What's Going On

I feel as if I'm a bad person since I've been neglecting my blog, lately. Part of it was a general feeling of "meh, I don't really feel like posting" and the rest was my nose was deep in a post-apocalyptic world writing my next book. That being the case, I figured I'd share a snippet. Please be aware, this is UNEDITED and may undergo some changes before the book is actually published.

Excerpt:

The store and bar was easy to find. There wasn’t anything else around. I’d expected a town of some sort, but there was nothing but the one big building. Arnie pulled up in front and we sat for a moment.

“I know I suggested this, but do you have a plan, Arnie?”

“Not really,” Arnie chuckled. “Just wasn’t going to stop you when you offered.”

“Gee, thanks for letting me stick my foot in it and leaving me hang.”

“Not a problem.”

“Seriously, how are we playing this?”

“Gonna play it by ear.”

“You’re lead, then. Rhett did say Joey would take to you more than me.”

“Yep.”

I followed as Arnie led the way into the bar side of the building. It wasn’t anything special, just a bar along one wall with the requisite home brews on tap and various bottles with dubious contents lined up behind it. A few tables and chairs were located in a haphazard fashion. Joey was easy to spot. Rhett wasn’t kidding that he looked like he’d yet to see his fifteenth birthday. Slender bordering on skinny, baby-faced, with coal black hair that probably didn’t occur naturally, bright blue eyes and pale skin. A thick black collar bedecked with shiny flat silver studs around his neck and fastened with a tiny padlock proclaimed he had an owner. Arnie, as direct as usual, approached him, and I watched for even a flicker of fear. Joey simply looked Arnie up and down, licked his lips, and smiled.

“I must have been a very good boy sometime in my life,” he said.

“Looking for Flint.”

“Oh, pooh, and here I thought it was gonna be my birthday and Christmas all wrapped up together.” Joey winked. “Have a seat, luscious, and I’ll fetch him.”

Arnie chose a table set apart from the others, and took a seat. Joey left through a rear door without even looking my way.

“You want something?”

“Probably should stick with water, Luke,” Arnie tossed a small drawstring bag, which I caught and headed to the bar.

“Two waters.”

The bartender raised his brow. “Bottled or tap?”

“Same difference, yeah?”

He chuckled and drew two mugs of water. I tossed a silver coin on the bar and he picked it up, looked at it and placed it on a scale. Once he nodded his acceptance, I picked up the two mugs and headed back to Arnie. We sipped the water for several minutes before Joey returned with a tall, red-haired male.

“You think you have business with me?” the same husky voice as last night asked.

“Yep. Have a seat, Flint. I’ve brought a message.”

“Lose the weapons and I’ll think about it.”

“Sit down and I won’t cut your fucking heart out with a rusty spoon.”

“I don’t do threats, big man.”

“And I don’t give second chances to those who launch an unprovoked attack on what’s mine.”

“Aha, so you’re the big bad with the arrows last night.”

Arnie stared at Flint, not flinching. Flint returned the stare then took a seat opposite Arnie.

“Get me a beer, Pet.”

Joey rushed over to the bar and grabbed the bottle the bartender had put up when Flint entered the room. I didn’t bother telling him his threats might work better if his employees didn’t have such easily read tells. Joey sat the beer in front of Flint and sank gracefully to the floor, resting his head on his master’s thigh.

“None of this would have been necessary if Rhett had just come out and talked to me,” Flint sighed.

“Bullshit. You don’t bring an army to talk.”

“Well, I might have been a teensy bit put out last night. He still could have come out.”