Bullets and Bones by R S Penney

Author:R S Penney [Penney, R S]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Beyond Time - A Next Chapter Imprint
Published: 2020-03-29T04:00:00+00:00

Tommy sat in his hotel room with his back against the wall, hugging his knees and trying to keep his breathing steady. He had killed a man. He had killed a man. There were a few truisms that a mediocre person could use to assure himself that he wasn’t totally worthless, and one such was, “At least, I haven’t killed anyone.”

So much for that.

He sniffled and then scrubbed at his eyes. “Keep your head, Tommy,” he whispered. “Desa needs you at your best.”

A knock at the door made him jump. Was it the police come to arrest him? The room was utterly dark except for a thin crack of light spilling in. “Thomas?” Dalen said, his voice muffled by the wood. “May I come in?”

“Yes,” Tommy replied.

The door swung inward, admitting light that made Tommy’s eyes smart. “I thought…” Dalen began with a tentative step forward. “I thought you could use a friend.”

Crestfallen, Tommy stared dejectedly at nothing in particular. His only response to that was a small shrug. “I’m not sure I deserve a friend, right now.”

“Nonsense,” Dalen said.

He shut the door gently so that the latch only made the softest click and then shuffled over to stand by Tommy. It was too dark to see the man’s face, but Tommy heard sympathy in his voice. “What you did was necessary. That man…That man was out of control.”

“Didn’t you say that the Eradians were foreign invaders?” Tommy countered. “That they were getting what they deserve?”

“And I was wrong about that.”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Tommy banged the back of his head against the wall. “Yeah, well,” he muttered. “That doesn’t change the fact that I’m a murderer.”

Dalen knelt in front of him, reaching out to lay a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “You are nothing of the sort,” he said with steel in his voice. “Thomas, I was there. I saw it all. Radavan would have killed you.”

“Only because I started a fight with him.”

“After trying to reason with him.”

For some reason, hearing that only made things worse. The crack in the dam burst. All the emotions that Tommy was trying to contain came pouring out of him. He sobbed. Almighty forgive him, how he sobbed. His resolve melted, and once the tears started, he made no effort to stop them.

Dalen said nothing. He just wrapped his arms around Tommy and held him close. And for a little while, that was enough.

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