THE THOUSAND DOLLAR PATRIOT: A Colt Ryder Thriller by J.T. Brannan

Author:J.T. Brannan [Brannan, J.T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grey Arrow Publishing
Published: 2020-12-24T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

An hour later and we were back in the den.

While Renton had ordered his men to clean the dining room and dispose of Brubeck’s body, then gone to console his wife – I presumed he’d been bluffing with the whole divorce talk, but you never knew – I’d used the nearest bathroom, cleansing myself under the shower for as long as it took to feel normal again. Just rinsing away all the blood had taken fifteen minutes, and I still didn’t feel confident that I’d got it out of all the nooks and crannies.

I’d tried not to think about Brubeck’s mangled face while I was under the hot jets of water, tried to block out the images of that severed throat, but the scene in the dining room kept on flashing right before my eyes, making me unsteady on my feet. That would be ironic, I’d thought – survive a fight with a man like Brubeck with barely a scratch, only to knock myself out by slipping in the shower.

But I’d survived the bathroom, and had changed into a clean set of clothes that my new boss had provided while my others were sent to the laundry room. Or maybe the incinerator, I didn’t know.

Renton handed me a balloon of brandy as I came into the den. “There you go,” he said. “I think you might need it, am I right?”

I took the glass, sniffed from the large opening, then took a sip and smiled. It was good, and I didn’t want to even think about how much he must have paid for it. “You’re right,” I agreed. “How’s Melissa?”

“Oh, well, you know women,” he said with a shrug. “I was only kidding about the divorce, the other shit I said, but she seems to have taken it personally. But she’ll feel better in the morning. Having a gun put to your head can make you a little emotional.”

“So I’ve heard,” I said. “And how are the kids?”

“Didn’t even wake up,” he said. “Even when that hand cannon of Brubeck’s went off.”

“Lucky for them.”

“Yeah. Kids’ll sleep through anything, huh?”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Not got any of your own?”

“Not that I know about.”

Renton laughed. “Yeah, I hear you. I’ve got eight. That I do know about. Five different mothers, three of them ex-wives. And who knows how many other little Sams are out there, right? Could be plenty, I guess. Maybe one of the reasons I got three ex-wives.”

“I guess,” I agreed. “What’s going to happen to the bodies?”

“Well, Brubeck, we’ll just dump somewhere. Be like he never even existed, trust me. McManus though, he was a friend, he’ll get a proper burial.” Renton looked down at his own drink, swirled it in his hands. “Still got to let his wife know,” he said. “He had kids too, three of ’em. Gonna be one hell of a thing.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

“How’s it going to get written up?” I asked.

“Ah, heart attack, something like that,” Renton said. “Got hit in the chest, so his wife can see him, we’ll just keep the body covered up.

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.