more sense than any damned body else in this town. As far as Ray Hale went, Troy no longer had any use for him whatsoever. It was bad enough he'd gone to see Austin in prison, but to hold his hand now that he was out... hell, that was just going too far. Maybe the good old chief of police was going Brokeback Mountain on him.
"I'll make him pay," Troy promised. "You know I will."
Perry nodded. "I know you will, buddy. Just not tonight, okay? I think we should lay low a while."
Perry was scared shitless that Ray would find out he'd run Austin off the road while Troy distracted Emily Wallace. Even if Austin filed charges and managed to convey a description that led the cops to Troy's pals, it would just be his
word against theirs. No one was going to believe Austin over Troy. Well, maybe no one but Chief Ray Dickhead Hale.
Ray would get his if he got in the way.
"Where's Keith?" Larry asked as if he'd just noticed that another of their gang hadn't shown up.
Troy grunted. "I don't know. He's acting all weird. He gave me hell last night when he found out why I told him to park that car on the road and wait. You'd think he was on Austin's side or something."
"I don't think you have to worry about that, Troy," Perry argued. "Keith feels the same way we do; he just has a bitchier wife than the rest of us."
That got a laugh out of Troy. That damned Violet had to have been a marine drill sergeant in another life. She stayed on Keith's ass like a bad rash.
"Hell yeah," Larry endorsed. "All I can say is that woman must be part Hoover, the turbo model. Otherwise I sure as hell wouldn't put up with her bullshit."
Troy hated to burst his buddy's bubble, but he'd dated Violet Manning a couple of times before she'd gotten engaged to Keith and she'd been a major disappointment on her back and on her knees. Whatever power she held over her husband, it wasn't sex, oral or otherwise. Troy finished off his beer and gestured for the bartender to bring him another.
"Gotta take my shot." Perry sauntered back over to the pool table to drop the last of the stripes.
"I'm cuttin' you off, Baker."
Troy pointed a nasty look at the guy behind the bar. "You saying I'm drunk, Bradley?" Bradley Peters had been a bully back in school, and not much had changed. Then again, with a last name like Peters, what was a guy to do?
Bradley leaned across the bar and put his face in Troy's. "That's right; you got a problem with it?"
Troy grinned. "Hell no." He hitched his thumb toward the pool table. "No need to get your panties in a wad; Perry's giving me a ride home."
Bradley turned his junkyard dog glare from Troy to Larry. "You'd better catch a ride with Woods yourself, Medford. I don't want the chief on my back."
The chief. Ray Hale had his finger in every damned thing around this town. It hadn't been a problem until he'd come out of the closet with his secret obsession with Clint Austin. Just went to show that you couldn't really trust anybody.
Nursing his last beer, Larry leaned toward Troy and whispered, "What do you think we should do next?"
Now there was a friend a guy could count on when the chips were down. It chafed Troy's ass that Keith was wimping out the way he was. He was supposed to have loved Heather. She had sure as hell loved him.
Troy closed his eyes and tried with no luck to shut out the images from that awful night. He'd sat on the stairs watching through the railings after the doorbell rang, waking everybody up from a dead sleep. Chief Don Ledbetter had given Troy's folks the bad news. His mother had collapsed. Ledbetter's wife had stayed with Troy and his mom while his father went with the chief to the Wallaces'.
Troy had needed to know what was going on. So he'd sneaked out, barefoot and in his pajamas, and run all the way to Emily's house. The cops had been so busy trying to make heads or tails out of the crime scene that they hadn't noticed him peeking from the bedroom doorway... staring at his
"I'll make him pay," Troy promised. "You know I will."
Perry nodded. "I know you will, buddy. Just not tonight, okay? I think we should lay low a while."
Perry was scared shitless that Ray would find out he'd run Austin off the road while Troy distracted Emily Wallace. Even if Austin filed charges and managed to convey a description that led the cops to Troy's pals, it would just be his
word against theirs. No one was going to believe Austin over Troy. Well, maybe no one but Chief Ray Dickhead Hale.
Ray would get his if he got in the way.
"Where's Keith?" Larry asked as if he'd just noticed that another of their gang hadn't shown up.
Troy grunted. "I don't know. He's acting all weird. He gave me hell last night when he found out why I told him to park that car on the road and wait. You'd think he was on Austin's side or something."
"I don't think you have to worry about that, Troy," Perry argued. "Keith feels the same way we do; he just has a bitchier wife than the rest of us."
That got a laugh out of Troy. That damned Violet had to have been a marine drill sergeant in another life. She stayed on Keith's ass like a bad rash.
"Hell yeah," Larry endorsed. "All I can say is that woman must be part Hoover, the turbo model. Otherwise I sure as hell wouldn't put up with her bullshit."
Troy hated to burst his buddy's bubble, but he'd dated Violet Manning a couple of times before she'd gotten engaged to Keith and she'd been a major disappointment on her back and on her knees. Whatever power she held over her husband, it wasn't sex, oral or otherwise. Troy finished off his beer and gestured for the bartender to bring him another.
"Gotta take my shot." Perry sauntered back over to the pool table to drop the last of the stripes.
"I'm cuttin' you off, Baker."
Troy pointed a nasty look at the guy behind the bar. "You saying I'm drunk, Bradley?" Bradley Peters had been a bully back in school, and not much had changed. Then again, with a last name like Peters, what was a guy to do?
Bradley leaned across the bar and put his face in Troy's. "That's right; you got a problem with it?"
Troy grinned. "Hell no." He hitched his thumb toward the pool table. "No need to get your panties in a wad; Perry's giving me a ride home."
Bradley turned his junkyard dog glare from Troy to Larry. "You'd better catch a ride with Woods yourself, Medford. I don't want the chief on my back."
The chief. Ray Hale had his finger in every damned thing around this town. It hadn't been a problem until he'd come out of the closet with his secret obsession with Clint Austin. Just went to show that you couldn't really trust anybody.
Nursing his last beer, Larry leaned toward Troy and whispered, "What do you think we should do next?"
Now there was a friend a guy could count on when the chips were down. It chafed Troy's ass that Keith was wimping out the way he was. He was supposed to have loved Heather. She had sure as hell loved him.
Troy closed his eyes and tried with no luck to shut out the images from that awful night. He'd sat on the stairs watching through the railings after the doorbell rang, waking everybody up from a dead sleep. Chief Don Ledbetter had given Troy's folks the bad news. His mother had collapsed. Ledbetter's wife had stayed with Troy and his mom while his father went with the chief to the Wallaces'.
Troy had needed to know what was going on. So he'd sneaked out, barefoot and in his pajamas, and run all the way to Emily's house. The cops had been so busy trying to make heads or tails out of the crime scene that they hadn't noticed him peeking from the bedroom doorway... staring at his
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