Transfer by Terry M. West

Author:Terry M. West [West, Terry M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pleasant Storm Entertainment
Published: 2019-12-12T22:00:00+00:00

4.

The public drive was a sorry sight. There weren’t any rush jobs. There wasn’t anything to transfer. It would pick up over the weekend and there’d be a mess of tapes on Howie’s desk come Monday morning. But that night, Thursday, was always the slowest of the week.

He should have been glad that Nick’s birthday fell on that night. But he was anxious and depressed. His head ached and he nervously drummed his heels against the floor. He bit his thumbnail, feeling a need deep down inside. He was beginning to think it wasn’t the Pall Malls that had him ready to claw at his skin.

Howie had only been there an hour but he’d checked the drive five times. He wondered what he’d do if the file popped up without Nick present. But he knew.

He sighed and opened Premiere. Howie prepared the software for a new project and then he went back to the drive to choose the next victim of the night. UNTITLED waited patiently for him. A soft hot breath came from his lips and his stomach lurched.

The door opened. It was Nick. He carried the bourbon bottle. He looked as strung out as Howie. “Hey old man. You want company?”

Howie minimized the drive. “What happened to your date?”

Nick shrugged and put the bottle on his desk. “My party isn’t until Saturday. Chloe was taking me out for a one on one tonight. I’m not in any shape to be around her, though. I told her you were overloaded here. Some shit came in last minute. A memorial tape for a funeral and you had too much to sort through. She bought it.”

“Lies don’t do relationships any good, Nick,” Howie said.

Nick smirked. “What, you never lied to your woman?”

“I lied to every woman I was with. That’s my point. There’s nothing keeping me warm at night but a radiator.”

“If you ever talk to her and she brings it up, you got my back?”

“Yeah,” Howie said. “What the hell. She’s not my girl. I don’t know if there’s enough here to keep you busy, though. I don’t think Big Carl will---”

“I didn’t come here to work,” Nick said. His stone expression and tone spooked Howie. “You know why I’m here.”

“It gave you a nightmare last night, didn’t it?” Howie said.

Nick nodded and swiped his hair away from his forehead. “Yeah. You too?”

“Yeah,” Howie said.

Neither seemed willing to describe their dream. Howie changed the subject. “You brought the bottle back?”

Nick glanced to the bourbon and chuckled. “Yeah. I figured someone should have a drink with me on my twenty-first birthday.”

Howie took a deep breath and motioned to Nick’s work chair. “Sit down, kid. You’re making me nervous.”

Nick took his chair and swiveled a few feet toward Howie.

“You look tense, Nick,” Howie said. “You can hit your vape in here, if you need to. I won’t tattle.”

Nick sniffed. “No, I gave it up yesterday,” he said. “It was burning my throat.”

Nick’s state made more sense to Howie now. The kid was having nicotine fits.

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