The Fear in Her Eyes by Grant McKenzie

Author:Grant McKenzie [McKenzie, Grant]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780992001612
Publisher: Famous Books
Published: 2014-06-05T23:00:00+00:00

WHEN THE cell door closed, four sets of predatory eyes sized up the newcomer in the expensive but ill-fitting clothes. Three immediately dismissed him as nothing to be concerned with—just another bum in a gent’s hand-me-downs—but one pair of murky blue eyes, belonging to a man who was trying to be invisible, sitting alone and apart on the far corner of a too-short and uncomfortable bench, began blinking in terrified disbelief.

Bernard Colfleet squeaked as he leapt to his feet and scanned the twelve-by-twelve cell for an exit that didn’t exist. “Stay away! I … I … I didn’t say anything about you.”

“Well, I know that’s a lie.” Taking advantage of the unexpected surprise, Ian crossed the cell and pressed the bruised and swollen-cheeked predator into the corner beside the stainless steel toilet. “Your gums started flapping the moment the cops showed. I saw you.”

“I peed red,” said Colfleet indignantly. “The nurse here says I may have cracked ribs.”

“Ribs heal,” Ian hissed. “But what you broke inside those kids never will.”

Colfleet licked his lips and tried to catch the attention of the other prisoners. None of them appeared interested in getting involved.

Ian leaned in close. Colfleet smelled like sour apples with an underlying hint of wormy rot. “Do you want me to tell these fine but violence-prone gentlemen why you’re in this cell?”

Colfleet’s eyes widened again as he rapidly shook his head from side to side.

“Did you give up the names?”

“I … I … gave them some,” Colfleet stammered.

“That wasn’t the deal.”

“I know, but—

“You didn’t believe I could get to you no matter where you were, right?”

Colfleet lowered his gaze and nodded. Despite his height advantage over Ian, he appeared small.

“Now you know better,” said Ian. “Call the guard. Tell him you have more names to share.”

After Ian backed off, Colfleet wiped his brow on the back of his hand and shuffled toward the cell door. Before he reached it, Ian decided to press his advantage.

“One more thing.”

Colfleet turned.

“If you mention my involvement in any of this, I’ll make sure the next time you check the color of your piss, you’ll need to do it sitting down. Do I make myself clear?”

Colfleet nodded in defeat before turning back around and calling for the guard.

After the predator was escorted out of the cell, one of the remaining prisoners locked his sights on Ian. Like Colfleet, he had shaved his head to disguise a receding hairline, but the dash-line tattoo that circled his neck alongside the words cut here made him look much tougher. Also, scar tissue zigzagged the brow ridges of both eyes and his left ear appeared to have been used as a pit bull’s chew toy.

“So who the fuck are you to make that creepy-crawly so scared?”

Ian kept his own fear off his face and shrugged. “An innocent man?”

There was a moment of palpable silence before a crooked grin broke upon the man’s thick lips. “Hell,” he said. “That would scare me, too.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.