Tear It Down

Chapter Six

"We need to have a meeting about this Tommy." Arthur said as he paced, his hair disheveled and lighting his third cigarette in a row.

The guard had been taken away to be tended to, leaving Tommy, John, and Arthur standing alone.

"We should have questioned him Tommy." John said once again. "We need information about the bastard-"

"And what will he have told us?" Tommy pointed in the direction the guard was taken, hat in hand and his voice filled with rage. "That poor bastard was left on the ground bleeding for who knows how long, do you really think he would of been any help to us?" John looked away, chewing on his toothpick as his anger contoured his features. "You need to be smart about this John. You can't just charge off like that. We need to think first."

"Do to really believe that will help us Tommy?" Arthur snapped.

"How else could the bastard of gotten in? He was calculated, the work of a man who uses his brain. No fool could do such a thing to us."

"Well one has. Twice now." John said.

"And we won't let it happen a third time."

* * *

"What do you mean another horse was taken down?" Aunt Polly asked in bewilderment.

"Just that Aunt Polly." Tommy said, watching her as she sat at the kitchen table.

She cursed under her breath and lit a cigarette, looking to each brother. "This man has gotten through and taken down two horses already." She shook her head, her gaze hard and her lips pursed. "Do you have any idea, at all, who it might be?"

"We have too many enimies to be able to narrow it down." Tommy said as he poured himself a drink, needing it to help calm himself. "It was three days."

"What was?" Arthur asked, throwing his hat down and rubbing the back of his head.

"It was three days between the first attack and the attack today." Taking a sip he closed his eyes, the burn of the alcohol a comfort. "His hire could be the same person or a different one. That's why I want him alive when we find him. If they hired him they could hire others to do the exact same thing. Get to him we get to those who want to ruin us as I told you once before Arthur. Everyman will talk with the right incentive."

"And what will we use? Money?" John asked as he stood.

"If we have to."

"How did you know it was someone after us?" Polly asked.

"The first horse that was taken down I looked over myself. Nothing would of taken it down. When it did fall I knew someone had to be behind it. Finding that guard today only confirmed it."

"We'll do what needs to be done then." Polly said as she put out her cigarette.