Jeb's story

Another free story set in the same universe as Weak As I Am.

Jeb was uncomfortable with this.

Collecting off of men was easy. You kick the door in. Go in shouting. Stick in hand. Break something, anything near the door.
Most fold straight away. Some run. Only one in the last six years ever tried to fight.

All men. Gambling shit.

How the hell do you put the frighteners on a woman? Like a loan shark pushin’ a woman around ‘cos she got in deep over money for toys or some shit.
Any one who pushes a woman around like that was scum in Jeb’s book.
Jeb was a little pissed off with this woman. What the fuck’s a woman doing betting like that anyway?

Nicolae kicked the door of the flat in.
Jeb held back.
Nicolae smashed the mirror in the hall and stormed into the living room.
Hopefully a show of strength now would do away with any need for violence.
She screamed as Nicolae barrelled into the room. Moments later Jeb followed.

Natalia was beautiful.

“Shit!” She shouted.
“Lloyd wants his 10 G’s bitch!” Nicolae barked.
“Whoa! Hold on! Ten!?!” Natalia exclaimed. “I thought it was…”
“Ten! Bitch!” Nic interrupted.
“Right! You probably don’t even realise it. Living in the world you do.” Nat replied. “But your language is really misogynistic!”
Nic answered by smashing the TV with his aluminium bat.

“Alright! Alright! Alright!” Nat pleaded “I got it! I got it! I don’t got it! I don’t know why I said I did. I’m sensing some tension in the room. I’m trying to come up with a witty one liner to, you know, break the tension but I got nothin’!”

You’re goin” off the balcony, bitch!” Nic stepped towards her.

Then she had a gun.

Somehow she had a gun. Pointed straight at Nic.
Jeb drew his gun and pointed it at Nat. Quickly Nat pointed hers back at him.
“The second you pull that trigger my buddy here will cave your skull in.” Jeb said quietly.
Jeb knew if you speak slowly and quietly when you really should be screaming people take notice.

Nat turned the gun on herself. Pointed it at her temple.
“Ha ha ha ha ha! Back off or the bitch gets it!” She laughed. “Lloyd wouldn’t like that would he? The dead don’t pay! I think he’d be pretty pissed…”

The hammer dropped, the other side of her head opened up and she fell to the floor.

...................

“What do we tell Lloyd?” Jeb asked in the car on the way back. The girl was right. Lloyd would be pissed off. The dead don’t pay.
“We kicked in the door and found her dead, so we got the fuck out of there.” Nic answered.
“That’s good.” Jeb nodded “Yeah that’s good. Simple. She was unstable that was for sure.”

Jeb took his gun out and looked down at it. “Why do you think she did it?”
“Fuck knows” Nic wasn’t for talking about it.
Jeb felt the barrel of his gun. It was warm.

......................

Jeb and Nic walked into Lloyds office. Jeb was going to let Nic do the talking but Lloyd spoke first.

“What the fuck is she doing here!?!”
Jeb turned to look at Nic.
Nic wasn’t there. It was Natalia was standing next to him.
Jeb opened his mouth but nothing came out.

“Jeb’s fallen in love with me.” Natalia announced. “He’s going to kill you and we’re gonna get married in the spring. So there!” She stuck her tongue out at Lloyd then turned to Jeb. “I’m gonna want babies really soon. I hope that’s not a deal breaker.”

Lloyd was furious. “Kill this bitch, Jeb! Fuck the debt!”
Natalia looked at Jeb. “You must love me Jeb. Why else would you shoot Nicolae like that?”

Jeb had a poor imagination but suddenly found it easy to picture Nicolae lying on the floor of the flat he’d just left.

He raised his gun. How long had he been holding it? Had it been in his hand since the car?
He put it to Natalia’s forehead.
Natalia said “Ok, if it’s too soon for kids, can we at least get a dog?”

The hammer dropped, the back of her head opened up and Lloyd hit the floor.

He blown Lloyds brains out.

“What the fuck!?!” Jeb shouted.

“Ha ha ha!” Natalia laughed. “Shit Jeb! Someone heard that! They’ll be coming soon. What are you gonna say?”

Jeb turned the gun back to Natalia. “You shot him. That’s what I’ll say.”
“I’d have to be a bloody good shot.” She smiled. “I haven’t left the flat. I’ve got this body to clean up.”

The door burst open and Boone and the Russian came running in. Guns out.

Jeb put them both down then turned back to Nat. Who wasn’t there.

........................

Buy Weak as I am here.

Read a review here.