Read Online Tuck's Revenge by Rory Flannigan - Free Book Online Page A

don't
want them knowing I'm coming. If I get there and I'm sure you
didn't give them a call to warn them, I'll let you live. But if I
get there, and there is even a hint they know, I'll be back here to
see you.”
    *****
    Tuck saw bubbles in the blood from the knife
wound, and he knew the man was drowning in his own blood. He walked
back to the bike, started it, and sat watching as Trey’s body went
limp, and he knew he was dead. Then he slowly rode away.
    From that point on he would take precautions
to be more careful when approaching these situations. It wasn't
like Tuck hadn't been hit or beaten before. But he was smarter than
that, and realized these people were ready to go off at the drop of
a hat, he needed to be ready to deflect it when they did.
    On his ride back, he couldn't help but think
of the reality that might come one day when he would be the one
that came out on the bad end of the deal in a fight. During his
time in Vietnam, he often wondered what death would be like, and
how it would come to him. He wondered if it would be a quick death,
or slow agonizing. He knew it was something that he or anyone else
didn't have a choice about most times. But one thing he was
relatively sure of, he’ll most likely not live to be old or die a
natural death.
    Between now and when his time came, he had to
be sure never to become the kind of man that Bill or even Steven
came to be, or he would be doing all this for nothing. He realized
there was a line you just don't cross, and it is a very fine line
between being what he was now, and what Bill and Steven had
become.
    Tuck knew Steven way before Bill turned him
into what he ended as. And that was only because Steven didn't
think for himself, and he’d always been that way. Even though
Steven had his own mind and didn't have to follow Bill where he led
him, he understood how it could happen. And for that he forgave
Steven, but not when he allowed Bill to take him over that line.
Tuck knew if he lived long enough, he would meet people he wanted
to trust, and even people he needed to trust in order to survive.
But he also knew he would never trust anyone enough again that he
wouldn't be ready to take their life if it came to it.
    As Tuck got back to the motel, he got to
wondering how this situation was going to come out with this guy.
In his mind, he equated it with stepping into a nest of bees and
hoping none would sting him. He was ready to swat and stomp them if
they took a notion to try.
    When he walked in the door of the motel
office, the man looked at him and said, "Well that didn't take too
long.”
    "No, the lady at the antique shop gave me an
address, and it took me right to the problem.”
    "From the looks of the side of your face, you
had some difficulties.”
    Tuck laughed and said, "Yeah, he sucker
punched me and had me for a minute. I was tired from the ride and
needed to lay down for a minute anyway.”
    The man laughed. "Well, some of our people
want to meet with you. How do you feel about that?”
    "I'm fine with it. What kind of people are
they?”
    "They're just business people like me. Is
that a problem?”
    "No, it's not a problem. I'm just looking for
some good people to ride with. Do you know anybody like that?”
    "I sure do, same people I am talking
about.”
    Tuck asked, "What kind of guys are they? What
I mean, are they like Bill and some of his people, where I'd have
to watch my back all the time? Because I don't need people like
them.”
    "I know these guys pretty well, and I think
they'd be worth talking to.”
    "How do I find them?”
    "I can arrange a meeting here in a couple of
days. Why don't you hang around and rest up while I set everything
up?”
    Tuck agreed, and told the man to set it
up.
    *****
    On the day of the meet up, Tuck woke early as
always. When he looked out the window of his room and down into the
parking lot, he noticed several more cars than usual. So he got
dressed and went down to the office for his morning coffee,
available