saw that I had indeed retraced my steps from last night, stepping out onto the gravel and asphalt right next to the outfitter’s building.
Once I hit the road, I turned left and hurried to Bruno's bar.
For a moment I wondered if I should be walking casually, but there was no one around. I'd rather someone see me and think it was odd that I was hurrying to work for once than Bruno to check on me and have me not be there.
I dashed up the street, keeping as low a profile as I could. I didn't cross paths with anyone, and when I got to Bruno's I let myself in as quickly as I could before slamming the door shut behind me and locking it tight.
I collapsed against the wood, out of breath. I was so spent that my eyes were actually blurry, and when I rubbed my face I felt little crystals of ice in my eyelashes.
“Where in the hell did you go?” demanded Carla.
“Here,” I panted. “I've been here the whole time, okay?”
I pushed myself to my feet and tried to clean as much of the snow off of me as I could, stomping on the ground in my boots and kicking the flakes into the corner to melt.
“If you say so,” Carla told me, eyeing me suspiciously. “But just so you know, he was already here.”
I nodded, though I didn't answer. It made sense that Bruno had already arrived and was looking for me. That's why he followed my tracks in the first place.
“Don't worry,” she told me, “I told that old bastard that you hadn't arrived yet. Figured he might see the tracks outside, so made up a story about some drunk banging on the door before finally getting the hint and going away. I think you're safe, so long as you sweep that snowy mess up that you're making now a bit better than you have and get your ass behind the bar.”
I smiled at her, grateful. Carla always had my back, and once again I reminded myself that if I could ever do something to repay the favors she'd done for me, I would. In a heartbeat. She was good people, as my mother used to say, and I didn't deserve the type of looking out that she was doing for me.
I might not deserve it, but I was sure as hell grateful for it. I took her advice and grabbed a broom, removing all traces of my entry. It was always damp in the corner by the door, so that wouldn't betray me. Once I was done, I hurried behind the bar and made myself look busy.
And not a moment too soon, it turned out. Practically no time passed between me picking up a glass to clean it and Bruno throwing open the front door, shattering the lock against the wall. Shards of wood flew as far as the tables where the Wolf pack sat, and I jumped and spun to face him.
Carla didn't so much as flinch, which told me that she was expecting a response like this.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Bruno asked me fiercely.
I shrugged, looking away. “I had some errands to run.”
Bruno didn’t answer. Instead, he got close enough to stare into my eyes. I saw his nostrils widen, and it was almost as if he was trying to smell the truth on me. “You do that shit on your own time,” he said eventually. “Is that clear?”
I nodded. “I'm sorry Bruno,” I told him, “after you left I was scared. I wasn't really sure if we were safe. I mean, if a big guy like Everly could get his throat torn out like that, then… I'm not from around here, and the animals terrify me. I was worried that maybe I wouldn’t be safe on my own, so I went to the outfitters to see if they had a gun.”
“Did you, now?” he asked darkly. “And what was the old man's answer?”
Shit. I couldn't just keep my head down and stay out of trouble, could I? I had to make up a lie, and worse make up a lie that meant that someone else could double check and verify it.
Oh well, I'd already dug this hole. Cole would probably cover for me. I knew for a fact he had no love of Bruno and the Wolf pack, after all. He was old enough to be above that type of politics, or so he said.
“He told me to try the pawnshop,” I said, feigning despair.
Once I hit the road, I turned left and hurried to Bruno's bar.
For a moment I wondered if I should be walking casually, but there was no one around. I'd rather someone see me and think it was odd that I was hurrying to work for once than Bruno to check on me and have me not be there.
I dashed up the street, keeping as low a profile as I could. I didn't cross paths with anyone, and when I got to Bruno's I let myself in as quickly as I could before slamming the door shut behind me and locking it tight.
I collapsed against the wood, out of breath. I was so spent that my eyes were actually blurry, and when I rubbed my face I felt little crystals of ice in my eyelashes.
“Where in the hell did you go?” demanded Carla.
“Here,” I panted. “I've been here the whole time, okay?”
I pushed myself to my feet and tried to clean as much of the snow off of me as I could, stomping on the ground in my boots and kicking the flakes into the corner to melt.
“If you say so,” Carla told me, eyeing me suspiciously. “But just so you know, he was already here.”
I nodded, though I didn't answer. It made sense that Bruno had already arrived and was looking for me. That's why he followed my tracks in the first place.
“Don't worry,” she told me, “I told that old bastard that you hadn't arrived yet. Figured he might see the tracks outside, so made up a story about some drunk banging on the door before finally getting the hint and going away. I think you're safe, so long as you sweep that snowy mess up that you're making now a bit better than you have and get your ass behind the bar.”
I smiled at her, grateful. Carla always had my back, and once again I reminded myself that if I could ever do something to repay the favors she'd done for me, I would. In a heartbeat. She was good people, as my mother used to say, and I didn't deserve the type of looking out that she was doing for me.
I might not deserve it, but I was sure as hell grateful for it. I took her advice and grabbed a broom, removing all traces of my entry. It was always damp in the corner by the door, so that wouldn't betray me. Once I was done, I hurried behind the bar and made myself look busy.
And not a moment too soon, it turned out. Practically no time passed between me picking up a glass to clean it and Bruno throwing open the front door, shattering the lock against the wall. Shards of wood flew as far as the tables where the Wolf pack sat, and I jumped and spun to face him.
Carla didn't so much as flinch, which told me that she was expecting a response like this.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Bruno asked me fiercely.
I shrugged, looking away. “I had some errands to run.”
Bruno didn’t answer. Instead, he got close enough to stare into my eyes. I saw his nostrils widen, and it was almost as if he was trying to smell the truth on me. “You do that shit on your own time,” he said eventually. “Is that clear?”
I nodded. “I'm sorry Bruno,” I told him, “after you left I was scared. I wasn't really sure if we were safe. I mean, if a big guy like Everly could get his throat torn out like that, then… I'm not from around here, and the animals terrify me. I was worried that maybe I wouldn’t be safe on my own, so I went to the outfitters to see if they had a gun.”
“Did you, now?” he asked darkly. “And what was the old man's answer?”
Shit. I couldn't just keep my head down and stay out of trouble, could I? I had to make up a lie, and worse make up a lie that meant that someone else could double check and verify it.
Oh well, I'd already dug this hole. Cole would probably cover for me. I knew for a fact he had no love of Bruno and the Wolf pack, after all. He was old enough to be above that type of politics, or so he said.
“He told me to try the pawnshop,” I said, feigning despair.
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