Page 58 of Small Town Beast 2: Saverin's Duet

“Give over your weapons, Bailey.”

“I have no weapons.”

“Belt?”

Saverin raised his shirt. Emptied his pockets. Brought up the hems of his jeans. Satisfied, the Green Trees let him in.

Inside Roman’s mansion, a chill of deja-vu hit Saverin hard. He was suddenly reminded of the Christmas he’d spent here way back when Roman’s daughter Katie was still around. The feast Roman had laid out that December met its match with the cornucopia of today. First the dessert: a mouthwatering apple-stack cake nearly as high as his waist. Enough said. Then came a potato salad, fried catfish filets, salted ham, fried chicken, fried steak, collard greens, crab cakes, funnel cakes, and doses of cheese, grapes, melons, cucumber and tomatoes. And, of course, cornbread. Saverin was so hypnotized by the food he nearly overlooked the curly-haired girl sitting aside by herself, staring down at the floor.

“Tanya,” he said.

“Saverin!” Tanya leapt out of the chair so fast it toppled over. Saverin crushed her in a hug and growled in her ear, “Did they hurt you?”

“No,” she breathed. “But we need to get out of here. These people are monsters. They killed your friend— Wilks Johnny.” Her eyes filled with tears; she wiped them away quickly. “I couldn’t stop them. They came out of nowhere and—”

“I know, sugar. I know. We’re going home, alright? And I have good news for you.”

“You do?”

Saverin nodded, but decided not to tell her about Amari just yet. Not until they were out of here safely.

“Where’s Absalom?” he asked Tanya instead.

“The one with the blue-blue eyes? He’s their leader. I don’t know. They just parked me here and told me not to move.”

They were attracting attention. None of the women said anything, busy whispering behind their hands. He saw his cousin Eliza Jane and gave her a cold nod. Somebody had to have told Hiram where he’d put Tanya that morning, and Eliza Jane lived right above Wilks Johnny up the holler road. The treachery of it all left him speechless, and he had no illusions why she’d done it. She had made her opinions on racial mixing plain to him.

“Wait!” Tanya pulled on his arm as he began leading her outside.

“What?”

“My ticket,” she whispered.

Double fuck.“Who’s got it?” Saverin demanded.

“The one named Hiram. I don’t know where he is, but he took my wallet, he saw the ticket… Oh,no.”Her gaze moved over Saverin’s shoulder.

“What?”

“It’sKyle.My manager. Could this day get any worse?”

A slouchy creep in a black baseball hat parked himself at the food table and began loading up a plate with his bare hands.

“Didn’t I kick his ass yesterday?” Saverin wondered.

“I wish you had killed him,” said Tanya, in a dark mood.

“I just might, the way he’s getting his paws all over that cheesecake. OI!”

Kyle jumped about two feet in the air and turned sickly pale as Saverin approached.

“Muh-muh-mister Bailey,” he cringed.

“Didn’t your Ma learn you any manners?” Saverin grinned, shoving the serving fork into Kyle’s chest. “Shove your digits into that confection one more time, so help me God I’ll make you eat everything on this table.”

Without even looking at Tanya, Kyle dropped the serving fork and fled.

“Bastard,” said Tanya, watching her bullying ex-boss scurry out of the house like a cockroach. “I can’t believe he’s related to you.”

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