coast, someplace without long winters and months of snow? No, wait. You used to be a bit of a hunter, a good tracker, from what I heard. You’d like a cabin in the woods with a fair bit of land? Or are your tastes a bit simpler? Say, some high-priced stimulation? Oh, no, wait. I remember now. You like something younger. Maybe with no price tag at all.”
Kurdy jumped to his feet. “You get the hell outta my face.”
“Strike a nerve, Kurdy?”
The man shoved Tain hard. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was of a slim build, no more than five-seven with pencil-thin arms, Tain might have had to step back to regain his balance.
As it was, he didn’t even flinch.
He grabbed Kurdy by the shirt and pinned him against the wall, the bar again going quiet. Kurdy looked over Tain’s shoulder, then pressed back against the wall. “You got no fuckin’ right.”
“You seem awfully nervous for someone who’s innocent.”
“Maybe ’cos you got me backed in a corner an’ shoved up against a wall.”
Skittish eyes darted to and fro as though he was hoping someone would morph out of the floorboards and come to his rescue.
He tightened his hold and pushed Kurdy harder. “You better watch yourself, ’cos I’m keeping an eye on you. Next girl that goes missing…”
“What? You gonna drag me out back and scalp me, Red?”
Tain pushed Kurdy up until he felt the full weight of him lifted in the air. “I find out you’ve been up to your old tricks, I’ll see to it your cell mate’ll do things to you that’ll make you cry for your mommy.”
“Guess they haff ta pull in losers like you on somethin’ like this. Nobody else gives two shits about your kind.”
“Is that what you count on, Kurdy? Think nobody’ll mind if you snatch a couple Native girls off the streets?”
Kurdy snorted. “Yer only pissed ’cos it’s a coupl’a red niggers. You’d never get this worked up ’bout a white girl.” A sly smile spread across his face. “But den agin, I heard somethin’ about you. Maybe you would.”
“Maybe I should ask your wife about your hobbies.”
The man in his grasp tried to swing with both arms, and Tain struggled to keep his hold.
“You stay the hell away from her,” Kurdy hissed, eyes wide.
“Tain.” The voice came from beside him, not the man pinned against the wall in front of him. “Let him go.”
Slip his hand to the left and he could wrap it around Kurdy’s throat.
“I said let him go!” He knew that voice.
Kurdy’s gaze flickered from Tain’s face to the person to Tain’s right, and he showed off his broken tooth again.
The drop against the floor wasn’t enough to hurt him, but it shook the smirk off his face for a second. Tain stepped back.
Kurdy lifted his hand and looked like he might shake a fist, then pointed at the person beside Tain. “You keep him the hell away from me or I’ll make a complaint.”
Nolan stepped forward and grabbed Kurdy by the shirt. “You want to go running to our boss, say you don’t like the way you’ve been treated? That you think we should be nicer to guys who rape kids?”
Kurdy swallowed. “I didn’t know she was fourteen.”
“So you say.” Nolan let go of the shirt as he gave him a small shove. “Thing is, I don’t believe you, and I don’t think your wife will either.”
Kurdy seemed to have decided arguing was pointless. He marched toward the door, stopping only when the bartender got in his way and demanded he pay his tab.
“So help me, Tain, next time he threatens to make a complaint about you, I should offer to drive him to the station myself.”
“Save it. You chase your leads, and I’ll chase mine.” Tain started to walk away, but Nolan stepped in front of him.
“I’m warning you, Tain, the sergeant will only put up with so much of this.”
“Go run and tell on me if you need to, Nolan. Just get out of my way.”
Tain brushed past him, but Nolan wasn’t about to be left behind. When they’d exited the bar,
Kurdy jumped to his feet. “You get the hell outta my face.”
“Strike a nerve, Kurdy?”
The man shoved Tain hard. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was of a slim build, no more than five-seven with pencil-thin arms, Tain might have had to step back to regain his balance.
As it was, he didn’t even flinch.
He grabbed Kurdy by the shirt and pinned him against the wall, the bar again going quiet. Kurdy looked over Tain’s shoulder, then pressed back against the wall. “You got no fuckin’ right.”
“You seem awfully nervous for someone who’s innocent.”
“Maybe ’cos you got me backed in a corner an’ shoved up against a wall.”
Skittish eyes darted to and fro as though he was hoping someone would morph out of the floorboards and come to his rescue.
He tightened his hold and pushed Kurdy harder. “You better watch yourself, ’cos I’m keeping an eye on you. Next girl that goes missing…”
“What? You gonna drag me out back and scalp me, Red?”
Tain pushed Kurdy up until he felt the full weight of him lifted in the air. “I find out you’ve been up to your old tricks, I’ll see to it your cell mate’ll do things to you that’ll make you cry for your mommy.”
“Guess they haff ta pull in losers like you on somethin’ like this. Nobody else gives two shits about your kind.”
“Is that what you count on, Kurdy? Think nobody’ll mind if you snatch a couple Native girls off the streets?”
Kurdy snorted. “Yer only pissed ’cos it’s a coupl’a red niggers. You’d never get this worked up ’bout a white girl.” A sly smile spread across his face. “But den agin, I heard somethin’ about you. Maybe you would.”
“Maybe I should ask your wife about your hobbies.”
The man in his grasp tried to swing with both arms, and Tain struggled to keep his hold.
“You stay the hell away from her,” Kurdy hissed, eyes wide.
“Tain.” The voice came from beside him, not the man pinned against the wall in front of him. “Let him go.”
Slip his hand to the left and he could wrap it around Kurdy’s throat.
“I said let him go!” He knew that voice.
Kurdy’s gaze flickered from Tain’s face to the person to Tain’s right, and he showed off his broken tooth again.
The drop against the floor wasn’t enough to hurt him, but it shook the smirk off his face for a second. Tain stepped back.
Kurdy lifted his hand and looked like he might shake a fist, then pointed at the person beside Tain. “You keep him the hell away from me or I’ll make a complaint.”
Nolan stepped forward and grabbed Kurdy by the shirt. “You want to go running to our boss, say you don’t like the way you’ve been treated? That you think we should be nicer to guys who rape kids?”
Kurdy swallowed. “I didn’t know she was fourteen.”
“So you say.” Nolan let go of the shirt as he gave him a small shove. “Thing is, I don’t believe you, and I don’t think your wife will either.”
Kurdy seemed to have decided arguing was pointless. He marched toward the door, stopping only when the bartender got in his way and demanded he pay his tab.
“So help me, Tain, next time he threatens to make a complaint about you, I should offer to drive him to the station myself.”
“Save it. You chase your leads, and I’ll chase mine.” Tain started to walk away, but Nolan stepped in front of him.
“I’m warning you, Tain, the sergeant will only put up with so much of this.”
“Go run and tell on me if you need to, Nolan. Just get out of my way.”
Tain brushed past him, but Nolan wasn’t about to be left behind. When they’d exited the bar,
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