The Bitch Read Online Free

wearing one of his neat blue suits—ready for anything that looked good. She had already told him I was the man they needed.
    “We know a lot about you, Morgan. How you stole money from your brother, took his car, had yourself a time. How that same brother forgave you and loaned you ten grand, and you set yourself up in a small business, and failed—because you couldn’t keep your hand out of your own cash
register. A few other really shady things, Morgan—with your brother always covering for you. How’d you like to make some real cash?”
And after my fumbling, he explained about a hypothetical payroll robbery. I laughed at him. But I wanted to know more, because these things had been in my mind. He finally named Halquist, bold as hell. I told him, “No.” And he told me what a small part I would play—the key man, but perfectly covered. He said, “Think it over.” I did. All I had to do was leave a lock unlocked, take a crack in the head. I thought myself right into it. It took time—but not much time, because he’d struck when I was ripe. With Thelma smiling lazily, her eyes taunting.
    I felt sorry for that man upstairs. I was sorry for what I had finally decided to do to him. The reason Halquist had hired me to help him with his wife, was because Sam and I had always given him such a good deal on our contract to guard and protect his plant. Some protection.
    It wasn’t until later I realized, what this would do to Sam.
    “What you thinking about?” Thelma said, touching the calf of my leg with her hand.
    I looked down at her again. “I don’t like this any better than Morrell. But I’m going through with it.”
    Her eyes dipped toward me, then away. “Why don’t you like it?”
    “You wouldn’t understand.”
    “You’ll be getting all you need.”
    “Thanks.”
    “Oh, I didn’t mean it that way, Tate. You know what I mean. Johnny’s not a pig. He’s a gambler—this is just another deal for him. He helps set it up and he gets his share—like everybody else.”
    “I’m not kicking about that.”
    “We couldn’t swing it without you. Not right, that is,” she said. “There would be too much chance. We have to work together. Johnny wouldn’t work any other way. When I first told him about it, he laughed. He wouldn’t touch it. He said these things are set up all the time, but if you’re smart, you leave them alone. Some of the worry’s still hanging on him—but he says we can pull it off all right with your help. They won’t question you when you relieve the night-watch-man. That’s the key. Morgan Agency protection.” She laughed a little, shrugged. “Like you said, up till now it’s just been checking the locks on the gate—standing guard on small payrolls. This is the big one. Nothing can go wrong. Gunnison is a fast man with a safe, Johnny says he’s tops—worked all over the country.”
    “Fine,” I said.
    “What about your brother?”
    “He doesn’t know a thing.”
    “I think he scares Johnny more than anything else.”
    “He has a right to be scared by Sam. I am, too.”
    She looked at me again and there was lazy fright in her eyes.
    “You do think it’ll work out all right, don’t you, Tate?”
    “It stinks to high heaven,” I said. “But I’m going through with it.”
    “Yes.” She sprang around and flopped on her stomach, the gown twisting and biting into her lush, tanned body. She beat at the golden brocade and the leather with small fists, her head buried in a pillow. She lifted her head slightly. “It’s got to work!” she said. “You hear me? I can’t stay here—not with him! I’m going to get something out of him. Damn him!”
    I stood there watching her.
    She ceased, rolled onto her back and looked up at me soberly.
    “You didn’t have to come in with us,” she said. “You know that?”
    “Yes.”
    “When I found out about that payroll, I couldn’t wait It’s all I could think of. And then I found out you were going to stand