Punch Drunk by Steven Henry

Author:Steven Henry
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Clickworks Press
Published: 2022-03-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

“Where to first?” Vic asked, sliding into the passenger seat of Erin’s Charger.

“The Barley Corner,” she said, starting the engine. “Carlyle will be there and so will a lot of his people. They’ve been bracing for a fight with Mickey’s guys, so assume everyone will be packing.”

“I always wanted to walk into a Mob bar full of armed thugs,” he said. “I just imagined I’d be arresting them, not asking them for help.”

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For having my back with the Lieutenant.”

He was surprised. “Of course I’ve got your back. This is family.”

She managed a slight smile. “Vic, you do such a good job acting like an asshole, it’s easy to forget what a good guy you can be.”

“Don’t tell anyone,” he said. “I got a rep to protect.”

“Sorry I yelled at you. I’m worried about Ian. And he was trying to help.”

“Yeah, I get that.” Vic shook his head. “And I understand in a comic book, he’d be a hero. But here, in New York, we throw vigilantes in jail.”

“He is a hero,” she insisted. “And if he dies because of this…”

“You really like the guy, don’t you.”

“Yeah. He’s screwed up, but a lot of that is because of the war.”

“Like that veteran we busted a while back.”

“Yeah.”

“That guy tried to kill us,” Vic reminded her.

“I know.”

“He burned down a movie theater.”

“I know.”

“And set your dog on fire.”

“I know! Give it a rest!”

“Okay, tell you what. For the duration of this case, until your sister-in-law is safe, I promise not to talk any shit about this Thompson punk.”

“See, Vic? I said you were a good guy.”

He scowled. “Stop rubbing it in. So what do you want to do with Connor once we get him?”

“I told Webb the truth. If he gives up, I’ll take him in.”

“But what do you want to do?” he pressed.

“What do you think? He broke into my family’s home, Vic. He grabbed my brother’s wife. For all I know, he was after the kids, too. If Ian hadn’t been there, he might have all three of them now. I want to gut-shoot him and watch him bleed out screaming. I want him to die slow.”

He nodded, satisfied. “That’s about what I figured.”

“But you still trust me to do this?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “Because I know you. You’re a bitch, but you’re a bitch who tries to do the right thing. You’re gonna do this right, ‘cause otherwise you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself. You want to kill him, but you’ll try real hard not to. Besides, I’ll be right there with you, watching your six. And if this scumbag tries anything, you better hope you’re quicker than me, otherwise I’ll be the one putting holes in his guts.”

“You know Webb sent you along to keep an eye on me, right?”

He grinned. “I’m not an idiot. I got a brain and it works just fine.”

“Isn’t this the part where you tell me everything’s going to be okay?”

“I’m not gonna bullshit you, Erin. Would you believe me if I said that?”

“No.

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