T-Bone - L. Wilder Page 0,78
side, he muttered, “I didn’t do shit to your sister. I don’t know why you aren’t getting the fact that the little whore wanted it.”
He’d barely gotten the words out of his mouth when Hyde whipped out his gun and aimed it directly at Brant. “You were a piece of shit then, and you’re a piece of shit now.”
“Hold on, man.” Realizing what was coming, he started pleading, “You can’t do this. I’ve got a wife and kid at home. They need me.”
“I’m doing them both a fucking favor.”
Without saying another word, Hyde squeezed the trigger, putting two bullets into him, and Brant dropped to the ground. We both stood there, silently staring at his lifeless body, and a sense of satisfaction washed over me when I realized he wouldn’t be causing Alyssa any more heartache than he already had. After several moments passed, I looked over to Hyde and said, “We need to decide what we’re gonna do with him.”
“I say throw his ass in the fucking river and be done with it.”
“We could do that, but then his wife will report him missing and there’ll be a lot of questions.”
“All right then, what do you suggest?”
“We could take him and his car out to Frayser. Set it up like a drug deal gone bad. It’s not like the guy hasn’t been using. I’ve seen for myself that he’s got quite the habit.”
“You think it’ll work?”
“Yeah, definitely. Just need to wipe the car down, plant him inside with an empty wallet and a quarter of meth at his side. You know the cops. They aren’t gonna put a lot of effort into investigating a fucking drug deal.”
“Let’s make it happen.”
We got a tarp from Landry’s trunk and used it to cover the front seat. We didn’t want him bleeding out in places that might draw undue suspicion. Once we’d gotten Brant positioned in the passenger seat, Hyde followed me to one of the rougher areas of Frayser. While I tended to Brant, Hyde went to track down a quarter of meth. I slid Brant’s body over to the driver’s side of the car, then removed the tarp. I took his wallet and removed all the cash, and once Hyde returned, he shot him once more, hoping it would be enough to derail the cops. I quickly wiped down the car, then tossed the baggie of meth onto the seat next to Brant’s body. I knew with a little bit of investigating, the cops would see that he’d been shot outside of the vehicle, but knowing that dirty drug deals happened here on a nightly basis, I found it highly doubtful that they’d take the time to even check the asshole’s wounds.
Once we’d gotten the stage set, Hyde looked over to me and asked, “You think they’ll buy it?”
“Yeah, I think we did good.”
“Should’ve done this years ago.”
“Can’t change the past, brother. At least now you can rest easy knowing he’ll never bother Alyssa again. It’s finally over.”
“Thank fuck for that.”
“You mind running me back to my truck?”
“Sure thing, brother.” I followed him over to Landry’s car, and as soon as we were both settled inside, Hyde looked over to me and said, “Thanks for this, Bone. I owe ya.”
“You don’t owe me shit, brother. Besides, I didn’t do it for you.”
“She still hasn’t reached out to you?”
“No. About given up on that happening.”
“Oh, come on, Bone. Didn’t figure you’d give up that easily.”
“Don’t get me wrong. If she wanted me back, I’d have her in a second, but something tells me that time has come and gone.”
“I don’t know. I got a feeling that y’all’s story is far from over.”
18
Alyssa
“Is there someone you’d like me to call?” the nurse asked with a concerned look in her eyes.
“Is that really necessary?”
“They’re prepping you for surgery, Ms. Hanson.”
“I know. I heard what the doctor said.”
“It’s not the time for you to be alone.” She walked over and checked the monitor once again. “You need someone at your side. It’ll make you feel better. That is, if there is someone to call.”
“Yes, there’s someone.” I could’ve called my mother, but she was in Nashville and it would’ve taken her at least two hours to get to the hospital—leaving me with no other option. I had to call Clay. A feeling of dread washed over me at the thought of his reaction. He was going to lose his mind, and I only had myself to blame. It wasn’t like I didn’t know this