Parker 01 - The Mark by Jason Pinter Read Free Book Online Page B

breathe.
    “I said who the fuck are you?” His spittle pecked my cheek.
    “Leave him alone!”
    It was Christine, wailing from inside the apartment. I looked past the man with the gun and saw Luis sitting in a chair. His arms and legs were handcuffed and bloody. His suit was spattered with red, his tie unraveled. His face was shel-lacked with cuts and bruises. Blood leaked from several openings. Then I saw Christine. She was tied to the radiator.
    “What…” was the only word I could muster. The man with the gun leaned in, peered at me.
    “You got some business, kid?” I waggled my head, neither a nod nor a shake. “Then get the fuck out of here.”
    He pushed the door closed, turned back to his captives. Without thinking, I blocked the door with my foot.
    The man waited a moment, cocked his ear, then turned back to me. His gun was still raised, his finger gently tapping the muzzle. In Bend I wrote about guns and violence many times. I recognized his weapon as an old-school. 38 caliber. A six-shooter.
    I called you, Henry.
    “Let them go,” I said as defiantly as possible. It must have come off well, because he lowered the gun a fraction of an inch. Christine was working fervently at her bonds, rubbing them back and forth along the edge of the radiator. Our eyes connected for a moment, then I looked away. I didn’t want to clue him in.
    “Kid’s got balls, Luis.” He let out a small laugh. “You know him?”
    Luis’s head bobbed and he mouthed something unintelligible. His cheeks were swollen, his head lolling like a screw unfastened from its mooring.
    Seeing Luis bleeding, helpless, watching Christine flail at her bonds, seeing this man, this animal, I felt a fire burning in my stomach. After Mya was attacked, all I wanted was a venue to prove myself, some way to prove I’d never turn my back again. Drunken bar fights and remote staredowns meant nothing. And so here it was. Standing directly in front of me. Wearing a trenchcoat and holding a loaded pistol.
    Stepping into the apartment, I gritted my teeth and said, “I’ll call the cops. Right now.” I took out my cell phone and opened it.
    The man stepped back like I’d slapped him. He was trying to gauge my resolve, to see if I truly had the balls to turn my back and make the call. I looked into his eyes for a moment, then started dialing.
    “Okay, kid,” he said, amused. To my surprise he held up his hands, gun included, like a kid being held up in a game of cops and robbers.
    “Don’t go doing anything stupid, kid. I’ll leave peacefully.”
    “My name’s Henry,” I said, jaw muscles clenched.
    “Henry,” he said with mock admiration, adding a faint laugh. “That’s an old man’s name.”
    I said nothing.
    “So, Henry, now that you’ve terrified the bad guy I guess I’ll go crawl into a hole and cry myself to sleep.” He turned to face Luis and Christine. Christine stopped working her bonds and looked up at him.
    “Just leave us alone!” she cried. Luis struggled lamely against his ropes, but the man had no energy left.
    “In time, hon. In time.”
    “I don’t see you leaving,” I said.
    “Don’t have a fucking heart attack, I’ll leave.” Then he whipped the gun around and pointed it at Luis’s head. “But not until I get what I came here for.”
    Christine spoke softly, her will crumbling. “I told you. We don’t have it.”
    “Bullshit!” he roared. “If you don’t tell me where it is in five seconds…” He looked back at me and smiled. “And if you do tell me, I’ll leave. Just like I promised Henry.”
    Saliva spilled down Christine’s lips as she spoke. “Please, I swear, we don’t have it.”
    “One.”
    Christine’s body tensed, a helpless wail escaping her lips.
    “I’m calling the cops,” I said. “Right now.”
    “Go ahead,” he said. “This’ll be done in four seconds anyway. You think they’ll be here in four seconds?” Then he added, “Two.”
    “Please don’t do this,” Christine