Free Wrong Ways Down by Stacia Kane Page A

enough to pretty much hate his fucking guts. 
    Enough to know he were a user, a liar, somebody sailed through life on all the shit he got just from being born: money he ain’t had to work for, power he ain’t had to work for, looks he ain’t had to work for. Lex always seemed surrounded by dames wanting him to walk all over em. And he did, and they begged for more. Must be nice being born lucky.
    “I do some askin,” he said, causen Bump seemed to want him to say something. “See what I can find on it. An keep looking elsewheres too.”
    Bump nodded and poured heself another drink. Were good, causen Terrible wanted him relaxed for this next one. Wished he ain’t had to talk on it at all just yet, but he did.
    In the cabinet under the deer head were a little fridge; he got up and grabbed heself a beer, taking his time, taking a long drink. He lit a smoke. He sat back down and fidgeted around with he notebook and the ashtray until he couldn’t put it off no more. “Wanna chatter on Roley, dig. Got … got me some thinkin on he.”
    “Roley? Cousin to Lacey an Vole, that fuckin Roley?”
    Terrible nodded.
    “So? What you fuckin thinkin, then, you wants chattering up on?”
    “Thinkin … ” Fuck. All that considering he’d done and them notes he wrote, and none of it seemed any good. “Thinkin I ain’t like he, aye? Ain’t feel right to me.”
    “Why come?” Bump ain’t sounded mad or any like that, only curious. That ain’t made it easier figuring out what to say, cause really, all Terrible had was a feeling. Cepting what happened the night before, he ain’t could really point straight at any one thing to say Roley were trouble. True thing was Roley’d been doing good, working hard, helping out and all. He just … something just ain’t seemed right.
    But Bump’d want knowledge on specifics. So he took a deep breath and said, “Seen he on the last night, over Chuck’s. I were at the bar, he came sat with Amy. Upset her, aye? Tryin look down she dress, kept touching she thigh—”
    “Thought you ain’t fuckin serious on Amy, yay? Why you fuckin caring iffen—”
    “Naw, naw, ain’t that. Were—she push he hand off, he putting it back, dig? Like he got heself a right touchin any dame he wanting. An he had that she were there with me. Ain’t even tried hiding him knowledge on that, gave me the tell straight up, be why him sat with her. So when I at the bar he heads up to she, knowing she there with me, starts touching on she. An when she tries telling him stop he ain’t stopped. Dig?”
    Bump considered it. “He ain’t workin near the fuckin whores, yay? Or no dames. Only fuckin working on side shit, an inna warehouses.”
    “Aye, but weren’t all, neither. Asking me let he off work for the new year, got real fuckin shitty I gave him a no. Sayin he gonna talk to you, like makin a fuckin threat. Claiming him practically you family so he oughta get ahead on all them others been workin longer. An … ” 
    Had to be a good way of saying this, but he ain’t could figure out exactly how. Ain’t mattered, causen he could feel how hot his face and neck were. “Him started talking on Chess, dig. So I—”
    “This ain’t—”
    “Naw, naw. Saying on Chess an me, him were. Like he knowing some shit there. Were thinkin … maybe he getting some knowledge on shit we saying here, aye? You an me. Maybe somebody giving he the tell on it.”
    “You fuckin out with she all the fuckin time, yay, buzzin around she like a fuckin fly with a hard-on, so why he ain’t would fuckin assume on it?”
    “Weren’t assuming.” No point replying to the fly thing. “Said like he had knowledge how I—like he knowing all the tale. Ain’t were making guesses, dig. Said like him knew on it.”
    Bump’s lips went real thin, he mouth almost disappearing. He leaned forward. “You fuckin got the thought Lacey giving the listening in, fuckin passing he knowledge?”
    “Ain’t saying certain, dig, just … maybe