"You're a horseshit liar, Gus. Would've been less transparent if you'd just handed me the phone," Red says.
He tears the phone cord from the basement wall. It pops out like an unraveled button.
"Can we go to the doctor now?" Gus says. Tightens the belt around his thigh with a loud grunt.
"Yeah, I suppose I should get my nose fixed up. Wouldn't want to bleed all over tonight's meeting," Red says.
"What about me?" Gus says.
"You get to stay here," Red says. Puts a foot on the first tread of the stairs going up.
"What? Why?" Gus says. Tries to hobble off the wall. No use.
"You want to know what this is all really about?" Red says.
"I told you my thing. You tell me yours," Gus says.
Red takes his foot off the step.
"Me and you, we got something in common. That Reynolds land and money. You don't want to know more," he says.
"Sure I do," Gus says.
Red shakes his head. "When you told me you got cut into that Reynolds land, it means someone, like Jane, is planning on me being dead soon. Because that land and that money, it should be mine."
Gus coughs. "My family won't be back until tomorrow. I hurt too much to walk. You can't just leave me here to suffer."
Red starts up the stairs. Pauses.
"I don't have the heart to kill you, Gus. But I don't give a damn enough to save you, either," Red says. Unloads the Blackhawk revolver. Tosses it down the stairs next to Gus. He'll use his own .45 Colt Anaconda revolver. Prefers it. "Here's your gun back. Just so you can't call me a thief among everything else you're bound to say about me."
Red reaches the top of the stairs. Listens to Gus's panicked breathing.
"Good luck," Red says.
*** PLEASE SUPPORT MY WRITING! ***
This story will only be posted on Wattpad for a limited time. If you'd like the full version, head to your favorite online e-book/book retailer and pick up your own digital/print copy. Search for "Invisible Hand Sobieck." Or leave a review of the book on Amazon once you're finished reading on Wattpad. Thank you. ~Ben
YOU ARE READING
The Invisible Hand - A crime novel
Misterio / SuspensoA corrupt sheriff hires a ruthless vigilante to hunt down a murderer during the modern day North Dakota oil boom in this crime thriller full of unexpected twists and turns.
