Page 55 of My UnTrue Love
Bill’s smile broke free, as if Johnny had just screwed up beyond imagining and he was delighted to watch the fallout.
Johnny knew he was digging himself into a hole, but what was he supposed to do? Just let the bastard get away with everything? Let himwin? “His kind are Bad!” He waved a hand at Bill. “How can you not see it, Clem?”
Clementine was on her feet, now. “That’s enough! Your bigotry against coyotes isshockingto me! What’s happened to you? I never thought you’d be so small.”
“I’m not a bigot!” Johnny seethed. “Coyotes are just untrustworthy. Everyone knows it but you, Clem!”
“That’s ridiculous. I trust Bill more than anyone in the world.”
Johnny was staggered by that insult. “You trust a coyote overme?” She’dalwaystrusted Johnny over everybody. The entire world shifted beneath his feet. “You can’t possibly mean this!”
“Idomean it. I would believe him over you, if you told me the sky was blue and he told me it was a freaking Christmas tree!” She pointed towards the door. “Leave! I won’t have you upsetting Bill before his rehearsal.”
Bill didn’t look upset. He looked downright enraptured by Clem’s impassioned defense. The new Deer & Antelope play at the local theater couldn’t have held his interest to a greater degree.
“He doesn’t need you as a manager, Clem.” She’d been brainwashed. If Johnny could just get through to her, everything would go back to normal. “This town is full ofrealmanagers and Bill’s somewhat talented. I hate the guy and even I can see that.”
She lifted a hand in dismay. “I wish you could get past your resentment. Bill is the sweetest, kindest, most honest man…”
Johnny cut her off. “You’re a muse with connections all over town.That’swhy he’s with you! He’s trying to take you from me, because we’re incredibly successful together. He thinks you can do the same thing for him. Why else would he want you around?”
Clementine flinched.
Bill instantly lost his façade of affability. It vanished between one blink and the next. “I’m not ‘trying’ to take her from you. Ihavetaken her.” The words were as unyielding as an anvil. “It’sdone.”
“She’s not yours! She’llneverbe yours. You can’t keep her.”
“Come stop me.” Bill straightened away from the bar. “We’ll fucking finish this outside, the way I should’ve months ago.” He jabbed a finger at Johnny. “First time I saw you near her, I knew it’d come to me and you in the street. All or nothin’.”
Bill was one of the few men in town who never carried a gun and holster, so Johnny didn’t have to worry about a shootout. It just went to show what a wannabe Bill was. Even Johnny owned a gun and holster. He only wore it with certain outfits to look cool, but then he wasn’t pretending to be anactualcowboy. Not like Bill, with his stupid hat and slow drawl.
Still, the coyote’s lack of firearm didn’t do much to ease his mind, since Bill could just murder him with his bare hands. Johnny was physically larger, but he couldn’t transform into a monster.
“I’m not going anywhere with you!” He decided.
“Then I’m happy to kill you right here, you son of a bitch. I’ve beenwaiting.”
“Bill!” Clementine grabbed his sleeve to stop his forward momentum. “Honey, calm down.”
Bill did a double-take at the endearment and stopped advancing on Johnny.
“Don’t.” She told him, running a comforting palm over his arm. “Your poetic temperament is getting away from you, but one punch could break your hand. Then how could you play guitar?”
“How about if I use a bat to beat him? Then my hand would be protected by the aluminum.”
“You mustn’t let Johnny get under your skin. Especially not here.” She gestured around the empty bar. “You’ll get fired. Again.”
Bill seemed torn. He clearly wanted to rip Johnny apart, but he knew he couldn’t do that in front of Clementine. Not if he was pretending to be some bullshit ‘sensitive artist.’ He quickly abandoned his homicidal plans, all his focus shifting to the guileless woman who he wanted to bamboozle and steal.
“Clem,” Bill drew in a deep breath, trying to calm down, “I don’t care that you were Johnny’s muse. That is not why I hired you as a manager.”
She nodded, but even Johnny could see she still felt insecure. The girl never did have a lot of confidence. What did muses really have to feel confident about, though?
Johnny was emboldened, now. “Everything he says is bullshit!”
Bill ignored him. “I’m not looking to be some big-time star.” He argued to Clementine, like she’d been the one to say otherwise. “I want you with me, becauseI want you with me. You and me have the same future. We…”
“Bill, youarea star.” Clementine interrupted. “Or at least you will be. I’ve told you that.”
