Breaking Ties by Vaughn R. Demont Page B

curb.
    â€œIf I wanted to kill you, you’d have been dead months ago. I wanted to check in on you, that’s all. Then I find out you’re running coffee for suits. I had to get you out of there. At least selling cars kept you sharp.”
    At that, I turn around, and he’s looking at me.
    â€œYeah, I kept tabs on you.” He smiles proudly, pays for the hotdogs. “Still can’t believe you got me for that extended warranty. It was a damned Volvo, those things never break down.”
    â€œYou bought a car from me? While I was working for Rourke?”
    He takes a bite of his hotdog, shaking his head, and hands me mine. Grudgingly, I take it since I am a bit hungry. Once his hand’s free, he holds up four fingers.
    â€œYou bought four cars from me?”
    He narrows his eyes. “You think I’m going to let my son lose a monthly sales race to a Dog ?” My father shrugs innocently. “People who paid for it certainly didn’t seem to mind.”
    â€œSo you’re just here to get me to quit?”
    He takes another bite, shakes his head. “Nope. I’m here to teach you to be a Coyote.”
    I motion to my blue eyes, the mottled mix of colors in my hair that’s no longer as vibrant as it once was. “In case you didn’t notice, Dad, I’m not really a Coyote anymore.”
    He smiles, but it’s not a Coyote smile, it’s natural, prideful, like when we played Follow the Lady and for the first time I pointed at the card he’d palmed instead of the cards on the table. “Father doesn’t make us Coyotes, son. We’re born Coyotes, and nothing can take that away from us. Besides, all of this is already worth it.”
    I finally take a bite of my hotdog and mumble through a mouthful, “And why’s that?”
    He grins. “You called me Dad.”
    For that, I throw out my hotdog. “I don’t have time for this, okay? I’ve got shit to do.”
    He follows me to the curb, where I whistle at passing cabs. Every single one of them ignores me. “You don’t get it, do you? This is Fate, son. You could wave hundred-dollar bills, and they wouldn’t even slow down.”
    This doesn’t stop me from whistling louder and flailing my arms emphatically at them. No luck. “Jesus, can’t you just lay off? You can’t blow back into my life and expect everything to be okay!”
    â€œI don’t expect anything to be okay. I know this is going to take a lot of work, Spence, that’s why I’m here. It’s got to start somewhere, it might as well be now.” He pushes my arms down. “Now what are you working on?”
    â€œNot a con, so it doesn’t concern you. And I don’t need Coyote lessons. I can cloak on my own, I know how not to tempt Fate, and I know when money’s in the air. I figured that all out on my own.” I shove him back. “Without you.”
    â€œA real Coyote would play along, separate the truth from the bullshit in my lessons, and eventually screw me over for a big payday, maybe enough to get him back in with the family. I’m still Justin Crain, that name carries a lot of weight in our little community.”
    â€œYou offered to teach me before, remember?”
    â€œI was driven insane by Selah, remember? She’s dead now.” He folds his arms. “Though I still stand by my outburst about you screwing that… Dog .” He spits on the sidewalk. “Of all the people you could sleep with to piss me off, you just had to pick Rourke, didn’t you?” He snorts dejectedly. “But you did cut a Dog’s Ear and a Fox’s Tail out of the bargain, so I can’t bitch too much.”
    I perk a brow. “A what?”
    â€œA Dog’s Ear? You learned to change like they do. We call it that because they only have two tricks.” He smirks. “The Fox’s Tail, that was a stroke of genius, son.