The Bar at the End of the World by Tom Abrahams

The Bar at the End of the World by Tom Abrahams

Author:Tom Abrahams [Abrahams, Tom]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2020-03-23T16:00:00+00:00


Chapter Fifteen

Brina didn’t recognize herself. The swelling on her face and the dried blood that crusted her lips and the edges of her nostrils made her look monstrous. Her trembling hand moved toward her plum of a purple eye and stopped short of touching it. Breathing hurt. The relentless throb of her pulse at her temples made her vision waver.

As she sat on the bed looking at herself in the mirror, a lean figure appeared behind her. He stood at the edge of the shadows in her dimly lit room.

The sight of the man startled her. She spun around and a bolt of pain shot through her midsection and she winced. Her muscles tensed against the wave of lingering pain that rolled through her body.

The man stepped closer, seemingly unaffected by her discomfort. He wore reflective sunglasses that hid any hint of expression on his face. His salt-and-pepper beard hugged his angular jawline. His bald head and wiry frame spoke of a man in peak physical condition. Her eyes fell to the bone-handled knife at his hip. He’d told her stories about that knife, about its origin, about its connection to the rise and fall of empires. She thought it hyperbole.

Graham was a man for whom everything was about effect, about inflicting fear and doubt. As much as he’d taught her, she’d never fully trusted him. He liked to read books and, in her experience, people who read books couldn’t be trusted.

His deep voice cut through the room. The sound of it aggravated Brina’s headache.

“How are you?” he asked. “I came to make sure you’re healing up. I need you on your feet.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Nothing stitches and nano-injections can’t help.”

The swelling in her jaw slurred her words together as she worked to enunciate, making her own voice sound alien.

Graham nodded. Clearly, he understood her despite the damage done to her face. He tilted his head to one side and then the other, popping his neck. He took another step toward her, more into the light now. His hand fell to the knife, his fingers sliding up and down the bone handle.

“You screwed up, and not just a little bit, Brina. This is royal. This is epic. This is—”

“I get it, Graham,” she said, spitting out the words with a venom that surprised even her. “I’m aware of what happened.”

He stepped next to the bed, a mattress set atop simple plywood and cinderblocks. He folded his arms across his chest, tucking his hands underneath his biceps to make the muscles appear larger than they were. “Do you though?” he asked.

Graham inched close to her. He stood next to the bed and dipped his chin to look at her over the top of the sunglasses.

“Yes,” she hissed.

“Why did you let her leave?” he asked in a way that suggested to Brina it wasn’t a question.

She glanced past him and noticed there were two other men, enforcers, standing at the door to the room. Neither of them spoke. They stared straight ahead, like marble sentries.



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