Trigger's Light - Carol Dawn Page 0,21

more frightened of me.

“So, from that moment forward, we’ve called him Trigger. Because the crazy bastard is trigger happy.”

It takes a couple of minutes for Ink to calm himself down. The whole time, Mark won’t take his eyes off me.

Smart man.

He’s backed himself up against the wall.

Stupid man.

“Oh hell,” Ink wipes beneath his eyes. “That story kills me every time. It’s one of those, you had to be there, stories. Anyway, back to why we’re here.”

Ink walks over and flops down on the couch.

“A couple of nights ago, there was a woman attacked in the parking lot of the Book Bin. Know anything about that?”

Mark frantically shakes his head.

“Weird,” Ink says, rubbing his chin. “We actually have video proof that it was you. Do you have a twin or something? Our Prez is a twin. They look a lot alike. Except for the hair and the eyes. Anyway, want to try that answer again?”

“Look, man,” Mark says, running his hand through his short hair. “I was paid a hundred bucks to scare this woman. I was told what to say and what to do. If I did everything right, another hundred was waiting for me when I was done.”

“Hmm, I see. What were you told to say and do?”

“He told me to mention how I told her not to tell anyone about the letter. He said to say that I needed to teach her a lesson.” Mark starts pacing back and forth. “Then he said to slice her deep down her face. I did everything he told me, and I never got that other hundred.”

My fists clench. It’s taking my whole willpower not to move from this spot.

“Who was this person?”

“I don’t know, man,” Mark shouts. “I couldn’t see his face. He came up behind me and held out the money. I couldn’t back down from some easy cash.”

“Easy cash?” Ink asks.

“Yeah, man. Scaring and slicing up a bitch is easy money. Didn’t take no time at all and gave me a great story to tell the guys.”

Ink smiles.

Yes, the fucker actually smiles.

“I bet that was a fun conversation, huh?” Ink asks. “Telling the buddies all the details about how she screamed and begged.”

Mark seems to have forgotten who he was in the room with. He smiles, and his hands start twitching like he’s high.

“Oh yeah, man. They fucking loved it. I had to retell it so many times.”

“I bet they did,” Ink chuckles. “So, you for sure didn’t see the man’s face?”

“Nah, man,” Mark says, relaxing by the second. “I did see his hand when he was handing me the money; he had a tattoo on his wrist. A snake eating its own tail. Pretty awesome. But that’s all.”

“Sounds awesome. Just to make sure I got all the details, tell us again how it felt when you were attacking that woman?”

I loosen all my muscles and wait. I know exactly what Ink’s doing. He wants me to hear how he felt when that fucker touched my woman. He wants me pumped and ready to give it my all. I don’t need any more fuel. Remembering the slice on Thea’s face is enough fuel to last a lifetime.

“Oh, man! It was amazing. The way the fat bitch was struggling in my arms has me hard every time I think about it. The feeling of her tits against my chest when I slammed her against the car, fuck man. Nothing has ever felt more perfect.

She fought so fucking hard, bro. But, as you can see, I’m a big man. Fat or not, she wasn’t going anywhere. My favorite part was slicing into the plump face of hers. All that extra skin made it so I could cut a little deeper without causing too much damage. It was so fucking beautiful.”

Ink stands up and dusts off the invisible dirt from his pants.

“Damn, man,” Ink laughs. “Well, I guess I’ll head out now. Oh,” he stops at the door, looking back. “Do you remember how I told you Trig got his name?”

Mark’s grin vanishes, and he glances at me.

“Yeah,” he says.

“Sometimes he says guns are for pussies. It’s better to work with your hands. More satisfying. He’s a weird guy. Anyway, see ya later.”

Ink walks outside and pokes his head back in.

“I totally forgot to mention,” Ink says, smacking his forehead. “That woman, her name is Thea. And Trigger here is her man,” Ink smiles wide when Mark’s face pales. “I guess I won’t be seeing ya, after all, Marky. Have fun, Trig.”

“Plan