Fool's Gold: Carson Lyle's War - Part One by Thomas J. Rock Read Free Book Online Page B

dredging up the memory of the attack was a dirty play. Everything he'd heard about these guys might have only scratched the surface of what they really were. But no one ever asked the question Carson Lyle was thinking at that moment about that Authority Agent.
    Does he bleed? At that moment Lyle wanted nothing more than to find out. All he needed was one good chance.
    "If it is, it's good work. Couldn't have been cheap," Two said.
    "So what's your point?"
    Two stood up, slowly walking behind him, from the left to the right.
    One said, "You’re obviously hiding something. You do this for us and there could be an Authority pardon for whatever it is you’ve done."
    "You might be able to put the pieces of whatever pathetic life you had back together again," Two said. "…Or maybe even start a new pathetic life."
    Lyle broke his stare at the wall behind Agent One and looked up to face Two, his eyes burning with hate.
    Two smiled again. The grin seethed of both conceit and contempt. "Why do you visit Betty O'Malley before every run?"
    Carson Lyle pounded the table with both hands, standing up, sending his chair tumbling on the floor behind him.
    Both One and Two were unphased, except for Two's grin which grew just a little longer at the corner of his mouth.
    Two continued, "She's getting a little long in the tooth. She'd want you to get an honest job instead of this freight hauling, you and your criminal brethren—"
    Lyle lashed out, grabbing the Agent by the lapels of his suit and forcing him backward and slamming his back into the wall behind him. He pressed his forearm against Two's head and neck, It was then he discovered Two was a full ten centimeters taller than he was. But he used that difference to his advantage, pushing with his legs to force his arm into Two's throat hoping to crush the man's larynx.
    “We'll see how you like breathing, motherfucker!!”
    One remained seated calmly while Two's face contorted under the strain. He grunted and gasped for air slightly.
    Lyle released him, took a half step back, squared his stance, draw his right hand back, into a tightly clenched fist and let loose. The blow struck Two squarely in the cheek and jaw. Lyle saw the man's head snap to the left. The visor went flying. Two slumped over but remained on his feet. Adrenalin coursed through Lyle's body. He was going to take out nine years of anger and hate and utter contempt for the Authority on an expensive piece of their property right then.
    "You know Shit!" Lyle yelled, kicking Two in the chest. The agent's torso shot up, snapping his head upward. The back of the man's head crashed into the wall, then he slumped over again, still on his feet.
    Lyle saw One still sitting and watching. He was so angry and focused on Two, it didn't even register that the Agent hadn't done anything to help his partner.
    He turned back to the crumbled heap that leaned against the wall. "Us haulers keep this whole damn territory alive with the job we do!" He yelled, as he kneed Two in the face. Lyle stepped back and squared up to strike again. "And as for Betty O'Malley? You’re going to pay that right now—"
    Agent One looked at his partner's visor in the corner. It was cracked. "Oh no, now you've done it," he said, barely sounding interested.
    The statement made Lyle pause, for just a half second. "What—"
    Before the word could even escape his lips, he suddenly felt a clamp snap around his neck. It happened so fast. He didn’t even see the agent’s arm move. Lyle struggled to bring air in, and his lungs burned more because of it. He couldn't even force the words 'fuck you' out of his throat. Spots formed in his vision. He struggled to get free, and it finally dawned on him that the clamp around his neck, that was choking the very life out of him, was the agent's hand. He'd never felt such a solid grip. It was almost mechanical.
    Two stood to face him. Lyle's eyes went wide at what he saw. The man's hair was…moving. It slithered and swayed,