Here Comes the Night (5 page)

In the front seat of the abandoned Mustang, Buck Dearmore’s
cell played
Boomer Sooner
to empty air. The car had been hidden
so far off the shoulder of the road it might have escaped notice at night, but
in the fading evening, its
QRTBACK
license tag
glinted
back at the orange slice of sunset. Bloody tufts of horse hair hung from the
crevices of the crunched front fender
.

A half mile ahead, Tony and Erika walked, a stiff and
terrible silence between them. Erika’s eyes were pink and swollen.

“Will you stop fucking bawling,” Tony finally said.

“We should have stopped and at least looked at her. Maybe we
could have–-”

“—gotten our asses arrested?” he finished for her.

After a moment, she said, “Well, we can’t walk all the way
back to the city. It’s practically dark.”

“We can’t hitch a ride and be remembered either.”

“What if a patrolman spots us and asks what we’re doing out
here in the middle of the night?”

Tony grabbed her arm. “Listen to me. I’m strapped. Okay?”

Erika stared at him in disbelief. She could not scare up an
ounce of sympathy. “Why do you need a gun?” Then, before he could answer, “Well,
that’s your problem, Tony. If someone stops, I’m hitching.”

Tony watched with slitted eyes as she walked ahead of him.
She could be such a stubborn bitch. Still, watching her walk away, her butt
swishing from side to side always turned him on.

An upscale Safari motorhome, the $300,000 variety with wet
bar and plasma screen, glided through the night. To add to the splendor, a car
trailer in back towed a late model gold Porsche.

Inside, a couple in their 50's, wearing expensive new age
clothes, passed a joint back and forth in the front seat. Dell Walker, graying
hair to his collar, was tall enough to be imposing, but had more the demeanor
of a good-natured giant. His wife Vivian wasn’t really pretty but was so well
put together, from the ash blonde hair pulled up in a clip to perfectly made-up
hazel eyes, that men found her immediately attractive.

She had the understated confidence of someone so steeped in
old money she had never had to prove anything in her life. In spite of exuding
wealth, however, there remained a friendly openness about them.

The Safari’s headlights flashed on a couple walking off the
side of the road ahead of them. As the girl looked back over her shoulder into
the motorhome’s lights, Vivian pulled at Dell’s elbow. “Look at those kids,
honey. Let’s give them a ride.”

Dell chuckled. “You sure? They’re probably escaping
inmates.”

Vivian chuckled at his joke. “He might be a greaser, looks
like, but she looks innocent enough.” She clutched Dell’s shoulder. “Come on,
it’ll be fun.”

In response, he playfully pinched her breast. A visceral
excitement passed between them.

“You are such a party animal,” he said, resigned to her
request.

The 45-foot motorhome, its emergency lights blinking, pulled
over a little ahead of Tony and Erika. She looked over at Tony, waiting for his
response.

“Not a good idea,” he said in a low voice.

She shook her head at him. ”Fine, do what you want then.”
She started up toward the Safari.

Sometimes her oblivion was too much to believe for Tony.
After wiping down the Mustang for fingerprints, he figured there was a decent
chance he could slip through the cracks on the hit and run. But not if anyone
could later identify them being only miles from where it happened. Now she was
pulling this shit.

But after what went down on that hill, he knew he had to
just roll with it. It was too late to stop now. He was just coming down from
the after effects of racing to escape and then hide the Mustang. From here on
out, he would just have to play it by ear.

All his life, Tony had battled with keeping himself in check
or just letting it all go. Being “good” had always felt anything
but
good
to him. But the dark side ran through his veins like mercury. Danger made his
whole body tremble in a way liked. But afterwards, you had to do whatever was
necessary to come out okay on the other side. If Erika didn’t like it, then
that would be on her. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been warned.

“Hey, wait up,” Tony said to her. He felt for the gun inside
his back waistband, just to check, then caught up with her. “Just act normal,
understand?”

She glared at him. “Now how am I gonna do that, Tony?”

Aware the people in the motorhome were probably watching
them, he tried to look casual. “Just straighten up. When we get back into the
city, we can go to the cops and clear this all up.”

“Oh, Tony, I’ve just been waiting for you to say that. You
promise?” she asked, her face relaxing a little on hearing it.

“I’m telling you I will, aren’t I?”

“Thank you, Tony. Thank you.”

She seemed so grateful, even if he was blatantly lying. Her
naivete really amazed him sometimes. But she didn’t understand the stakes.
Obviously, she’d never had her back to the wall. Nobody gets that until they’ve
been there.

The sliding entrance opened with a whoosh when they reached
the door. The man at the wheel gave them a big smile. “Where you headed?”

“The city,” Erika said.

Tony quickly added, “Our car broke down.”

Vivian motioned them inside. “That’s where we’re headed.
We’ll give you a lift.”

Erika gaped as she stepped into the motorhome’s opulent
interior. “Wow, I’ve never seen one like this.” Looking at Tony. “Huh?”

Tony nodded, trying not to look too impressed. He joked,
“Where’s the big plasma screen?”

But Vivian wasn’t joking. “Behind that cabinet.” She looked
them over. “You all look beat. How about something to drink?”

They nodded and Vivian got out an expensive bottle of
champagne from the stainless steel fridge. She showed it to them. “This be
okay?”

Erika’s jaw dropped at the fancy label. Tony shrugged, but
his mood improved right off. He knew old rich farts were always an easy target.

Angie’s new-found buddy was a seasoned wrangler whose
understanding of life started and ended on the rodeo floor. Probably a handsome
stud at one time, now his furrowed brow read like hash marks for each bull
who’d thrown him and added to the brain damage.

He couldn’t understand what the hell the hottie next to him
was talking about, but he could see down her blouse and if she got any drunker,
he felt pretty confident he could get her to leave with him.

“And he…” Angie lost her place for a moment. “So if somebody
said they’d be somewhere and they’re not…what the hell do you do?”

Wrangler maneuvered his arm around her back, getting his
hand closer to her breast, and whispered in her ear. “You find somebody better.
Like me.”

“He lost his nerve,” she said, still caught up in her own
world. “And he’s afraid to come tell me. That’s it.”

Wrangler could nearly cup her breast with his long arm.
“That’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.” He moved in to see if she’d
kiss him. He’d used some breath spray last time he’d gone to the bathroom,
hoping it would mask the chili dog with extra onions he’d gulped down just
before she walked in.

She let him kiss her but didn’t really participate in it.
Still, he took it as a positive.

“Listen,” he said, breathing in her ear, “wanna go somewhere
else? More private?”

Angie looked up at him as though she’d just realized he was
there. He kept it up.

“Whadda you say? We could go to—”

“I want another drink,” she said flatly.

“Or we could have another drink,” Wrangler quickly agreed.
“Bartender?”

Vivian had taken over the driving from Dell so he could
offer their guests a couple of lines of cocaine. Tony sat across the bar from
him as Dell took his own sweet time, meticulously cutting and recutting the
lines. It seemed like at least a half hour he had been at it. Tony sucked on a
cigarette and beer as he watched, about to scream from the wait.

“Here, Erika, help me out,” Vivian called from the driver’s
seat, holding up a half finished joint. Erika was still sniffing around the
mobile home. That and a glass of champagne had kept her preoccupied.

Tony didn’t mind. He was glad she didn’t look too
conspicuous to the couple.

“They’ve got a shower right on board, Tony,” Erika said.
“And it’s enormous.”

“I’ve seen a shower before,” Tony called to her, showing
Dell a bored look to illustrate how much more sophisticated he was than his
date.
But Tony was starting to wonder if she was going to suck up to
these people all night.

“Isn’t she the cutest thing you’ve ever seen, Dell?” Vivian
asked, following Erika in the rear view mirror.

“Sure is,” Dell agreed, then turned to Tony. “So what do you
do, Tony?”

“I’m in livestock,” he lied. When Erika let a giggle slip,
he gave her a sharp glance.

“Huh. What kind of livestock?” Dell asked.

“Cows, mainly.” Tony looked disinterested in continuing. He
was ready for the coke lines.

Erika plopped down in the passenger seat opposite Vivian and
took a delicate hit off the joint. “What do you all do?”

“Dell’s a lawyer, so I don’t have to do anything.”

Dell shook his head with a smile. “Now honey. Don’t let her
kid you, Erika. I may be a lawyer, but she’s got her own money.”

Tony jumped in. “We gonna do those lines? Or is that just
for show?”

“Sorry, I almost forgot what I was doing. Let’s see if I got
a bill.” Dell casually pulled out a C-note and handed it to Tony, who rolled it
into a straw and quickly snorted up two lines.

“Whew,” Tony’s eyes popped with surprise. “Talk about the
good stuff.”

Suddenly Erika yelled, “Watch out, Vivian.” The Safari had
drifted out of its lane. Vivian quickly jerked it back in.

Dell rose from his stool and moved forward. “You alright?”

“I’m fine, baby,” Vivian said. “I’m sorry. Maybe getting
just a teensy bit high.”

 At that moment, a sign appeared through the wraparound
windshield:
OLD CIMARRON TRAIL R.V. PARK - 5 MILES

“Oh look, isn’t that the same place we stayed last year and
then you drove in for that trial the next day?” Vivian asked.

“Might not be a bad idea to stop there now,” Dell said. “I’m
pretty out of it, too. Then we can hit the city fresh tomorrow.”

Vivian looked relieved at the suggestion. “Good idea.” Then
she turned to Erika. “Sorry we won’t make it all the way into town, but you’re
welcome to stay and party with us.”

“I’ve got to go to work early,” Erika said.

“Oh, that’s okay,” Vivian assured her. “We’ll be heading in
at the crack of dawn.”

The sound of helicopter blades cut through the night sky. A
searchlight swept over the Safari and the thickets of trees on either side of
the highway.

Dell peered up at it, unperturbed. “Looks like the cops are
looking for somebody.”

“Oh honey,” Vivian joked. “What did you do?”

As the customers at the Crazy Horse Saloon watched, Wrangler
was making his move on Angie, who was barely cognizant of what was going on. He
had one hand inside her blouse and was kissing her neck.

The bartender finally moved down the bar to them and spoke
quietly. “Look, I’m real happy for you, but why don’t you take this someplace
else?”

Wrangler nodded an
I’ll take care of it
look and
whispered to Angie. “Hey, we need to go somewhere else. I got a hard on that
ain’t goin’ away and people are startin’ to stare.”

Through inebriated layers of pain, Angie looked at him.
“He’s got someone else. That’s it. The sonuvabitch. He’s fucking her.”

He nodded patiently. “Okay. Look at it this way. He’s
fuckin’ her, so you can fuck me.”

Suddenly Angie sat straight up, like she’d just emerged from
a blackout, or gotten a strong second wind. She stared at a wall of framed
8X10's, then hollered for the bartender who’d moved down to some other
customers.

He came back to her and started kindly. “Now, lady—”

Angie interrupted. “Has that prick quarterback been in here
tonight?”

The bartender patiently pointed to a celebrity wall filled
with former Sooner players. “Which one you mean?”

Angie wobbled over to the wall. There was Buck’s dusty
autographed picture. She started to cry.

Wrangler followed, trying to comfort her. “Come on,
sweetheart,” he said, gamely giving it one last try. “I’m cowboy enough to take
on a dozen Sooners.”

Angie pushed him away. She was glaring at Buck’s face in the
frame. Then she slammed her fist into it. Blood spurted down the front of her
blouse.

Wrangler automatically charged toward her to help, but she
turned on him, martini glass still in the other hand and pushed it in his face.

“Why, you…” He took a drunken swing at her, barely
connecting. “I should’ve knew you were low class pussy when I first laid eyes
on you.”

Before the bartender could get to them, Angie was trying to
jump on Wrangler’s back, kicking and gouging at him.

“Jesus,” the bartender begged to anyone who would listen,
“will someone grab her? A hand here, please?”

Jorge carefully spread a plastic drop cloth across the SUV’s
back seat. He looked up at Twigs who’d come out for a cigarette while Meatface
was getting Buck ready for transport.

“What are you doing?” Twigs asked.

“I don’t wanna have to clean up the SUV again after we’re
done. Guy’s bleedin’ like a stuck pig in there.”

“That’s under control. And I gave him some meds so he won’t
care,” Twigs said, studying him. “What’s the matter with you anyway?” She moved
close and touched his face.

“Fuckin’ tooth swoll up on me again.”

“I can see that. You pussy, go to the dentist and stop
whining. Why do you think I give you benefits?”

“I was, but I got called in for a job, remember?” He looked
at her pointedly. “Besides, shit always happens on Friday.”

“I’m sorry, baby.” She gave him a little feel just to show
him she meant it. “Take care of yourself, huh? I don’t want to lose my fuck
buddy.”

Then Meatface called low from the doorway. “Jorge, get over
here and help me.” Jorge hustled back to help him get Buck to the car. They’d
left his hood off, but Buck could barely manage even a Thorazine shuffle. His
right hand was freshly bandaged, but blood was still slipping through. It had
been a small victory for Buck. They’d taken his pinkie and not his thumb.

They all piled in and Twigs studied Buck a moment. “Looks
like he’s feeling no pain.”

Meatface poked at Buck. “Hey, the lady’s asking how you
feel.”

Buck managed a nod.

Twigs grinned. “Alrighty then, let’s go get our money.”