Hell's Gate: A Novel by Stephen Frey

Author:Stephen Frey [Frey, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, United States, Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, Thrillers, Suspense, Contemporary Fiction
Amazon: B002JPGQ4I
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: 2009-08-18T05:00:00+00:00

25

THE INSIDE BAR of The Depot was furnished more formally than the back deck. A wide leather couch and several wingback chairs were arranged on an expensive Persian rug in front of a stone fireplace; tall stools with upholstered seats and backs stood before the dark-wood bar; western prints painted by Montana artists hung on the walls; Native American artifacts decorated the tables; and dominating one corner of the room was a massive stuffed grizzly bear rearing up on its hind legs—long canines bared, sharp front claws extended.

Jeremy sat on one of the stools nursing a gin and tonic, thinking about how it seemed as if there was some kind of stuffed animal or fish in almost every Montana bar he'd ever been in. He was thinking about how he'd been waiting for over an hour, too. It was obvious Big Bill wasn't coming. He'd tried his father's cell phone fifteen minutes ago, but the call had gone straight to voicemail.

This was the last straw. He'd taken as much of this crap as he could stand. To hell with his father, to hell with everything.

"Well, well, look who it is."

Jeremy turned in his seat. George Drake stood a few feet away, glass in one hand, lighted cigar in the other. His eyes were red, his speech was slurred, and he was swaying slightly from side to side. The drink he was holding obviously wasn't his first. "I'm surprised you're celebrating, George." He and Drake had never gotten along. Drake was a self-made man who never missed a chance to remind Jeremy that he'd been given everything while Drake had been forced to make his own way in the world. "Not with what that jury did to you and your railroad over in Bozeman."

He gave Drake a cocky smile as Katrina Mason walked into the bar from the restaurant and moved to Drake's side. "What a shame."

Drake gestured at Jeremy with his cigar. "Look who I ran into, Katrina. Big Bill's fat, stupid son." Katrina grimaced. "George, I don't think you need to—"

"What did you say to me?" Jeremy snapped, hopping off the stool. The bartender was in the stockroom getting another bottle of gin, so he, Drake, and Katrina were the only people in the room. "Huh?"

"Aw, now the spoiled little rich boy's getting mad."

Jeremy slammed his glass down on the bar, spilling most of what was left in it. He was going to teach George Drake a lesson. He had so much anger built up inside he couldn't wait to slam Drake's cheek with his fist. But as he grabbed the older man by the collars, out of the corner of his eye he noticed a hulking form move through the doorway leading to the restaurant.

A second later, Drake's bodyguard seized Jeremy and sent him sprawling to the floor in front of the grizzly bear. As Jeremy struggled to his hands and knees, he saw Katrina race from the room just as the big man delivered a swift kick to his soft belly, knocking the wind out of him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.