Page 109 of Thug

“That’s fucking awesome,” Panzer said. “What’s next? Holding out for more money?”

“Sooner or later we’ll give ‘em back. Kind of got used to ‘em, though. They sleep at the foot of the bed.”

“Aren’t they wild?” Panzer asked.

I shook my head. “Energetic.”

“What’s the difference?”

“They go like hell for four hours a day, and then they lay around and sleep. Kind of nice having something to come home to every night.”

“I can see that,” he said. He reached for his beer. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Haven’t got one, yet.”

“Wait much longer, and he’s liable to commit suicide.”

I glanced over my shoulder. Brisco was sitting beside Carp with his head buried in his hands. I turned toward the bar. “I’ll figure something out here pretty quick.”

“Good on Gray for thinking of that though,” he said. “Little chick’s a genius.”

“She’s pretty witty.”

Teddi leaned over the edge of the bar across from us. She pushed the bill of her ball cap up a little. “So, three chicks all work together, and they go out to celebrate one of them finally getting divorced from her abusive husband. They get shit-faced drunk on Fireball. At the end of the night they stumble out of the bar and go their separate ways.”

She replaced Panzer’s empty beer and checked mine. “You good?”

I nodded. “For now.”

She alternated glances between us. “So, the next day at work, the three of them are together, comparing stories from the night before. The first one says, ‘I was so drunk, I stumbled into the house and immediately blew Chunks.’ The second one says, ‘That’s nothing. I tried to drive home and two hundred yards from the bar hit I a telephone pole and totaled my car. Luckily no one was hurt.’ The third one raised her index finger. ‘I’ve got you all beat. I got home, immediately started fighting with my husband, decided to sleep in the den, and ended up pissing myself because I was too drunk to get up.’ The first one shook her head and laughed. ‘I don’t think you two understand,’ she said. ‘Chunks is my dog.’”

Panzer spit beer across the bar. “That’s nasty.”

Teddi laughed. “Funny as fuck, though. Huh?”

Panzer wiped his mouth. “Pretty funny.”

Teddy cleaned the bar and tossed the towel in the ‘dirty’ bin. She glanced at the clock. “Thirty minutes before this place goes to hell. Either of you need anything?”

“Reuben,” Panzer said.

I nodded. “Same. Truffle fries.”

“Same here on the fries,” Panzer said.

She turned toward the kitchen.

“What do you think about her?” Panzer asked.

“She’s good,” I said. “Damned near as good as Gray.”

“Pfft,” Panzer spat. “She’s good. But she’s no Gray.” He watched her ass as she walked away. “Cute bitch, though. She’s got a great ass, too.”

Teddi was in her mid-thirties. Tall and flat-chested with a small waist, she had an incredibly curvaceous ass and massive thighs. She kept her long blonde hair in a ponytail and wore a ball cap cinched tight on her head. She wasn’t easily offended, cussed like a sailor, and had an outgoing personality, which was great trait for a bartender.

“Bet she played softball in school,” I said.

He rolled his eyes. “Probably right.”