The Grand Ballast (40 page)

Bode’s throat tightened.
For years, he’d wanted to believe someone—
anyone
—

cared enough to protect
him. Even if he knew he didn’t deserve that protection. And here he
had Hoster and Blunz, two men willing to risk their lives for him.
But it felt false. Wrong. “I think it’s time for us to go. We’ve
been enough of an imposition on you. It’s not fair to make you feel
like you have to go to such great lengths to protect us.” He
glanced at Valen, who nodded. Bode looked back at the group. “We’ll
take off at the end of the week.”

Bettina placed one arm
around Horse Leg and looked from Bode to Valen. “We can call on the
network. Set you up somewhere safe.”

“
Thank you,” Bode said. He
still didn’t know if he trusted her, or any of them. He waited for
Valen to say something, but Valen was silent, staring at Blunz and
Hoster.

“
Don’t change your faces,”
Valen said to them at last. “Good God.”

A LUCKY MAN

“
Are you ready?” Valen
whispered to Bode the next night, as they entered the
saloon.

“
Of course.” Bode tried to
sound calm.

Valen showed him a long,
narrow envelope before he stashed it in his waistband and pulled
his vest over it. “We’ve got a good amount.”

Bode nudged him with his
elbow. “You’ve done well.”

Valen looked at him, eager
and anxious. “Enough to put down a payment on a house somewhere.
Somewhere quiet. And hopefully we’ll have more by the end of the
night.”

Bode squeezed Valen’s hand.
“Don’t get cocky.”

Valen grinned. “No more
than we can afford to lose,” he promised.

“
Afterward…?”

“
We’ll worry about
afterward…afterward,” Valen said firmly. They kissed.

They were going to leave
tonight. They’d told everyone the end of the week, but they’d
decided it would be best to slip out tonight, unnoticed, after the
card game.

Bode took his seat at the
table next to Valen. Adjusted the gun tucked in his belt and looked
around. Hedda and Finley lounged by the piano; Horse Leg tended
bar. At a table in the far corner, a man in a gown sat on Bettina’s
lap, and she not-at-all-subtly ran a hand under his skirt and up
his thigh. Dee was at the bar, talking to Darkenage, who was tuning
his guitar. There was no sign of Skullprute.

Valen started entertaining
the table with card tricks. A small crowd gathered to watch. “Lucky
man,” Hedda said with a wink at Valen. “Can’t believe poor Skully
thinks he’s got a chance.”

“
He must be running
scared.” Valen shuffled the deck for the third time.

Bode began to feel strange.
The saloon was too hot and too loud. And where was
Skullprute?

There was a breeze as the
saloon doors opened. At first, nobody paid any attention. Then
Hedda looked up, and her expression made Bode’s stomach
drop.

Three gunshots. Plaster
fell from the ceiling. People screamed and ran for cover, pushing
over tables, leaping behind the bar.

Bode turned
slowly.

Straight blond hair. A
flash of red fabric. Bode grabbed Valen’s arm, scattering cards
everywhere. “Run!” They fled for the back of the saloon, taking
cover behind an old wooden shelving unit.

The ruckus died down,
except for the sound of footsteps.

“
Ladies and
gentlemen
.” Kilroy’s
voice sounded amplified, as though it came through a megaphone. “No
need to fear. No need to
cower
.” A pause, and someone shrieked
again—a tiny, aborted sound. “Harkville has something of mine. I’ve
come to take it back.”

Bode drew deep breaths, surprised by how
easy it was to think. He was afraid, but not paralyzed. Valen was
tense and ready beside him as they listened to Kilroy walk down the
center of the saloon.

“
You need not hurt. You
need not suffer.” The footsteps stopped. “Dee, sweet pea. How are
you enjoying your vacation?”

“
It was her,” Valen
whispered. “She sold us out.”

No. It was Skullprute, Bode was sure of it.
Skullprute, who conveniently wasn’t here to watch the
confrontation. He thought about grabbing Valen and bolting for the
door. Bode didn’t think Kilroy would shoot. Not to kill, anyway.
Kilroy had a score to settle, and shooting Bode in the back as Bode
ran wouldn’t appeal to the showman in Kilroy. He had the gun, but
he wasn’t much of a shot. And if he took a shot at Kilroy, he
risked Kilroy opening fire on the saloon. If Kilroy had people with
him, it could turn into a massacre.

Bode tried to peer through the narrow gaps
between shelves, but he couldn’t see anything.

“
Surely many of you know
who I’ve come for,” Kilroy continued. “And at least one of you
knows where he is.”

He
. Kilroy had said,
“where
he
is,”
not,
“where
they
are.”
With any luck, he wasn’t interested in Valen. Had
he only come for Bode.

“
We don’t know what you’re
talking about.” Bettina’s voice, sharp and angry. “But if you leave
now, we’ll let you walk out of Harkville unharmed.”

Kilroy laughed, a low, staccato laugh that
sounded surprisingly rich and warm. “I know he’s here. The question
is, will you hand him over, or do I have to tear your town
apart?”

“
Whoever you’re looking
for, he isn’t here,” Bettina repeated firmly.

Another gunshot. Bode slammed back against
the shelves as the saloon erupted in screams. Horse Leg began to
shout Bettina’s name. Bode closed his eyes. Felt Valen take his
hand and squeeze.

Kilroy’s footsteps continued toward the
back. “Harkville has a reputation for unrest. For harboring
fugitives and stirring up unnecessary trouble.” He hesitated. “So
sad that you have no one to play your revolutionary games with.
Nobody cares enough to strike you down. Nor—” he paused “—do
I.”

Bode heard a second set of footsteps. He had
no way of knowing how many people Kilroy had with him. Several
yards away was the door to the saloon’s back room. Better to try
for the front door? Or the back?

“
I’m not here for your
town,” Kilroy continued. “I’m here for Bode Martin.”

Bode slowly withdrew the gun from his
waistband.

Suddenly, a man called out, “He’s in the
guard hut.”

A second’s silence. Relief
and horror mingled in Bode. He couldn’t let those two men in the
guard hut sacrifice themselves. But if they could get Kilroy to
leave the saloon…
Yes, get Kilroy out of
here. Get him to turn his back. Then Valen and I can go after
him.

Another shot. More screams, and the man’s
agonized cry.

Kilroy cleared his throat
dramatically. “Anyone else feel like
lying
to me?”

Bode gripped Valen’s hand until he felt the
bones shift. Somewhere close by, a woman was sobbing.

He’s only a worm. Don’t be afraid of
him.

The footsteps resumed, approaching the
shelving unit. “Bodeeeeee. Oh Bode, come here.” Kilroy sounded
close now. “From now on, every minute you don’t show yourself,
someone here will be shot. Do you want that on your
conscience?”

No.

No.

Bode wanted to grab the universe and wring
it like a cloth until some pathetic spatter of forgiveness fell
from it.

“
You told me they were
here,” Kilroy said to someone. “Would you care to get
specific?”

Bode peered around the side of the shelving
unit. Kilroy had his gun pointed at a trembling Darkenage, and
there were two other men with guns pointed at potential hostages.
“Th—they might have left out the back,” Darkenage stammered.

Kilroy leaned close to Darkenage. “Do you
know where they are or don’t you?”

“
You?” Horse Leg’s voice,
more shocked than angry. “Darkenage, you didn’t!”

Valen tried to scramble to his feet. Bode
caught his wrist. “Don’t!” he whispered.

“
Fucker didn’t like my
music!” Darkenage shouted at Horse Leg. “And he t-took my money!”
He sounded shaken. He turned to Kilroy. “You said you wouldn’t hurt
them. I just—just want my r-reward.”

“
And you…shall…have it.”
Kilroy fired. Darkenage fell back against the wall and slid down to
the floor, leaving a red streak on the wall.

Valen wrenched out of Bode’s grip and stood.
“Enough.”

“
Valen,” Kilroy said
calmly. “So good to see you. You wouldn’t happen to know where Bode
is, would you?”

“
Take me instead,” Valen
said.

Valen, you fucking idiot.

“
Aw, that’s very sweet.”
Kilroy lifted the gun. “But I’m here for Bode, not for
you.”

Bode stood and walked around the shelving
unit, gun raised. “I’m here.”

The two men with Kilroy were precisely the
same height—about two inches taller than Kilroy—their bald heads
catching the light from the saloon’s lamps. The man closest to
Kilroy had his gun trained on Valen. The other man had a shotgun,
aimed at a couple of sobbing saloon goers.

Kilroy was a mess. His once
perfectly straight hair hung greasy and matted. The hollows beneath
his cheekbones were like gouges in the flesh. As soon as he met
Bode’s gaze, he smiled. It started gradually, one of his private
smiles. Then flared, like snapping on the lights in an empty
theater.
Ladies and gentlemen…

“
Bode. There you are.” The
room smelled tangy, like gunpowder and booze. Bode refused to look
around; didn’t want to see Bettina or Darkenage or the other man
Kilroy had shot. Kilroy gestured to the floor with his pistol.
“Drop your gun, please. I have more weapons than you, and this
won’t go well.”

Bode hesitated. Lowered the gun to the
floor.

“
Very nice,” Kilroy said.
“Now come here.”

Slowly Bode stepped forward. One foot in
front of the other.

Don’t be afraid of a
worm
.

He reached Kilroy and went to his knees in
front of him.

Where I belong, right? Where you want
me?

Kilroy moved his hand forward hesitantly and
stroked Bode’s hair. Bode closed his eyes and pressed his face
against Kilroy’s knee. The pearl handled pistol was pointed at the
floor now. Valen shouted something, but Bode didn’t want to
listen.

Be quiet, Valen. This isn’t worth you
getting killed over.

Bode allowed himself a few seconds to feel
where his body and Kilroy’s touched. All that had passed between
them blazed and then went dark, became curls of smoke lassoing each
breath they took.

“
Bode,” Kilroy whispered.
“I—”

Bode slammed against Kilroy’s legs with all
his weight. He heard the crack as Kilroy’s knees locked, and for an
instant he thought he hadn’t shoved hard enough. But then Kilroy
went over backwards, knocking into the man with the revolver. The
revolver clattered to the floor. Bode didn’t see where it landed.
He leaped onto Kilroy and began tearing at him. He scratched,
kicked, and bit, not giving Kilroy time to get a blow in.

Footsteps all around him—Harkvillians were
rushing to join the fight. More gunshots. Bode saw Dee swing a wine
bottle like a bat against the head of one of the goons. Kilroy
shifted, writhing under Bode. Then Bode heard a familiar sound.

Kilroy was laughing.

Bode smashed his fist into Kilroy’s face.
Kilroy gave a sputtering chuckle. There was the sound of the
shotgun being pumped, and then a blast that made Bode’s ears ring.
Bode would have hit Kilroy again, and again—as many times as it
took to silence the fucker—but someone grabbed him by the shirt
collar and dragged him toward the door. Bode continued to kick and
struggle. He collapsed to his knees, and the hand holding him
disappeared briefly. But then it was back, hauling him away from
the fray.

Valen pulled Bode through the swinging doors
and out into the dusty street. Behind them, the sound of smashing
glass and gunfire. Bode stumbled along behind Valen, following him
onto the dark plain behind the hotel, toward the mesa.

“
Bode, enough.” Valen’s
voice was low and sharp. Bode realized he was shouting. He stopped
running.

“
I hate him,” he screamed
at Valen. “I hate him!”

Valen stopped running.
Clasped Bode’s shoulders. “He’s not going to get you. Understand
me? But you have to run. Right. Fucking.
Now.
”

“
I—”

“
Go!” Valen shoved him
forward. Bode stumbled. “Run for the plateau and climb the first
ridge. You can hide there. I’ll meet you.” He turned back toward
the saloon.

“
No!”

“
Bode!” Valen whirled and
tried to shove him again. But a moment later, it didn’t matter. Two
figures burst from the saloon—Kilroy and the goon with the shotgun.
A couple of people were following, but Kilroy spun and fired, and
one of the pursuers fell. The other knelt to check the
damage.

Bode and Valen bolted for the ridge. “Up!”
Valen urged. “Climb!”

Valen leaped up and began
to climb the rocks. Bode was right beside him. Bode heard a
pop
and felt a sting in
the back of his calf. He kept climbing.
Don’t look down. Don’t…
He heard
shouting beneath him, then another pop and another
sting.