Planter's Punch by Jack Kilborn & Tom Schreck & J. A. Konrath

Author:Jack Kilborn & Tom Schreck & J. A. Konrath [Kilborn, Jack & Schreck, Tom & Konrath, J. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Joe Konrath
Published: 2009-04-08T04:00:00+00:00

Duffy

Turns out, the little kid was the daughter of Wilkerson, the fight promoter. They reunited tearfully in the parking lot. Al, messy with blood, remained as healthy as an eighty-five pound hound could be. The scumbag and his three buddies from AJ’s got arrested. Things got even worse for them when Kelley found a shoe box full of heroin in the hotel room. They wouldn’t taste free air again for quite some time.

I cleaned Al up with a thick Holiday Inn towel. He began to bark incessantly, his polite way of telling me he was hungry. I guess finger food wasn’t enough for him.

The cops took reports and interviews and I changed into a pair of sweats and a hoodie I had in the trunk.

The chick cop in the fancy suit came over to the Cadillac. She reached down and scratched Al under the chin, then looked up at me.

“No hard feelings.” She extended her hand.

“No hard feelings.”

Her hand may have lingered just a bit. Or maybe mine did. She was much cuter when she wasn’t trying to kick my ass.

“Akido?” I asked.

“A little. Training’s in taekwondo, but I’ve tried to pick up as much as I can.” She smiled, which softened her features even more.

“Not bad. You ever box?”

“Nah. Too rough for me.”

“Somehow I doubt that.”

She looked down at Al. “Your dog protected that kid, didn’t he?”

“Probably.” I thought about it for a second. “Might’ve been something else too.”

She wrinkled her brow. “What?”

“He doesn’t like bullies, and there’s something inside him that goes bad when he sees someone getting mistreated.”

She nodded and stood up. “He’s not the only one.”

We stared at each other, maybe for a little longer than we needed to, and then she turned to leave.

“You know…” I said. She paused. “Every once and a while I’m on a fight card in the Windy City. If you’d be interested, I can get you some tickets.”

“I’d like that.” She reached into her purse pulled out a business card, and handed it to me, offering one last smile before walking back over to the fat guy.

I looked down at the card.

Lt. Jack Daniels.

And for all these years, I’d been drinking Jim Beam.

Maybe I’d have to give Jack Daniels a try.

But first I had to go out and buy that book everyone was talking about. Afraid by Jack Kilborn.

Al loved a good book, too. He’d already eaten most of mine.

I tucked the card into my pocket, herded Al into the Caddy, and headed straight to my nearest all-night bookstore. If your town doesn’t have an all-night bookstore, you can also order Afraid at many fine online retailers.*

*Konrath put that ending in. In the ending I wrote, Duffy takes Jack back to his place and rocks her world—Schreck**

**I like my ending better. And I’m Jack Kilborn, if you haven’t figured it out—Konrath

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