The Book With No Name Read Online Free Page B

Almost immediately there followed a couple of thudding sounds as both men fell backwards to the floor, which shook. From being in a position of power only a second earlier, both were now lying flat on their backs staring up at the ceiling. Worse, from their point of view, the two monks were now pointing their own guns at them. Kyle stepped forward and placed one pointed black boot on Jericho’s chest to keep him from getting to his feet.Peto didn’t bother to copy him, simply because Rusty had hit his head so hard when he fell that it was unlikely that he even knew where he was any more.
    ‘So, do you know where the Bourbon Kid is, or not?’ Kyle asked, pushing his foot into Jericho’s chest.
    ‘Fuck you!’
    BANG!
    Kyle’s face was suddenly freckled with blood. He looked to his left and saw smoke drifting from the muzzle of Peto’s gun. The younger monk had shot Rusty in the face. There was an almighty mess all over the floor and all over both of the monks.
    ‘Peto! What did you do that for?’
    ‘I’m … I’m sorry, Kyle, but I’ve never used a gun before. It just kind of went off when I squeezed the trigger.’
    ‘They tend to do that, you know,’ Kyle answered, though not unkindly.
    Peto was trembling so much he could barely keep his grip on the revolver, such was the shock that had engulfed him. He had just killed a man, something he had believed he would never do. Ever. Yet, anxious not to let Kyle down, he did his best to put the killing to the back of his mind. That wasn’t going to be easy, however, what with all the blood everywhere acting as a constant reminder.
    For his part, Kyle was more concerned by the fact that their credibility was taking a pounding, and was grateful that the bar was not full.
    ‘Honestly, I can’t take you anywhere,’ he said, tutting.
    ‘Sorry.’
    ‘Peto, do me a favour.’
    ‘Of course. What?’
    ‘Stop pointing that thing at me. ’
    Peto lowered the gun. Relieved, Kyle returned to his interrogation of Jericho. The three men at the middle table had turned their backs on the action and were carrying on with their drinks as if what was happening was perfectly normal. Kyle still stood over the surviving lowlife on the floor,boot on chest.
    ‘Listen, friend,’ he said reasonably. ‘All we want to know is where we can find the Bourbon Kid. Can you help us or not?’
    ‘No, goddammit!’
    BANG!
    Jericho screamed and grabbed his right leg, which was now spurting blood in several directions from a bullet wound just below the knee. Once again, there was smoke rising from Peto’s gun barrel.
    ‘S-s-sorry, Kyle,’ the novice stammered, ‘it just went off again. Honestly, I didn’t mean to …’
    Kyle shook his head in exasperation. They had now killed one man and wounded another. Not exactly the most discreet way to go about retrieving the precious blue stone men called the Eye of the Moon. Although to be fair, he thought, and even though he was the senior of the two monks, he too was nervous about being out of Hubal, so he accepted that Peto was probably twice as jittery.
    ‘It doesn’t matter. Just try not to do it again.’
    Jericho’s cursing was turning the air blue by this time as he writhed in agony on the floor, with Kyle’s boot still pinning him down by the chest.
    ‘I don’t know where the Bourbon Kid is, I swear,’ he yelled hoarsely.
    ‘Want me to get my friend to shoot you again?’
    ‘No, no! Please, I swear I don’t know where he is. I’ve never seen him. Please, you gotta believe me!’
    ‘All right. Do you know anything about the theft of a precious blue stone known as the Eye of the Moon?’
    Jericho stopped writhing for a moment, which told them that he did know something.
    ‘Yeah. Yeah I do,’ he winced. ‘A guy name of El Santino is after it. He’s offerin’ large sums of money to anyone who can get it for him. But that’s all I know. I swear.’
    Kyle took his boot off Jericho’s chest and walked back to the bar. He picked