Staring Down the Barrel of a Wand by Stefon Mears

Author:Stefon Mears [Mears, Stefon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thousand Faces Publishing

Far as I knew, no one was tailing me when I left that brownstone. But after that little incident in the cemetery, I wasn’t willing to take the chance that I’d missed something. So I spent part of the precious time I had left throwing a few false trails and planting fake leads. Some with a touch of thaum for verisimilitude. Others, just good old fashioned legwork. If I did all that right – and this was the kind of thing I was really good at – once I picked up Alison, I could walk her down Main Street and no one would be able to follow us.

Then it wasn’t much more than a matter of picking up a ticket for a train leaving about thirty minutes before I figured the window would close on getting Alison out of town. Before anyone would notice that she wasn’t where she was supposed to be.

Sure, the ticket was only coach, but like the succubus said, funds weren’t my strong suit.

Then one more stop, just to make sure of a few things, and all I had to do was pick up Alison, get her on that train, and as of around midnight she’d be down in Springfield and out of my life forever.

No way it was going to be that easy.

Alison was smart enough not to meet me at her apartment. I mean, me showing up at Alison’s? The day Jake-the-newly-promoted tells me to stay away from her?

I’m good, but even I have limits.

We used the back of Tony’s again.

I still hated those fluorescent lamps overhead, but the smell of Tony’s marinara made up for a lot. Maybe it would even keep me from smelling Alison’s perfume, if I got close enough.

Probably not. Better to not get close enough to find out.

She was waiting when I entered the storeroom. Dressed just the way she was earlier, except now the turtleneck and jeans had been joined by a pea coat. And even in that she looked sexy.

I … I still looked like I’d been dragged here by a horse. Hadn’t had time to change, or even clean up. Not and do everything I had to do. But I did have a red carnation in the buttonhole, now. Might have made me look a little fancier, anyway.

“Well?” she asked, the moment she saw me. All eagerness in those green eyes.

“Tore the contract up in front of me,” I said with a smile, and the smile I got in return made me want to keep up the warm feelings, so I kept talking. Like an idiot.

“Got the train ticket right here,” I said, holding it up. “All we got to do…” I hesitated, looking around for what I didn’t see. What I really, really hoped I’d see. “All we…”

My stomach sank. I felt a wave of cold run down my neck.

“Alison, where are your bags?”

I heard the click, and this time I knew immediately what it was. And who.

I turned to Tony’s “secret” restroom, and saw Petey Boy Mariucci strut out with a smile as oily as his salt-and-pepper hair.

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