Page 36 of Small Town Beast 2: Saverin's Duet

“So who’s that? Your daughter? She looks real familiar.” Hiram’s smile widened as he looked Tanya up and down.That’s the man who ran out on his check,she realized in a flash, and at the same time Hiram recognized her too.

“Hey, darlin’. Remember me? Biscuits and gravy,” he cooed.

“Get inside, Tanya.” To the man Wilks Johnny called, “What do you want with Bailey?”

“That’s our business, darkie,” spat Hiram. “And don’t think I’ll spare your hide ‘cause you got no legs.”

“Tanya,” Wilks Johnny said furiously.

Tanya backed up towards the door, laying her hand on the handle…and then realizing, in cold-dripping horror, that her bag with the lottery ticket was next to Wilks Johnny’s leg.

That money was her ticket to finding Amari– that money was everything.

Before she could make a move, diplomacy was over. One of Hiram’s men took a shot at the fixture next to Tanya’s head, and without hesitation Wilks Johnny blasted right back. The rednecks hit the ground.

“TANYA!” the old man roared.

Tanya dove for her purse, ducking under the hail of bullets. She covered her ears and crawled towards the door, but at a cry from Wilks Johnny her heart won over self preservation. She turned to look back at the man who had tried to protect her. He’d been shot through the chest. The shotgun tumbled from his grip. With the last of his strength he pushed himself out of the wheelchair and landed heavily on the ground. Tanya crawled towards him.

“Why?” she cried, not even knowing what she meant, or to whom she spoke. The men, laughing, began marching through the gate.

“Can’t die in that chair,” Wilks Johnny said, clutching the bright red flower of blood where the bullet had pierced his lung. Hiram was roaring out directions to the others. Tanya pulled Wilks Johnny close. Blood was bubbling up from the wound, full of air. Bad. Very bad.

“It’s okay,” she said. “It’s alright, Mister, you ain’t hurt that bad.”

“I’m coming,” Wilks Johnny mumbled as his dark eyes clouded. “I’m coming to you, baby. Finally.”

His old leathered hand was warm as it closed on Tanya’s. Once it had been a strong hand, a young man’s hand, and it hadfought and loved and built. His fading gaze met Tanya but did not see her.

The men dragged her off the porch and ziptied her hands. She was marched to the red hot doors of an F-150. Hiram Snatchell caught her chin and smeared his beefy thumb over her lips. She tried to bite him, but he took a handful of her hair and jerked her head back, back, forcing her gaze to his. This was a man used to subduing women. His eyes were blue, small, and cruel.

“Where’s Saverin Bailey?” he asked patiently.

“I don’t know,” Tanya stammered.

It was the truth. Wherever Saverin had gone, he hadn’t told her. He’d left her here with no protection from his gangster hillbilly family.

“Fuck you,” she said. “You just shot that old man dead and he didn’t do you anything. You can go to hell!”

“You’re the waitress from the Appletree, ain’t ya?” smiled Hiram. “We ate good that morning, didn’t we, boys? Sweet of you to pick up the tab for us, darlin’.”

“Go to hell! Devil!” Tanya screamed.

All his buddies wentoooooand Tanya found herself jerked aside by one of the roughnecks in Hiram’s posse. His hot breath seared the back of her neck as his big hairy hand cupped between her legs.She went still as a rock.

“Learn this bitch a lesson, Hiram,” the man laughed, violating Tanya slowly with his hand.

“We don’t have time for that,” Hiram said. “We’ll be here all damned morning and we got bigger fish to fry.”

“You scared of Absalom?” someone snickered. Which turned out to be a mistake. Hiram leapt on the man who said that so quickly Tanya only saw the blood, and the tooth the unfortunate big-mouth spat on the ground.

“Anybody else got some shit to say?” Hiram roared.

“No, boss.”

“Won’t do it.”

‘Well then, put her up and let’s go back to the hill.”

---