Page 11 of Small Town Beast 2: Saverin's Duet

“Is that right?” Hiram smiled. “Reckon you can let us take a turn with her, then.”

Absalom’s jaw clenched.

“She’s a fit filly, alright,” said one of the goons.

“Stacked,” agreed another.

“We can all fuck her,” said the fourth, a rat-faced man with the sunken cheeks and twitchy bearing of a man from the Back Hills. He wiped shiny lips on the back of his hand. “We can fuck her right now, can’t we? Don’t have to wait. Spitroast the cunt.”

Hiram hawked another clot of tobacco juice on the floor. “Not this time. We got work to do. Maybe next time, eh darlin’?” His eyes said the same to Absalom, with a very different meaning. “I’ll see you at midnight,brother. Like we discussed.”

Coldly Absalom nodded.

“War tomorrow,” mused Hiram, holstering his KelTec. “We all got to stick together against the McCalls. High time we lesser clans took control of the Harvest. We’re all the same, right? Green Trees, Snatch Hills…All the same blood.”

“That’s right,” said Absalom.

“All the breeding with niggers will have to stop,” said Hiram. “Reckon we’ll pass a law on it. Everybody that ain’t with it can clear the fuck out of our mountain. You ken what I’m saying, don’t you?”

Feeling Lorrie’s eyes on his back Absalom said roughly, “I ken it.”

“I’m sure glad to hear that,brother. I mind the fact that we put you up as leader because you were Duke’s son.” Hiram stroked his beard, pointedly adding, “But Duke had lots of sons, as I recall.”

“That’s right,” piped up Ratface.

You’re replaceable, motherfucker, in other words.

“Until next time, then,” Absalom said, going to his desk. It was a simple sleight of hand for him to open the bottom drawerand finesse the weapon into his belt. The Beretta complicated the movement, but at that moment a bumblebee flung itself against the window and made a helpful distraction. Absalom shut the drawer. “The plan stays the same,” he said. “Tomorrow Roman dies.”

As the men went back through the door, Absalom glanced at Lorrie, still cowering in terror on the bed. He made a gesture. She frowned, so he made it again. Cautiously she covered her eyes.

“Hey,” Absalom called to Ratface. The man turned.

“What?”

Absalom jerked his head towards Lorrie and smiled, crossing the room in a couple loose strides. Lowering his voice he asked, “You still want to fuck her?”

“Yeah,” the man said, perking up. “What’s it saying, friend?”

“Come talk to me for a minute.”

The man grinned. “Pretty girl like that…She ain’t gonna fight much, is she?”

“Naw,” said Absalom. “She’s sweet as they come.”

“I like it more when they do,” Ratface admitted, shaking out his shoulders, cracking his neck. “They’re nice and tight like that.” He called to the Snatch Hills, “I’ll be a minute up here, boys.”

“Whatever,” said Hiram, halfway down the hall already. The others seemed more keen on drink than rape. Ratface alone remained when the door swung shut on its broken hinges.

Lorrie scrambled to her feet. “Abi, what the hell are you doing?”

“Sit down,” Absalom commanded.

Ratface’s eyes lingered on Lorrie, her spellbinding beauty working on him like it did on every man that laid eyes on her. Some men treasured beauty. Others found joy in stamping it into the mud. It was time for Lorrie to appreciate the difference.Knobby hands with dirty fingernails fumbled at a flaking leather belt. “Can she suck it first?” Ratface said, turning to face the frightened young woman. “I want her mouth. Them lips. How much you want for her cunt?”

“Let me think about it,” said Absalom, taking a step back. With enough momentum, it wasn’t much to bring the hatchet down squarely into the joint of the man’s right shoulder.

Lorrie screamed. Ratface screamed louder. Absalom disarmed Ratface as he tried to draw with his left hand. Too easy now. Blood was everywhere. The world seemed to be tilting on its side. Breathing hard, Absalom pressed the advantage of his size and brought the hatchet down again. Ratface fainted.

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