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I don’t smile or laugh, I just continue to stare at him blankly. He shifts in his seat and looks distinctly uncomfortable. Which is good. He should be feeling like he’s sitting on a hot seat right now. That’s exactly how I want him to feel. A minute later, the waitress comes by and drops off our drinks. I pick up my shot glass and down the tequila, then chase it with a swallow of my beer. After a brief moment of hesitation, Hammerhead does the same.
He is squirming in his seat and I can see his discomfort growing. I watch as his eyes dart all over the place. He’s doing his best to look everywhere but at me. He finally manages to settle himself down and returns my gaze—though I can see the effort he’s making to maintain eye contact with me.
“What’s this all about, Hawk?” he finally asks.
“Needed a drink.”
“Right. So, why are you lookin’ at me like I just shit on your boot?”
“Because I’m still waiting for you to come clean with me.”
“About?”
“About what you’re on,” I tell him. “I know you’re using. So? What is it?”
“I told you. I smoke some weed but that’s—”
“You know, I came into a bar—a public place—to keep myself from doing something stupid within eyeshot of a bunch of people,” I cut him off. “But you’re really pushing my commitment to that.”
“What are you talking about?”
I look at him evenly, a scowl on my face. “If you keep lying to me, we’re done, Hammerhead,” I say coldly. “And you don’t want to know what happens when we’re done.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Hawk. I’m not lying to you.”
“In a minute, I’m going to give you one more chance to tell me the truth. In a minute. But, if you choose to keep lying to me, I’ll tell you what happens next,” I tell him. “First, our agreement is null and void. Then I’ll call up the Deviants and tell them the Kings are no longer interested in maintaining their alliance with the Howlers. They’ll run roughshod over you and what’s left of your club and will probably kill all your guys. Except for you.”
His eyes widen, but he doesn’t say anything.
“See, if you lie to me, I’m going to kill you myself,” I go on. I’m going to take you out to the middle of the desert and beat you to death with my favorite baseball bat—she’s a thirty-one inch, thirty-one ounce Louisville Slugger. Ash. The old kind, the good ones they don’t make anymore. She cracks skulls real well. And after that, I’m going to leave you to rot out there. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Where is this comin’ from, man?”
“I’m going to ask one more time, man. One final chance to come clean. One,” I tell him. “Are you ready?”
He swallows hard and takes another pull of his beer. I can see him trying to see into my soul, trying to figure out if I’d really do what I said I would, then weighing that against his need to keep his shit secret. Hammerhead finally looks down at the table and lets out a long breath, having come to his decision.
“What are you on, Hammerhead?”
“I… do a little meth from time to time,” he finally admits. “It’s just to take the edge off, man. You know how it is.”
“I don’t know how it is. But okay,” I tell him, trying to keep the condescension out of my voice. “So let me get this straight. You’re wasting all the money we’ve been pouring, and you’re letting your club fall to shit, for some meth?”
He bristles, but doesn’t say anything. I know my words are cutting into him though.
“Like honestly, man. I don’t really care if you’re doing that. It wouldn’t fly with mine, but that’s why I’m where I am and you’re where you are. Your club, your rules. I respect that. I do. But it’s obviously become a problem. And it’s cutting into my profits. Which makes it my problem.”
“Yeah, I know,” he says quietly.
“What happened to you, man? Your shit used to be tight down here,” I continue. “For a long time, I didn’t have to worry about you. I knew we could count on you. But you’ve gone to shit, man. I mean, look at you. You’re fallin’ apart.”
He shrugs and stares down into his empty shot glass. “Just goin’ through a rough patch. That’s all,” he tells me. “I can get back on the right path though. I just need you to believe in me, brother. That’s all.”
“I did believe in you. That’s why I vouched for you in the beginning,” I reply. “But I told you from the jump that if you take our money, it comes with strings. One of those strings being you keep your end of the bargain.”
“I know, man. Like I said, I hit a rough patch. That’s all.”
“No, that ain’t all. I think it’s much worse than what I’m seeing. And what I’m seeing is pretty fucking bad, man,” I press. “And from what I’ve seen so far, I’ve got no confidence that you can get it back on track.”
