Free Black Horse (Breaking Black) by Addison Kline

Colton.
     
    ***
     
    “How the hell are we going to tell her?” asked Randy with concern on his face. It looked foreign on his face that usually had a cocky and antagonistic glare.
     
    “Tell her straight…” said Tim.
     
    Colton twisted his head around and glared at Tim.
     
    “You will do no such thing… We have to do this carefully.”
     
    “You don’t think she can handle it?” asked Randy.
     
    “She has nightmares every night about him… And I have to tell her that he was hovering at her bedside last night. It has to be done with tact.”
     
    “I’ll tell her…” said Randy.
     
    Tim and Colton laughed loudly.
     
    “He said with tact!”
     
    “Whatever. Let’s enjoy the day and tackle it at the right moment,” said Randy thoughtfully.
     
    Colton was surprised. Randy did have an emotional marble in his head.
     
    ***
     
    Black Horse sat upon the red rock of the plateau that rose in the landscape. His only worldly belongings laid upon the hard rock. With a cigarette hanging off his chapped lower lip, he took inventory of his meager stock. He would certainly have to armor up before going back to the house. He spoke aloud, naming each item:
     
    One silver-plated spoon with rigid marks around the mouth where his broken teeth had bit down on the metal. Stolen from the Cormac Glenn Diner.
     
    Two cans of baked beans. Expired April 2013.
     
    One Swiss army knife belonging to Reverend Tobias Sherman. Stolen.
     
    One letter addressed to Thomas R. McClain at Ephraim J. Waikes Penitentiary from Ms. Averi Ford. Opened. No return address.
     
    One 12 ounce bag of cocaine.
     
    One McClain Family Bible, hollowed out.
     
    Black Horse opened the bible and removed his gun. Unlocking the barrel, he spun it, revealing just one round loaded in the gun.
     
    Hurriedly, he packed up his meager belongings in a beige sack, threw it over his shoulder, and kept an eye on the horizon. His son had agreed to meet him at twelve noon atop Red Rocks Plateau.
     
    “Where the fuck is he?!”
     
    ***
     
    Colt’s eyes scanned the horizon behind his sunglasses.
     
    “Think he’s out there?” asked Randy as he approached Colt.
     
    “I know he is…”
     
    “What now?”
     
    “Armor up.”
     
    “Shelly’s coming to keep her calm. She should be here soon…”
     
    “Does she know the plan?”
     
    “Yeah. The trunk is loaded. Just have to give her the money.”
     
    “Here…” said Randy as he dug in his wallet.
     
    He pulled out his emergency visa and handed it to Colton.
     
    “Here’s my emergency visa…”
     
    “I think we’re okay…”
     
    “No, seriously… this is an emergency. They might need it.”
     
    “I’ll add it to the cash I pulled.”
     
    “Now what?”
     
    “We wait.”
     
    Tim yelled in from the house, “Shelly’s here…”
     
    ***
     
    Averi lounged on a pool float hiding her eyes behind her sunglasses. She appeared relaxed, but she was watching Colt and her brothers carefully. They appeared nervous. They were being just a little too agreeable. Something was up. She wouldn’t blow their cover, though. She wanted to enjoy the peace while it lasted. When they cast a glance her way she put her ear buds in and listened to Taylor Swift on her iPod, careful not to get it wet. She smiled when “I Knew You Were Trouble,” blared into her ears. She blocked out the scheming of the men as she closed her eyes and lost herself in the warmth of the sun, the gently sway of her float and the pumping beat of the music. She had a feeling that the calm would not last long.
     
    After about an hour, Shelly waded into the pool. Tim watched her climb into the pool dressed in a bright blue bikini, and her red hair tied up into a high ponytail.
     
    “Hey girl…” Shelly said as Averi took her ear buds out of her ears.
     
    She smiled at her friend, happy to see her.
     
    “Tim said you’d be coming…”
     
    “You know I wouldn’t miss a party! So… Let’s see that