Bullets Are My Business (9781101616413) by Josh K. Stevens Read Free Book Online Page B

Bruiser. Heard of him?”
    The ape seems to be reviewing his options. I put a little bit more pressure on the knife, hoping that might remind him that this is the only option he needs to think about right now.
    â€œYeah, I heard of him. He ain’t fucking here right now.”
    I roll my eyes. This is taking far too long, “Where is he?”
    â€œHow the hell should I know, asshole? He had the day off. Said he had some shit to take care of.” The ape is coming clean. Good for him. Hell, good for me.
    â€œWhen’s he here next?”
    â€œHe’ll be here tomorrow.”
    â€œWhen?”
    â€œIn the goddamned morning.” Tears are starting to well up in the ape’s hate-filled eyes. It’s time to make a break for it before he causes a scene.
    â€œI’m gonna let you go,” I tell him, “but before I do, I need you to make me a promise. You gotta promise me that you’re not going to call Bruiser. You’re not gonna inform him that I was here. In the swing of things, you never saw me. Got it?”
    â€œYeah, I got it.”
    I nod. “If you do tell him, I’m going to find out, and when I find out, I’ll make sure that the next time I come in here, you’ll find my knife digging deeper and faster into your other head.” I lower my eyes to make sure that he knows what I’m saying. He follows my gaze.
    â€œSo,” I continue, “you better make certain that you got it. For your sake.”
    â€œI fucking got it.”
    I narrow my eyes at him and give the knife one final push. “Good. Now I’m going to walk away. You’re going to pretend this never happened. You’re just going to grab a towel and get yourself cleaned up. I’m sure you can find a Band-Aid.” He blinks and I release his nose. I pull my knife back. I close the blade and return it to my pocket. The ape grabs a towel and shoves it under his bleeding chin. He sets his jaw and glares at me. I point at him.
    â€œDon’t forget,” I tell him. “I’ll be back here tomorrow.”
    The ape nods. I walk out the door and head for my car without looking back.
    â€œLevi? Levi Maurice?”
    Shit. I haven’t even made it ten feet from the entryway. All I know is that I’m not going down without a fight. I grab hold of my gun and turn around, ready to unholster and shoot. Thankfully, I don’t have to. The person who said my name is the girl with the great ass that I held the door for. I let go of my gun and take my hand from inside my jacket. Shit, I’m getting jumpy. Adrenaline was kicking in and I’m not paying as much attention to detail as I should be. If I had been, I would’ve known that the voice was too high to be a thug.
    â€œYeah?” I respond, not entirely sure how to approach this situation. Without knowing who this girl is, it makes it a difficult dance. I’d obviously speak to her differently depending on if she was a random girl I brought home from the bar or if she was one of my marks’ widows. I’m hoping it’s the former. That would be a nice little gold star on my report card.
    â€œI knew you looked familiar” She laughs. I feel like a fool. Should I know this girl? Is she a floozy from the bar? All I know is that she is incredibly attractive. She’s even better to look at from the front. Her toned body is glistening with sweat. Her sports bra is cut low and the cleavage that’s out to say hello is outstanding. I want to eat ice cream off of her perfectly flat abs. I let my imagination run wild for a moment or two, fully picturing what it would be like to have her tan, shapely legs wrapped around my lower body. If I had been with this girl, I would most definitely remember. My brain would never let me forget that. So where the fuck do I know her from? She cocks her head as if reading my mind. “You have no idea who I am, do you?”
    â€œI’m sorry,” I