Krampus: The Yule Lord by Brom Read Free Book Online Page A

that maybe—”
    “Linda,” Dillard said, a strain edging into his voice. “You need to go on inside right now.”
    Linda bit her lip, gave Jesse one more pleading look, then hurried inside. Jesse wondered what was going on. The Linda he knew would never let a man cow her like that. Was that the same Linda he’d torn up the honky-tonks with? The same woman he’d seen slug a man for grabbing her ass?
    Dillard strolled around the cruiser, right up to Jesse, looked him up and down. “Hear there was a spot of trouble out at your place last night.”
    Jesse said nothing.
    “You know anything about that? Maybe hear something? See something?”
    “I did. Saw everything. Santa and his reindeer landed and were attacked by six devil men. They flew up into the sky and Santa tossed one of ’em overboard.” Jesse said all this without breaking a smile. “I think the man you’re looking for has a long white beard.”
    Dillard frowned, rubbed at a spot on his forehead like he was getting a headache, then just stared at Jesse for a long moment as though trying to figure out what he was. “Jesse, I knew your mother and father pretty well, and neither one of them was stupid. How come you turn out that way?”
    Jesse crossed his arms and spat on Dillard’s driveway.
    “You just asking me to do this the hard way?” Dillard’s tone made it clear he was done dicking around.
    “The only thing I’m asking you to do is stay the hell away from my wife and daughter.”
    Dillard let out a long sigh, like a man dealing with a child. “I think me and you need to have a talk. Y’know, a man-to-man sort of thing, because there ain’t no need for this to go down the path it’s headed.” He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, placed one in his mouth and offered one to Jesse.
    Jesse looked at the cigarette as though it were poison.
    Dillard lit the cigarette, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled. “I understand that this ain’t easy for you, son. I wouldn’t like it if I were in your shoes. Not one bit. So I’m just gonna say it, because someone needs to. It’s over between you and Linda. Linda knows it and I think you know it, too. All you’re doing now is making things hard on everyone, especially that little girl of yours.”
    Jesse bristled.
    “You two need to get a divorce. Make it official. I’ll even help you out with the paperwork if need be. I’m tired of you making her feel bad. You need to man up and cut it off clean so everyone can move on with their lives.”
    “That ain’t gonna happen.”
    “Yes, it is gonna happen. And it’s gonna happen soon, because Linda and me is planning on getting married.”
    Jesse fell back a step. “What?”
    “Sorry, son. I didn’t want it to go down like this.”
    “No!” Jesse shook his head. “I don’t think so. There ain’t no way I’m gonna let that happen. Ever! ”
    “Let me make this plainer. I’m not asking. You understand? We are gonna get married. Just as soon as we get you taken care of, that is. Now there’s a couple of ways of taking care of you, and it’s pretty much up to you to choose.”
    Jesse held up a shaky finger. “Don’t back me into a corner, Dillard. You don’t wanna do that.”
    Dillard laughed, shook his head. “Jesse, if you had even a tenth of the balls you think you do, you just might be worth a good goddamn. Son, the only reason I haven’t already taken you out of the picture is because you do a little business for the General. You know full well that it won’t take much of anything to put you away. Why, I could slap the cuffs on you right now for whatever reason I fancy and you’d be on your way to prison. Is that what you want?”
    “You do that and I won’t be the only one on my way to prison.”
    Dillard’s eyes squeezed to mere slits. “What did you just say?”
    “I think you know just what I said. You take away the only thing that matters to a man and you got a man with nothing left to lose. A man like that just might