have Hardy’s photo to the servers at
taken on the grievous and time- Café du Monde because they were
consuming nature of what not the ones who might have seen
happened in that hotel room. him. I would need to stop back by
Dead men can’t benefit from the in the pre-dawn hours to see who
lesson of a sound thrashing. might remember him. Sadly, the
cafe was the perfect place to have
“Thanks, fellas,” I said and
passed his phony money. The
acted as though I was starting to servers make their own change,
walk away. I nodded my head
