by Andy King
“Asshole. Didn’t even have it on you. Thought you were gonna take the paper and shoot me?” The man nodded at a white van.
“You want it?”
“Let him get it,” McKuen said. “If he tries anything, shoot him in the knee.” The man unlocked his van. He reached in and handed over an envelope.
“I want my gun back,” he said. McKuen laughed.
“Write down his license.”
Zolo pulled out a phone and tapped in the number. One of his men extracted the guy’s wallet and wrote down his ID. McKuen checked inside the envelope.
“Here’s how we’re going to do it, asshole. Never show your face in Santa Monica, and I won’t put you in a lineup with my wife as a witness.” The man’s face fell.
“You ever show again,” McKuen poked a finger in the guy’s chest, “I file a complaint and send the cops to search your place for counterfeit bills.” The man flinched. McKuen stared in his eyes. He finally got in his van and drove off.
McKuen looked at the envelope. His shoulders relaxed. He smiled at Dennis.
“You guys.”
“It was Zolo’s idea,” Dennis said. McKuen turned to Zolo.
“Thanks, amigo. You’re a real friend. You were right, I was wrong.” He embraced the startled man before he could protest.
_____
“My office, nine tomorrow?”
“No problem, Char. Hasta.” McKuen hung up the phone.
He picked up the necklace, walked out to the barroom and sneaked behind Amy. He lifted her hair, draped the necklace around her neck and started to fasten it.
“Hey, mister.” She tilted her head back, smiling.
“Hold still, let me get this clasp.” When finished, he walked around and pulled up a chair. Dennis raised a Bud and Liv beamed.
“Meeting with Captain Coil?” Amy said.
“I’ll give her the piece of paper tomorrow.”
“Bet she’s happy.”
“You never know with her.”
Zolo appeared from the back hallway. McKuen grinned.
“My savior.”
“Only ‘cause-a you actin’ like a dumbass,” Dennis said. Amy nodded and picked up her water.
“I’ll drink to that.”
“It was your idea,” McKuen said. Amy’s mouth dropped open.
“My idea? Tell me how this was my idea.”
“You said we should advertise it. ‘Come and get it,’ as I recall.”
He tried not to look too smug. “I just kind of enhanced it a little. Call it an upgrade.”
Amy gave him a corner-eye. She barely missed a beat.
“Seeing Zolo reminds me,” she said. “Think now that guy’s out of the picture, we can dispense with the guards?”
Dennis looked at Zolo, who looked away.
“What guards?” McKuen said. Amy pointed to two Latinos at the far end of the bar, talking to each other and ignoring them.
“Those guards.” Zolo rolled his eyes. McKuen smiled.
“Oh, them,” he said. “Yeah, I guess.” He shot a glance at Dennis, who gave him a blank look. Dennis raised a finger at Zolo.
“Let’s pull ‘em back, OK?” He looked at Liv. “Somebody got all on my case last night.”
Zolo nodded. McKuen was glad to see that Zolo didn’t really agree. He wanted to talk to him, but now was not the time.
“You’re going to do whatever you think is right, I get it,” Amy said. “I just don’t want to see them, OK?” She looked at Dennis.
“Liv and I are going to be comparing notes. She’s a lot tougher than I am. I think you get the picture.”
Liv stared at Dennis. He tried to look obedient. Then the wives glared at Zolo.
“I need to make a phone call.” He escaped out the back. Amy smiled at McKuen.
“Thank you, Steve. I really appreciate what you did.”
“It was as much for me as it was for you.”
“Not the necklace. I mean, I love the necklace and thank you for that. But thank you for staying alive. I would be really mad at you if you died.” She smiled again. Liv and Dennis laughed.
McKuen put his arm around her. “No worries.”
“I’m thirsty,” Dennis said. McKuen stood up.
“Drinks are on the house!”
He stepped to the bar to collect the beverages, still wondering about the murders. Coil had said it wasn’t over. He agreed.
As he watched the bartender pour drinks, his eyes drifted away.
Mañana.
RECOGNITION
A big thanks to courageous first responders
everywhere, official and unofficial.
Luck is a huge part of life. I’ve been incredibly lucky to be able to write a few books.
Thanks to Chris Yeseta, Leroy Richards and Stephanie Moss.
This is the first of a series of five books, all thrillers, with dynamic, suspenseful conclusions.
There are more Free offers at MissionDevelopment.com
Thank you for reading.
If you liked this book, please read my
other books that feature Steve McKuen:
Illusion
The Greatest Game
Control
1-2015-11
The next book in the Control series
Coil’s Cold Justice
Detective or Serial Killer?
When a legendary detective tracks a serial killer, it should just be a question of time, right?
Not if the murderer is a detective, too.
When Captain Charlotte Coil tries to nail the killer, she brings down the boldest smuggling ring in the west and uncovers a haunting memory from her past.
A $2.99 value, also Free at:
MissionDevelopment.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Careening down the switchbacks of Highway 1 in Big Sur, it came to him — he had to do something. With the stories he’d lived through, sharing them was almost good works.
Early on King was a professional musician, then worked in the motion picture business. Later demoted to the software industry, he realized that the keyboard had been following him around for years, so…it was time to write books.
King’s debut novel, Illusion, was based on a person he knew with a what-if twist: what if the former-drug-dealer-now-bar-owner was a nice guy, a moral guy, not a maniac, but pursued by consequences from his past? Crime thrillers evolved, like The Greatest Game, starring female sleuth, Charlotte Coil. A slice of inspirational romance with a dash of the paranormal came from other characters King has known, colorful people with checkered pasts, mashed up with urban legends.
The books feature dark romance, mystery and suspense, political figures to serial killers, terrorists and mafia assassins, that result in Secret Service, FBI and CIA involvement. But they’re no match for vigilante justice dispensed by the lead characters. You’ll find them disturbing and intriguing in their quests for vengeance, and ultimately, freedom.
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FROM THE AUTHOR:
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McKuen’s Revenge
Control
, Book 1
by Andy King
Published 2015 by MissionDevelopment.com
Copyright © 2014-2015
MissionDevelopment.com and Andy King
All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 978-0-9961974-1-0
McKuen’s Revenge is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, businesses, organizations, events and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading and electronic sharing of any part of this book without permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author's intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of authors' rights.
1-2015-11
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Recognition