Ain't Talkin'

Watching carefully, Roche saw the copper, Thompson, stand and follow him as he left.

The hunter lit a smoke and made his way into the alley between two buildings across the street, waving a small wave at Lucky when he passed by.

Roche picked his step up, weaving through the folk of Stateline and slipping into the alley across the street. He stood in the space between brick buildings for half a second and let himself be seen. The copper stormed out of the Place and caught sight of Roche.

“Come on, precious.” Roche smiled a little through his teeth.

The copper did just what Roche had hoped he would. He didn’t go for help, He didn’t radio his buddies and tell them what was up. He didn’t even look both ways. The copper put his palm on the butt of his gun and stamped across the street like a child whose spied a piece of stray candy across the way.

Roche slipped backward into the alley and around the back corner. The hunter put his back to the brick and listened.

The copper wasn’t quiet about his movements, he thundered down the alley. His boots clacked on the concrete and papers rustled around his ankles. Roche could make out the noise of his gunmetal as it slithered from it’s holster.

The white coalesced where he’d called it and filtered around his fingertips. The leather gloves on his fist squeaked and crinkled as Roche clenched his fists and relaxed them again.

The copper rounded the corner with his gun by his cheek. ′

Roche had the copper’s wrist and a forearm across his throat, a revolver drawn and the barrel in his chest, he had the copper’s back jammed into the brick wall and a bootheel behind the copper’s ankle to keep him off balance in a hair off of a second’s back.

By the instant the copper had a moment to breath and realize, Roche had the end of his cigarette so near the man’s teeth the copper could feel the root of his front tooth irritate into his skull.

“The-”

“Shut up!” Embers fell from the end of Roche’s smoke when he spat the words. “Who told you I was coming?”

“Fuck you.”

“Wrong answer, shitbag.” Roche drew back from the copper and belted him in the temple with the butt of his gun. As the copper fell to one knee, tripped with the help of Roche’s bootheel, Roche twisted the gun from his hand and held them both on the man the bartender had called Thompson.

Through a mouthful of pink teeth the copper groaned and coughed. “I am an officer of-”

Roche kicked the copper in his gut.

Between coughs and wheezing the copper kept on.

“Fucking hunter, I’ll have you-”

“Tough one aintcha?” Roche kicked out the palm the copper kept himself up with and put his boot on the man’s wrist, paused a second and the brought his heel down between the bones of the copper’s forearm. The bones separated and the man’s wrist broke.

“Garrgh!” Roche knelt and shoved the barrel of the copper’s own gun into his mouth.

“Shut the fuck up and talk.”

The copper’s eyes ground tight and tears appeared. His face had gone as bright as a cherry.

“Mff! Mff! Mff.” The copper winked his eyes open and nodded, his teeth clacked against the barrel of his gun.

“Good, we can dispense with all of that, then? I will put a bullet in you, fool. Don’t start up with me again.”

“Mff!” The copper nodded.

“Good. I take your own damn gun out of your teeth and you tell me what I want to know and I maybe don’t put a slug in each of your knees, good?”

“Mff!”

Roche smiled. “Who told you a hunter was coming after you? Did they mention me specifically?” Roche slipped the gun from the coppers mouth.

Panting the copper caught his breath. Roche thought the fucker might have even pissed himself but he didn’t care to check.

“Corporation boys came through last night. They checked at the station and said there were probably hunters after them. Said there’d be a bounty on any hunters that came through after them from the Corporation itself.”

“And me?”

“They didn’t say. Just said there were hunters coming.”

“More than one?” Roche asked.

“I thought so but-”

Roche pressed the gun barrel into the man’s broken wrist and put the barrel of the other into the man’s open mouth again to stifle the groans.

“Thought so?” He removed the gun.

“Gah! Fuck! They didn’t say, okay!”

“Alright.” Roche took the other gun off of the copper’s wrist. “Who else in this town is out for me?”

“Just the other officers. Most of us know, but word only came through last night. I swear, man. Please.” The copper was whimpering.

“Fine, then. Get the fuck out of my sight. You tell anyone I find you.” Roche stood off of the copper. Creeping up the copper held his wrist pitifully.

“My gun?”

“Nope.” Roche clicked the slide off and let the magazine slip onto the concrete. Broken in two, Roche tossed the pieces of the gun to either side of the alley and turned to walk away.

“Wait.”

“What?” Roche turned back to the copper.

“There’ll be more like me. I promise you.”

“Promise away, shitbag. I got plenty of bullets and a lot of time to waste.” Roche scuffed his boots as he strode back down the alley and disappeared into the crowd.