Raylan Givens - 01 - Pronto by Elmore Leonard

Author:Elmore Leonard
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Thriller
ISBN: 9780060082178
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2002-05-16T05:00:00+00:00

Raylan saw Nicky's hand touch the front of his jacket at the waist and hesitate there, the boy catching himself in time. Now his other hand came up to fool with the thumbnail, it looked like, of the hand already there.

Raylan said, "Well?"

Nicky still didn't answer. Though he'd narrowed his eyes, maybe getting into the game, Raylan wasn't sure. Narrowing your eyes wasn't that hard to do. He said, "You didn't want to talk to me yesterday either. Told me to stay out of it. So I have to wonder why you're looking for me. I see you drive by and come back. I see you get out of the car with a pistol in your hand… So I guess what you're wondering, if you can get it out again before I get mine out. Am I right?" It wasn't the kind of question likely to get an answer, so Raylan said, "What we might have here is the kind of situation you see in real life out there. Like it was a contest, who could pull the faster." Raylan shook his head. "If you wanted to shoot me, Nicky, for some personal reason you might have, would you walk up and tell me? Or would you wait to catch me unawares?" Raylan paused now. "You're not telling me what you think about this. What's wrong?"

"I'm trying to figure out," Nicky said, "what the fuck you're talking about."

"You know but don't want to let on," Raylan said, seeing Nicky's hands right there at his waist, the boy still in the game, "waiting to see if you have a move. Well, I'll tell you something. Shooting at a person is not the same as shooting out on a firing range. Even if you're a dead shot, it don't mean you can look a man in the eye and be able to pull the trigger. I know this for a fact, partner, cause I taught the use of firearms at the training academy."

The way Nicky kept staring at him Raylan was dying to know what was going on in the boy's head. He believed some confusion, as the boy didn't seem to know what to do. Scratched his jaw. Shoved his hands flat down in the pockets of his jeans. Raylan could see the blue steel grip of the automatic against his pants. It looked as though it was going to stay there this time. Raylan raised his chin and nodded toward the street.

"Your car's out there." He waited until Nicky turned and was walking away before he said, "Nice talking to you."

The Fiat was parked now on della Libertà across the street from the Avis car rental office.

"I'm trying to understand this," Fabrizio said. "You didn't say nothing to him?"

"What was I suppose to say?"

"You know he had a gun?"

"Sure he did."

"You saw it?"

"I did yesterday."

"But you don't know he had it today."

"He has it 'cause he's a U.S. marshal and they pack. The son of a bitch, he knows I'm going to kill him I get the chance.

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