“Thanks for waiting,” Rhyne said as he buckled the backpack back on.“Until next time?”
“Yeah.I’ll let you know.”
A nod of understanding, and Rhyne took off.
The difference between the almost pristine clean bags he’d returned and the used ones still containing tiny amounts of human blood was miniscule.Yet he could tell the difference in weight.Rhyne smiled to himself, wondering what types they’d discover this go-round.
Nine bags means we each get three.Pretty solid.
With the important stuff taken care of, he took it easy on his return trip to the house.A cop car passed him by, but Rhyne knew he was safe from being pulled over as long as he had the required lights on his bike and he stuck to the sidewalks.Plus the backpack bore reflective tape to make it easier for vehicles to spot him.
The light was red when he reached the Ruidoso Avenue intersection.While he waited for the crossing sign to give him the green okay, he glanced down both sides of the street.This area of town mostly consisted of a few bars and a bail bondsman’s office.There was also a fast food joint that was open twenty-four hours and did a booming business after the bars closed.A couple of blocks over sat a row of apartment complexes.
His instincts went on high alert.Someone was coming up behind him and taking care not to make a sound.It wouldn’t have mattered anyway.Rhyne’s senses were hundreds of times more attuned than any human’s.
Acting casual, he turned his head to glance to the rear when a gun appeared in his line of vision.It was a revolver.Most likely stolen.By now he could smell the guy’s rancid sweat and unwashed clothes.As well as the stench coming out of the man’s mouth when he threatened, “Gimme that backpack.”
“There’s nothing in it that would interest you,” Rhyne calmly responded but didn’t move or make any attempt to comply.He didn’t sense anyone else in the vicinity, but that didn’t mean someone couldn’t be watching from a car or inside a building where Rhyne couldn’t get wind of him.
The gun moved closer to where it almost touched the side of Rhyne’s head.“Isaidgimme the muthafuckin’ backpack!”
“Or you’ll what?”Rhyne challenged him.He tensed, muscles ready for what he hoped the idiot would do next.
The guy did not disappoint.
The man did exactly what Rhyne expected him to do and thumbed back the hammer.In that split-second, his attacker’s focus was on cocking the gun.That was all the time Rhyne needed.
As he ducked, he swept his right hand backwards and grabbed the gun to shove it away.At the same time, he turned and seized the man by the throat.
And squeezed.
The man’s eyes bulged out as he swung at Rhyne.His blows struck Rhyne in the face and cheeks, but were ineffective as Rhyne tightened his grip.
Placing both feet on the sidewalk, Rhyne stood and slowly lifted the man off the pavement.The guy continued to struggle.He no longer tried to strike Rhyne.Instead, he strained against the fingers slowly cutting the air from his windpipe.Fingers that dug into his skin, drawing blood, until thin rivulets ran down the front of his asinine Fuji Fire t-shirt.
The man tried to speak but Rhyne had a firm grip on his vocal cords.The idiot tried to fire his gun but Rhyne twisted the man’s hand in a way where he couldn’t find the trigger.One hard jerk, and the attacker’s hand separated from the arm at the wrist.The guy tried to scream in pain but only succeeded in making a faint gurgling sound.
Rhyne finally set the man back on his feet and released his hold.The guy dropped to the ground, clutching his throat with his good hand, and spit up more blood.Reaching down, Rhyne eased the gun from the man’s nerveless fingers.He emptied the cylinder, tossed the bullets as far away as possible, then threw the weapon onto the roof of the nearby bar.
Bending over, he gave the guy a dark glare.The man stared at him in growing horror as he got a good look at Rhyne’s eyes in the near darkness.
“That’s right, asshole.Don’t ever try something like that again.Or next time you might end up having that throat ripped out before you can draw another breath.”
What the guy did next was exactly what Rhyne anticipated.He got to his feet and ran like hell.
Noticing the light was green, Rhyne got off the bike to walk it across the street as he casually licked the congealing blood from his fingers.The ichor was revolting, tainted with alcohol and meth, but he had no choice.He had no way of wiping it off his hand without creating a suspicious-looking bloodstain that might attract the attention of law enforcement.Fortunately, drugs and alcohol had no effect on him.By the time he reached the other side, his hand was clean enough for him to grip the handlebars.
He never looked behind him as he pedaled the rest of the way home.
CHAPTER2
Discovery
Welsh was home when Rhyne arrived.As soon as he walked into the kitchen, the man looked up from the sandwich he was making near the sink.Rhyne saw his roomie’s nostrils flair and already knew what the guy would say before the words were spoken.
“You smell like a brewery.Did you make a side trip?”
Rhyne slipped off the backpack and took it over to the counter, setting it down next to the fridge.“I got waylaid by an asshole wanting my bag.”
