particular day, she’d
turned to him and spoken of things he’d long since
forgotten.
“ There are seven men
buried on your property. Five of them you shot yourself. The others
by men who work for you. Not that it matters. You were the one who
ordered the trigger to be pulled, so it’s all you. Each of them
owed you something. Not money, because you think you have more than
you can spend, but they had territories that you wanted. Drug land,
you call it, because it sounds so much like an amusement park.
Three of the men are buried near the pool, one under the pool
house, and two out in a pasture where you have cows that you never
look at.” He looked around the room and stared at his brother as
Judith continued. “You want to kill my dad because you think he
won’t give me to you. You think he wastes my talent, as you call
it, and you want to profit from me. But I have news for you. I’d
rather die than help you. And you will die, too. Would you like to
know when?”
“ She’s lying.” As Jerry
denied what she said, Lindale shook his head and moved back from
his daughter as if she were something he should be afraid of.
Perhaps he was afraid of his little monster. The gun in his hand
hung limply by his side, but he had his finger in the trigger
guard. “Lindale, you have to know that I’d never kill you. And what
nonsense is she talking about, using her for her talent? What have
you been telling her?”
“ He doesn’t have to tell
me anything you do with every part of yourself. You touched me and
opened your lies to me.” He backhanded her off the couch and looked
at his brother as she lay there limp as a rug.
“ Lindale, I’d never—” To
this day, Jerry wasn’t sure who had fired first. But when it was
over, he’d gone to prison for killing his brother. Judith testified
against him and he’d wanted to exact his revenge on her since then.
Prison had not been anything he felt he deserved for defending
himself. But the girl was going to work for him, and then he was
going to bury her in the fucking fields without so much as a marker
to show she’d ever been a part of this earth.
~~~
Boss stood up when Judith entered the
room. She stilled for several seconds before she moved into the
room and headed for the refrigerator. He waited until she sat down
before He spoke.
“ I would like to talk to
you.” She looked up from her bowl of colorful cereal before
dropping her head back down to her chore. “It’s important that you
understand what is—”
“ I don’t care.” He nodded.
And as much as He knew this was going to be painful for them both,
He had to talk to her. “I’ve told you since…you came to me before
and I told you then not to come back. It was a long time ago, but
you were there. So, if you think that you have more to say to me,
then I’d just as soon you kept your mouth shut.”
“ It was already in the
works before he was killed.” He wanted to reach for her but knew of
all His creatures, she was the one He could not reach. Not yet at
any rate. “I only meant to keep you safe. Had things not progressed
as they had, then—”
“ You mean killing my
father was somehow in this grand plan you have?” He nodded. “I
suppose you’re going to tell me that had this not happened, I’d be
dead now and not a part of your little scheme to get Agon a wife.
Which, I would like to point out, is not going to
happen.”
“ You’ll not marry him?”
She got up and dumped her bowl into the sink. As she started to
leave the room and Him, He stood up and spoke. “He will die if you
do not.”
She paused and He had a hopeful
moment, hoping that she would be reasonable and listen to Him. Then
she turned to Him, and Boss could see the pain in her face; her
heart was breaking and He had caused it. Boss took a step toward
her only to be brought up short when she backed away.
“ He’ll go back with you
today. Don’t allow him to return. If you do, then I will…I’ll…I
will end my
turned to him and spoken of things he’d long since
forgotten.
“ There are seven men
buried on your property. Five of them you shot yourself. The others
by men who work for you. Not that it matters. You were the one who
ordered the trigger to be pulled, so it’s all you. Each of them
owed you something. Not money, because you think you have more than
you can spend, but they had territories that you wanted. Drug land,
you call it, because it sounds so much like an amusement park.
Three of the men are buried near the pool, one under the pool
house, and two out in a pasture where you have cows that you never
look at.” He looked around the room and stared at his brother as
Judith continued. “You want to kill my dad because you think he
won’t give me to you. You think he wastes my talent, as you call
it, and you want to profit from me. But I have news for you. I’d
rather die than help you. And you will die, too. Would you like to
know when?”
“ She’s lying.” As Jerry
denied what she said, Lindale shook his head and moved back from
his daughter as if she were something he should be afraid of.
Perhaps he was afraid of his little monster. The gun in his hand
hung limply by his side, but he had his finger in the trigger
guard. “Lindale, you have to know that I’d never kill you. And what
nonsense is she talking about, using her for her talent? What have
you been telling her?”
“ He doesn’t have to tell
me anything you do with every part of yourself. You touched me and
opened your lies to me.” He backhanded her off the couch and looked
at his brother as she lay there limp as a rug.
“ Lindale, I’d never—” To
this day, Jerry wasn’t sure who had fired first. But when it was
over, he’d gone to prison for killing his brother. Judith testified
against him and he’d wanted to exact his revenge on her since then.
Prison had not been anything he felt he deserved for defending
himself. But the girl was going to work for him, and then he was
going to bury her in the fucking fields without so much as a marker
to show she’d ever been a part of this earth.
~~~
Boss stood up when Judith entered the
room. She stilled for several seconds before she moved into the
room and headed for the refrigerator. He waited until she sat down
before He spoke.
“ I would like to talk to
you.” She looked up from her bowl of colorful cereal before
dropping her head back down to her chore. “It’s important that you
understand what is—”
“ I don’t care.” He nodded.
And as much as He knew this was going to be painful for them both,
He had to talk to her. “I’ve told you since…you came to me before
and I told you then not to come back. It was a long time ago, but
you were there. So, if you think that you have more to say to me,
then I’d just as soon you kept your mouth shut.”
“ It was already in the
works before he was killed.” He wanted to reach for her but knew of
all His creatures, she was the one He could not reach. Not yet at
any rate. “I only meant to keep you safe. Had things not progressed
as they had, then—”
“ You mean killing my
father was somehow in this grand plan you have?” He nodded. “I
suppose you’re going to tell me that had this not happened, I’d be
dead now and not a part of your little scheme to get Agon a wife.
Which, I would like to point out, is not going to
happen.”
“ You’ll not marry him?”
She got up and dumped her bowl into the sink. As she started to
leave the room and Him, He stood up and spoke. “He will die if you
do not.”
She paused and He had a hopeful
moment, hoping that she would be reasonable and listen to Him. Then
she turned to Him, and Boss could see the pain in her face; her
heart was breaking and He had caused it. Boss took a step toward
her only to be brought up short when she backed away.
“ He’ll go back with you
today. Don’t allow him to return. If you do, then I will…I’ll…I
will end my
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