Off the Wagon (Users #2) Read Online Free PDF

learned your lesson,” Carter said and the rail thin man with sparse facial hair turned slowly to regard him.
    “Oh, no.” The man’s eyes went wide as the junkie, who had taken Carter to see Big the night of the police raid, recognized him.
    “When did they let you out?” Carter asked.
    “Out? Out of where?” The drug dealer in the puffy jacket asked before turning to Carter. “And who the fuck are you?”
    “Oh, you didn’t tell him?” Carter over-dramatically eyed the man up and down, putting on his best show for the dealer. “Your friend here got popped not too long ago by the cops.”
    The drug dealer took a step back from them both, assessing the situation.
    “Naw, man it’s cool. I ain’t no rat,” the addict waved his hands across his body before raising them up to assert his innocence.
    “Man, get the fuck outta here!” The much bigger drug dealer shoved the skinny little tweaker and the poor man crashed up against a parked car.
    “Woah!” Carter heard Barber from over his shoulder.
    Dozens of heads from the bus stop snapped around to watch the commotion. The junkie lay there unmoving, and for a second Carter thought he may just be dead, but then the man groaned and lifted his head.
    “Now, get out of here,” Carter said to the junkie, who was slow to get up. “Before you get yourself seriously hurt.”
    “Thanks for the heads up, man. Good lookin’ out,” the drug dealer nodded. “Now what can I do you for?”
    “I wanna know where you’re getting your Pow?” Carter asked.
    The drug dealer looked at him as if he were out of his mind.
    “You’re joking right,” he said, shaking his head. “You can’t be serious with this shit.”
    “Serious as a heart attack.”
    “Man I’d like to help, but there just ain’t no way.”
    “Listen man, this Pow’s no joke. It’s going to kill someone. You tell me what I want to know or I’m going to bring the heat down on you,” Carter said.
    The drug dealer probably assumed Carter meant the cops, which he didn’t, but either way it seemed to scare him a bit.
    “I get it from a guy down by the docks,” the man said.
    “What’s his name?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Come on, man. Just give me a name,” Carter pressed the man for the information he needed.
    “Why do you care if a handful of junkies end up dead?”
    “Because, I used to be one of them. Now just give me the damn name,” Carter said.
    Barber brushed up against Carter as he passed. Carter tried to stop him, but the kid was young, sprightly, and just a hell of a lot faster than he was.
    “He said to give him a name!” Barber grabbed the drug dealer by the collar of his puffy jacket with one hand and lifted his fist under the man’s chin with the other.
    “Barber, no!” Carter yelled, but again he was too late. Barber growled as the spike on the back of his wrist popped out through his skin. The pointed tip rose until it nearly nicked the bottom of the man’s chin.
    Then everything happened in a flash. The drug dealer reached for something under his jacket, but Carter was more worried about what Barber may do. He couldn’t have the kid killing someone on his watch. Carter went for Barber’s hand with the spike, grabbed it, and pulled it away.
    A loud bang went off right next to Carter’s ear followed by a pulsating ringing from inside his head. The men and women walking the crowded street ducked. Some got all the way down, lying flat against the concrete with their hands over their heads. A woman holding a baby sheltered it within her protective arms and turned her back to the commotion. Suddenly the weight of Barber’s arm was extremely heavy. Carter looked down to find Barber on the ground clutching his leg and a bloody hole that appeared to be a gunshot wound. The smell of sulfur and smoke filled the air. Carter turned to the drug dealer, whose eyes were wide with terror. The man’s jaw hung slack. In his right hand was on an all black handgun, hanging