THUGLIT Issue Seven by Clifford Joe & Hagelstein Edward & Long Christopher E. & Crosswell Marie S. & Ordonez Justin & Kurtz Ed & Welton Benjamin & Sears Michael

Author:Clifford, Joe & Hagelstein, Edward & Long, Christopher E. & Crosswell, Marie S. & Ordonez, Justin & Kurtz, Ed & Welton, Benjamin & Sears, Michael [Clifford, Joe]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Thuglit Publishing
Published: 2013-08-30T04:00:00+00:00

Bud Wolfe looks a hell of a lot fiercer than a moose. But the size comparison's accurate. He's six foot five with a lumberjack build—the kind that's never seen the inside of a gym but came from doing manual labor just about every day since he was eighteen. His shoulders threaten to pop open his shirt seams any minute. His eyes are lead-gray, bright and ornery.

Mitch finds him in Black Moon, same dive where Ruby Jean convinced Cole it'd be a good idea to fuck her. He doesn't know how he knows to go there, but he figures Bud can smell Ruby Jean everywhere she's been, like one of those coonhounds that live next door to Mitch and Cole.

Bud's keeping to himself in a booth, nursing a beer in a tall, handled glass. Mitch orders Jack on the rocks at the bar, gets the bartender's confirmation of Bud's identity, and goes to join the man whose wife he killed. Bud flicks his eyes up to him when Mitch slides into the other side of Bud's booth.

"Heard you're looking for me. Name's Mitch Rose."

Bud straightens, taking his elbows off the table.

Mitch sips his whiskey, feeling as calm as he would talking to any old friend. "Ruby Jean Douglas truly your wife?"

"That's right," says Bud.

"You hear what she did to my brother?"

"Rumor is she beat him up pretty good with a bat."

"It was a club—and that ain't no rumor."

Bud pauses, staring at Mitch with a wary expression. "Where is he?"

"My brother? He's home, resting. That's where he's going to stay for a while yet. Turns out it takes a long time to heal from a beatin that bad. The movies are full of shit."

Bud takes a drink. "I've been in town the last three days," he says. "I came as soon as I heard she's wanted for attempted murder here. I started chewing on it right away. RJ might be a no-good cheatin slut, but long as I known her, she hasn't been dangerous. She runs off on me two years ago, parks herself here, then tries to kill an innocent man? I asked myself, why would she go and do a thing like that?"

Mitch watches him over the rim of his glass and doesn't say a word.

"She wouldn't do something like that for no reason," Bud continues. "Then, I thought—maybe this man she tried to kill wasn't so innocent. Maybe he done something to her. Maybe he had it coming."

"My brother didn't do a damn thing," Mitch says. "Except tell your wife, who nobody around these parts knew was married, that he didn't want to see her anymore."

Bud stiffens. The movement's so slight that Mitch wouldn't notice if he was any farther away or any less focused on the man.

"So your brother was fuckin my wife," Bud says, voice even.

"The way I see it, Ruby Jean was fuckin my brother," says Mitch. "After she got done with a handful of other men."

"She try to kill them too?"

Mitch pauses. "I don't know. I don't think so.