Shafted Read Online Free PDF Page A

mustache
straight out of the eighteen hundreds, and a paunch it must have
taken a good number of his fifty or so years to earn. He was wiping
glasses and out-singing the jukebox.
    Anteros could see someone over the swinging
doors to the kitchen and a man with his head resting on his arms
and a half full bottle in front of him was at the back of the room,
but otherwise there were no other customers.
    Anteros rubbed his forearm then stretched his
hand out. Good thing Callie hadn’t gone far and he hoped she
wouldn’t be long; a dull ache was already starting in his
bones.
    “What’ll you have? Got every kinda poison you
can think of and then some, and an elk stew on special today hearty
enough to stick to your ribs for a week.” A wide grin lifted laugh
lines at the same time and angle as the man’s mustache and Anteros
couldn’t help but smile. The crusty old guy was growing on him
already.
    “I’ll pass on the poison, had enough of that
lately thanks.”
    “Ha! Thought you looked a tad peeked. Bit by
the dog last night were ya young fella? Take my advice a hair of
the mutt that chewed ya’s the ticket. Fix ya right up.”
    “Thanks but no, coffee’s fine.”
    “Suit yourself. Go ahead and grab a seat
anywhere, I’ll have Jess bring it right over. Name’s Cotton if ya
change your mind.”
    “Teran Anders, and I won’t but thanks
anyway.”
    Anteros turned to look for a table and the
low winter sun from the front windows bounced off high gloss
lacquered tables and reflected off the mirror behind the bar
flashing in his eyes blinding him for a second.
    Out of the sudden glare, a head covered in
stringy hair, framing a weathered brown face of indeterminate years
with out of focus eyes appeared in front of him. A pair of
surprisingly strong arms flung around him and the man shouted in
his face. “Can you tell fool’s gold from the real thing?”
    “Zeus’s beard!” A burst of energy surged down
Anteros’s arms to his finger tips and it was sheer luck he didn’t
release it.
    “Jack! You old varmint, how many times I
gotta tell ya not to bother the customers? Huh?” Cotton came around
the end of the bar and a girl with a gamine face and blue tipped
white blond spikes all over her head peeked out from the kitchen.
“Jessica Hillerman you stay put, ya hear!” She pulled her head back
around the door but not before sticking her tongue out at Cotton’s
back.
    “Well, can ya? Hee hee, I can.”
    Anteros attention was drawn back to Jack
whose head was wobbling around in a cloud of alcohol fumes. The guy
was definitely soused. Reaching up and disengaging the man’s bear
hug, Anteros held on so the man wouldn’t fall and took a step
back.
    Cotton came up beside Jack and swung one of
his arms over his shoulder. “Okay, Jack ‘ol buddy, I think it’s
time for your nap. Gotta nice cot all ready for ya in the back.
Come on now.”
    Jack’s head snapped up and with eyes
remarkably clear and lucid looked straight at Anteros. “Ask me,
it’s kinda like love, hard to tell the real thing till it bites ya
in the ass, don’t you think...Brother?” The curtain came down again
and Jack started to giggle like a school girl.
    “Damn, I hate when he does that. Sorry he
bothered you.”
    Anteros shook himself past the strange
feeling inching up his neck and moved to take Jack’s other arm. “No
problem, no harm done.”
    “Teran?” Callie looked from one man to
another. “Is everything okay?”
    With a belch like a satyr and a toothless
grin, Jack’s eyes opened wide and he pointed a twisted finger
straight at Callie. “He shot the arrow, boom boom boom, but it
wasn’t at the Deputy. Hee hee hee!” As Cotton hauled him away he
looked one last time over his shoulder at Anteros. “Isn’t that
right... Brother , Ha ha ha.” His laughter
didn’t quit till he was safely ensconced in the back room.
    “Teran?”
    Callie’s voice sounded odd and pulled his
attention off Jack. Looking closer he could tell