Blood Sport by A.J. Carella Read Free Book Online

name; it wasn’t necessary and he didn’t care. The kid did as he was told. “Come on, let’s not keep your public waiting.”
    This kid was in better shape than the others. He’d only been with him a couple of weeks and he hadn’t fought yet. The boss was counting on his freshness to give him the advantage over his opponent; so much so that he’d wagered more than he usually allowed himself to.
    The room erupted in shouts and whistles as he opened the door and pushed the kid in ahead of him. Everyone knew that it was a new kid tonight and they were excited to see how he’d do. He’d been told what was expected of him and told what would happen to him if he let the boss down. He was about eleven years old and looked quite strong for his age. This would be his chance to prove himself.
    His opponent was another boy of about the same age , although he was taller and more heavily built. As soon as the whistle blew signaling the start of the fight, the taller kid lashed out with a well-aimed punch to the side of the boy’s head, knocking him to his knees.
    The b oss watched as, dazed and confused, he tried to get up, but before he could, he was struck with a hard kick to the ribs.  The loud crack was heard around the room as the boy’s ribs broke and the boss frowned. He was clearly going to lose his bet this time. He’d already turned away to leave before the tall boy struck the final blow, this time his foot connecting with the side of his head, rendering him unconscious.

Thirteen
     
    It was afternoon by the time he made it back to the station and the place was empty. Picking up the phone, he called the other four deputies and told them to come in. Two were on duty catching up with their own outstanding calls, and two, the night shift, were at home. They’d grumbled a bit, but once he’d told them that it was important they’d agreed readily.
    Once they’d all arrived in the squad room he told them about the chief. The news hit them hard. Though he was the longest serving officer, they were all local men and had known him in some capacity all their lives. He gave them a few minutes to take in the news before telling them about his conversation with Daniel.
    “ At the moment, all we’ve got is what this kid is telling us and I believe him. There’s no forensics to help us out here so we’re going to have to rely on good old-fashioned police work.” Speaking to the two officers currently on the night shift, he told them, “We can’t have shifts not cover on nights so you’ll have to carry on doing that. While it’s quiet, though, I want you keeping an eye out to see if you see anything suspicious. Check barns, abandoned farms, anywhere you come across to see if you can find anything.” He indicated the door with his thumb. “For now, though, get yourselves back home to bed and get some rest.”
    He turned his a ttention back to the other two officers in the room, “Kat McKay is the one who found him and she’s offered to help. Normally I wouldn’t even consider it, but we’re very thin on the ground and she has a lot of experience so I’m going to ask her to look at local property records. Get her to try and narrow down any possible locations for us.”
    He heard a sni cker and looked up from checking his notes. Deputy Carver was the newest recruit to the department. He’d been there for just under a year and Finn had never warmed up to him. He was cocky, arrogant and far too headstrong for his liking. He’d talked to the chief about his concerns about him but he’d just waved them off as being a result of his youth; he was only twenty-two. He’d also pointed out that he reminded him very much of Finn at the same age.
    “An ything you’d like to share, Jason?” he asked him now.
    He watched as he tried to hide his grin but his mouth got the better of him, as Finn had known it would. “Just that we’ll have to take your word about Miss McKay’s experience.” He snickered again.
    Finn