Page 59 of Thug

I reached for another donut. I really didn’t want to sit and talk about barbeque grills, cats, kitchen equipment, or new motorcycles. I felt miserable.

“You get a new phone or find your old one?” Panzer asked.

“New.”

“Why the fuck’d you buy a new phone?” Brisco asked.

“Because I lost my old one.”

“You lost that fucker a dozen times and never replaced it.”

“Well, smartass, if she needed to get ahold of me, how do you propose she do it if my phone is elsewhere?”

He rubbed his bald head with the palms of his hands. “What the fuck’s the deal with you and her, anyway?”

“There’s no deal.”

He squeezed his temples with the heels of his palms. “Seems like there’s a deal.”

“Well,” I said, taking half the donut in one bite. “There’s not. Just enjoy being around her. Never had that luxury before now. Keeps me from wanting to wring someone’s neck every time I get pissed off.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re telling me that gal fixes your PTSD?”

I ate the other half. “Seems to help.”

“Bullshit,” he spat.

I reached for another donut. “Haven’t snapped in two weeks.”

“Kinda snapped at the prospect,” Panzer said. “The other night.”

“That wasn’t a snap,” I argued. “You and that little turd were whispering sweet nothings when I was talking. It was a matter of teaching him—and reminding you—about respect.”

“Suppose so,” Panzer said. “She seems to be a good little ol’ gal. I can imagine she’d calm a man’s nerves. She suck a good dick?”

“Don’t know.”

“She ain’t smoked your pole?”

“Nope.”

He laughed. “You fucked her the first night we went in there, and she ain’t sucked your cock yet?”

“Nope.”

Panzer chuckled. “How’s a gal play hard to get after she gives it up on day one?”

“She didn’t give it up,” I said. “I took it.”

While Panzer mulled over my statement, my phone buzzed. I shot from my chair and snatched it out of my pocket. “Hello.”

“This Price?”

I didn’t recognize the voice. “Sure is.” I tossed the donut in the trash. “Who’s this?”

“This is uhhm. This is Rooster. You said to call Brisco if I knew anything, but…we uhhm. We asked around, and…Fuck, Price. I don’t know if you really want…Man, I don’t know what to do here. Kind of got me…us…we’re between a rock and a fuckin’—”

“You motherfucker.” I stormed into the garage. “I’ll ride over there and pull your fucking teeth out one by goddamned one with a pair of fucking pliers. I swear it, you prick. Tell me where she is.”