The Greedy Three: A Thriller by Karen Katchur

Author:Karen Katchur [Katchur, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Podium Publishing
Published: 2023-02-27T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

TWENTY-THREE

Hester is sitting on the floor next to the card table that’s been knocked over. Puzzle pieces are strewed all around her. If her wrists weren’t tied, she’d pick them up, count them, make sure to find every last one of them. There’s nothing worse than finishing a puzzle only to discover there’s a piece missing. It’s annoying as shit.

Well, actually, there are things which are worse and far more annoying. Being manhandled by the couture cowboy for instance. He almost pulled her hair out by the roots. Not to mention the kicks to her gut. She’s had punches to her stomach before back in juvie. She’s even had a metal nail file aimed at her throat. If the cowboy thinks roughing her up is going to get her to tell him where she’s hidden his money, he can forget it.

The cowboy unties Eve. Girl takes care of Baby, Hester mocks to herself. Eve starts fumbling around in the kitchen. She doesn’t seem to know how to use the gas stove or what to do with the bottle.

After about two minutes, Eve says to the cowboy, “I could use some help here.”

“Fine.” The cowboy reaches under Hester’s arm and pulls her up. “Turn around.”

He proceeds to untie her wrists. Then he sits in the chair. He slumps on the side where his shoulder has started bleeding again, and his face is looking a little peaked, possibly from all the blood he spewed while tossing her around.

He’s weakening. This is good news.

Hester blocks out the pain in her abdomen (remember, her brain is a powerful tool), and she fills a pot with water, sets it on a burner, and lights the gas stove. She shows Eve how to prepare a bottle.

While Eve waits for the bottle to warm up, Hester changes Baby Ivy’s diaper, sprinkling more cornstarch on the baby’s bottom. Hester could use some cornstarch on her own bottom after all the shitting she’s done overnight. Eating spoiled meat wasn’t one of her better ideas. It was worth a shot, though, and she doesn’t dwell on the fact that it has failed. She’s the type of person who learns from her mistakes and moves on.

She picks up Ivy and cuddles her, cooing and breathing in the baby’s scent. Ivy pulls her feet up, kicks. Hester rocks her gently. “Your bottle will be ready any second now.”

“Shh,” Eve says. “Do you hear something?”

Hester puts the baby on her shoulder and listens. It sounds like an engine and a loud one at that, possibly from a large truck, bumping along the dirt driveway.

The cowboy is up and out of the chair.

“Get the baby,” he says to Eve.

The girl takes Ivy from Hester’s arms.

The cowboy peeks out the window. “It’s the power company.” He looks at Hester. “Get rid of them or the baby gets the first bullet.”

“No!” Hester says.

He knows. He knows. He knows. Somehow the cowboy has read her heart, and he has figured out how to manipulate her. You stupid, old woman, she thinks, but quickly dismisses the thought.

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