Free Night Terrors: Savage Species, Book 1 by Jonathan Janz Page B

sizzlers.”
    Jesse lowered his gaze and felt a moment’s queasiness at the dusty ring of dead bugs in the middle of the kitchen floor.
    “The best are the moths,” Red Elk said. “You know, those big mothers with eyes on their wings? They flap toward it like kamikazes and take ten minutes to fry.”
    “Is that sanitary?” Emma asked.
    Red Elk opened his eyes, which were very bloodshot. “I don’t eat ‘em, miss.”
    “Don’t clean ‘em up, either,” Colleen added.
    Red Elk turned to Colleen, a little grin on his face. “You’re kind of a spitfire, aren’t you?”
    “A plus-sized spitfire, apparently.”
    “Now, don’t be sore, I was only teasing you.”
    After Emma cleared some Burger King sacks off the couch, they sat down.
    “Mr. Red Elk,” Emma began and clicked on the Dictaphone, “let’s start with your full name and date of birth.”
    “Turn that damn thing off.”
    Emma looked at him with raised eyebrows.
    “I don’t like talkin’ to a little red light. Makes me feel like you’re about to shoot me or something.” He turned to Jesse. “You ever seen The Terminator ?”
    Jesse nodded. “The part where Schwarzenegger goes to the night club to kill Linda Hamilton—”
    Red Elk sipped his beer, nodding and smiling. “And he puts the laser dot on her forehead…”
    “Could we focus a little?” Emma interrupted.
    Jesse and Red Elk glanced at her, then exchanged a look.
    Red Elk said to her, “The tits are Shannon Whirry’s but your face reminds me more of Mia Zottoli back when she had longer hair.”
    Emma sighed. “Is she another porn star?”
    “Soft porn,” Jesse said.
    “That’s right,” Red Elk agreed. “It’s a big difference, miss.”
    “You must really like soft porn,” Colleen said.
    “Hell, yes,” Red Elk agreed, leaning forward. “It’s got all the passion that’s missing in a hardcore flick, but you still get to see the goods.”
    Emma cleared her throat. “So how did you find out about the plans to make this a state park, Mr. Red—”
    “Not to mention,” he continued, “you don’t have all the gross stuff you got in real porn. Yeah, it’s nice when you do it yourself with a good woman, but who the hell wants to watch some big-dick guy with a shaved nutsack spurt his seed all over some skank’s face?”
    “ Mister Red Elk ,” Emma said.
    Jesse stared at the floor and tried to stifle his grin.
    “Yeah, darlin’?”
    “Could we talk about things my paper can actually print?”
    Red Elk tilted his head appraisingly. “I take that back about Mia Zottoli. You’re a lot prettier than her.”
    “For God’s sakes.”
    “I heard they gave you a lot of money so you wouldn’t sue,” Colleen said.
    Red Elk turned to her, not the slightest bit abashed. “Depends on what you call a lot of money.”
    “Two hundred grand?”
    “Somewhere in that range, sure.”
    “What’ll you do with it?”
    “I imagine I’ll keep doing what I’ve always done, ‘cept I’ll do Vegas two, three times a year.”
    “Mr. Red Elk,” Emma said, “do you feel your people were mistreated?”
    The big man chuckled. “Mistreated? Miss, that’s like sayin’ this guy here,” he said and nodded at Jesse, “thinks you’re mildly attractive.”
    Jesse stared wide-eyed at him. Colleen snickered. He dared not look at Emma to see her reaction.
    “You think she doesn’t know?” Red Elk said to him. “She ain’t stupid, buddy. Every time you think she’s not lookin’, don’t you think she feels those big doe eyes of yours crawlin’ up and down her body?”
    Emma said, “Was anyone in your family slain, Mr. Red Elk?”
    He stopped, the merry twinkle in his eyes vanishing. “Could be, miss. But not the way you think.”
    “No murder raids, resettlements, anything like that?”
    “Some,” he said.
    “Disease?”
    “Sure, but only if you count diabetes and colon cancer.”
    Emma gave him a confused grin. “I’m not sure where—”
    “Do you know how many