Читать книгу Devils And Dust - J.D. Rhoades - Страница 9

“YOU WANT to go,” Jules said, “then go. You don’t owe me nothin’.”

“I know, but I want to explain anyway.” He took her hands in his.

“A few years ago,” Keller said, “I was in a shitload of trouble.” She looked up. He took a deep breath. “I killed a man. It was self-defense, but there was no one around to see that or tell anyone. Except Oscar Sanchez. He didn’t know me from Adam, but he came forward and cleared me. And he took a lot of risks doing it. The brother of the guy I killed called me up and shot Oscar in the kneecap—while I listened—just to show how pissed at me he was.” Keller closed his eyes. He could hear the pop of the gunshot, Oscar’s scream over the phone.

“Anyway,” Keller said. “I owe him. If he’s in trouble…”

She sighed. “You have to go. I know.” She smiled sadly. “If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be the man you are.”

He took a deep breath. “There’s more.” He looked away from her. “A few months ago, I killed someone else. This time there was no way to call it self-defense. I had him on the ground, unarmed. But he’d tried to kill another friend of mine. And her little boy. I was afraid he’d try again. So I shot him. Then I shot him again. And again.”

“So?” she said, but her voice shook a little at the look in his eyes. “He was going to kill a little kid? Sounds to me like the sumbitch needed killing.”

“Probably. Definitely. But Jules, I liked it. I laughed while I was doing it.” He stood up, then shouldered the duffel. “I’m not the man you think I am.” He started walking toward the door.

“Jack,” she called out. “I know you. You’re not a bad man.”

He stopped and looked back. He heard a voice in his head, a voice from a man he’d met back on a mountainside in Western North Carolina. A place where Keller had gone willingly into the dark.

You bring death, the man had said, and hell follows with you.

“Yeah,” he said, “I am.” He walked out.

THEY STOOD on either side of the car, watching the door. After a few moments, Keller stepped out, his bag over his shoulder. He crossed the road, head down, watching the ground ahead like a soldier on a long march. He didn’t look up until he got to the car. “Nice ride,” he said.

“Thanks,” Angela replied.

“Long ride from the airport to here,” Lucas said. “Figured we might as well be comfortable.” He tossed Keller the keys.

Keller caught them in the air. He opened the back door and threw his duffel inside. “Let’s go.”