Page 140 of My UnTrue Love
Johnny smirked at Bill’s dark expression. “We all go out in a blaze of glory, and it’ll be wall-to-wall news coverage for days. No one in Red River Valley willeverforget me. I’ll be immortal. A star. …And you’ll just be one of my nameless victims.”
Bill’s eyes cut towards Clem, gauging her distance from the blast.
Too close.
“Run.” He ordered Luke.
The kid took off, carting Clem with him. He’d do his best to protect her, but it wouldn’t be enough. The explosion would be too big for Luke to outdistance, even with coyote strength. Especially since Clem was fighting him again, screaming for Bill.
He blocked out her desperate pleas, because otherwise he would break. He couldn’t stand making her unhappy. All he wanted was to have her with him and smiling. And safe. More than anything, he wanted her safe.
Johnny automatically took a step after Luke, eager to get close to Clementine so his explosives would kill them all.
Bill shifted directly into his path, not caring that the gun jerked in warning. “You know, it’s times like this I have to wonder if we were ever really friends a’tall.” He lamented in a tone guaranteed to redirect Johnny’s attention back towards him.
Sure enough, Johnny’s eyes widened in furious astonishment. “No, you idiot! We were never fucking friends! Notever! Not for one minute, of one hour, of one day!”
“But I was your Secret Santa at the band’s Christmas party. I gave you that designer coonskin cap you wanted.”
“It had fleas! I had to shave my head!”
“Isthatwhy you did that?” Bill made his voice sound surprised, but a taunting smirk played around the corners of his mouth. “Why, I thought baldness was another of your ‘sophisticated’ choices.” He took a step forward.
Johnny automatically edged back. “There’s nothing you can do to stop me, Bill. Not now.” He was somewhere between raging and triumphant. He didn’t even care that Bill was partially-transformed, because he thought he’d already won. “Even if I die first, you can’t defuse the bomb in time.”
“It’s gonna go off, no doubt about that.” Bill allowed, maneuvering closer to Johnny.
“You’ve got that right! That’s what makes humans better than other species. Our superior brains. Our creative genius.” He pointed to his temple. “Look at how our fight is ending: You’re just an animal, who I’ve got hopelessly outgunned.” He laughed. “I bet you wish you were arealcowboy and not some wannabe, who doesn’t even carry a six-shooter.”
“I don’t need a revolver to end a fight, John.” Bill’s hand moved to snap the guitar strap that was still wrapped around his torso. “And I’ve lost all my cowboy-ing jobs. I’ve decided to be a music star, now.”
He swung the guitar at Johnny’s arm knocking the revolver aside. The instrument shattered, wood splintering everywhere. Johnny pulled the gun’s trigger, but the bullet went into the cement of the patio.
Bill was already moving to grab Johnny’s throat with his other hand. “Also, I’m a coyote andyou fucking touched my mate.” He flung the other man backwards, right into the unmaintained pool.
Johnny clung to Bill’s arm, dragging him along. They both hit the slimy water, sinking to the bottom. It was deeper than it looked and murky black.
Alas, Bill was no swimmer. It took him a second to get his bearings and figure out which way was up. He still did better than Johnny, who was weighed down by impractical shoes, an ugly suede coat, and a couple pounds of dynamite. The guy was flailing, trying to lighten his bulk.
He grasped at Bill. Bill shoved him away and searched for the side of the pool.
He knew he had to get out. Even wet, the dynamite fuse would burn. He’d seen what explosives did to rocks, out in theopen. The shockwave underwater would do far worse damage to a person’s body. He hit the algae-covered tiled wall and followed it up.
“Bill!” Clem was right by the edge, when his head cleared the surface. Because of the diminished water level, he was too low to easily pull himself out. She seized hold of his arm, like she might be able to lift him.
Goddamn, but he loved that woman.
Bill gripped the cement lip of the pool and heaved himself upward. “You’re supposed to be keeping her safe.” He wheezed at Luke, pulling himself onto the pavement.
“She’s slippery.” The kid helped Bill to his feet. “She got away and came right back to you.”
“I willalwayscome right back to Bill.” Clem gave them both irritated swats on their arms. “You idiots! Do not ever do that again! I make my own choices, and I willnotbe overprotected.” She gestured to the pieces of wood scattered around the patio. “And why is your guitar broken all to…?”
“Darlin’, we gotta go.” Bill interjected. The dynamite would still go off, even underwater. The blast radius would be smaller, but he was taking no chances. He herded her towards the street as fast as he could. “Luke!”
“I’m here.” The kid jogged by his side, carrying their blanket filled with valuables. “Hey, where we sleeping tonight?”
“Hank’ll put us up.” Bill decided. “He’s practically your uncle now.”
