"I do. Damn it, I really do."
The storm was the only sound for a long moment. We stared at each other through a curtain of glimmering rain.
She slowly bent to pick up her suitcase. "That's just another reason for me to leave. A clean break heals the fastest."
"Sue Li, don't do it. I'm warning you…"
She straightened up, case in hand. "You have all the cards, Mick. Complete control of the game. If you truly want to end this, you know what you need to do."
She turned and walked away, dwindling into the downpour. Her voice lingered in the air after she was lost to sight.
"All you have to do is pull the trigger."
I stood there, drenched to the bone. The gun in my hand may as well have been a handful of odd cards with an all-in bet on the table. There wasn't anything I could do other then watch her fade away.
Once again, she had called my bluff.
LOSING IS A FUNNY THING sometimes. I sat at the bar in some dive joint where the drinks were cheap and the jazz band poured their souls into their sound. The melancholy melodies were the perfect soundtrack for my bittersweet reminiscences. I was surprised that despite everything that had happened, it wasn’t the loss of money that hurt the worst.
It was the loss of Faye. Sue Li. The quiet evenings when no words were spoken, listening to the sound of the rain outside. Nothing more was needed. Her company was enough.
I’d like to think she felt the same, but who knows? I knew enough to know I didn’t know Sue Li at all, didn’t understand how her mind worked or what ghosts haunted from her past. All I know is that she provided something I needed, something more potent than the rush of gambling, something more valuable than a stack of dough in my hand.
Peace. Just for a moment, she gave me peace. Enough to sort things out. Get my mind back on track. When I thought about it, I figured maybe it was me that owed her.
Or maybe it was just the drink and the jazz talking.
Didn’t matter. She had vanished from my life as quickly as she appeared, and for my trouble I had a price on my head for debts I had no way to settle. I figured I’d pay my tab, buy a bottle of Jack to go, and head over to my neglected office. Haven’t been there for a while, and by now it was common knowledge that I hated to work. Might buy some time to sit back, kick my heels on the desk, and reminisce on the poetry of winners, losers, and mystery dames that take it all in the end.
One last moment of peace before I caught a case of the New Haven Blues.
Enjoy the Troubleshooter?
THANKS FOR CHECKING out this installment of the Troubleshooter series. I truly hope you enjoyed your time in New Haven. I’d love to keep writing these novels, but I need just a little help from you. Reviews help a great deal in spreading the word, which in turn helps sell more books. Which in turn allows me to keep writing. It doesn’t have to a long process: a simple 3–4 sentence review works wonders. Thanks again for reading, hope you stick around for the next installment.
All the best,
— BC
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bard Constantine firmly believes he’s living in the wrong age, so he creates timelines he feels more comfortable in. With this novel he introduces Havenworld, a retro-futuristic dystopian age where humanity survived a terrifying Cataclysm using city-sized constructs called Havens. More info on this world and upcoming novels can are on on the official Troubleshooter website as well as his Facebook page. You can also follow him on Twitter.