Gold Digger (The color of Blood)

"What the fuck?" he asked turning back to Miles. Nathan haul off to kick him in the ribs. Obviously Nathan had never been in a brawl.

He was way off balance when he heard Eddie shout, "What you doing,"

He was off balance and distracted while Miles reached up and grabbed a handful of his testicles and squeezed hard. Nathan screamed and folded up on the parking lot pavement puking his guts out.

Miles turned off the audio recorder, then stomped on Nathan's ribs. "Now listen to me you piece of shit. You feel free to go to the cops or the press or even the internet with this bullshit and I will be sure that tape is aired. Especially the part about your being of age. I will also file assault charges. Silvia will sue your ass for defamation of character. And she will file a Blackmail charge she had the original phone call on tape.

Then after all that dies down, I'm going to do this." Miles pulled his Colt Chief's special. He proceed to put it in Nathan's mouth and pulled the trigger. "Next time it will be loaded. Nathan you have just been fucked, so was it good for you, it was good for me.

Take a look at the man who came running he was filming the exchange. You are in a box, so do what you think you have to do."

"What was that all about?" Eddie asked.

"Just doing a favor for a friend," Miles said.

"You let that kid knock the crap out of you, so that you could beat hell out of him and he couldn't do anything about it," Eddie said.

"I have been beat worse. He is just some candy ass, who thinks he's a bad ass," Miles said.

He was back home when he got a call from Silvia. "Everything is going to be fine. I talked to a lawyer today and he said you had it just right. I also had a piece of film in my email from Eddie. It looks as though things went the way you wanted.

"Except for the bloody nose, so you can come back and buy me dinner before I go back onto the mountain," Miles said with a laugh.

"I will be here till New Years day, so you pick a day," Silvia demanded. "Eddie will be there January third, so be ready to go up the mountain by then."

"Got ya boss," Miles said.

Louise came home a couple of days after Christmas. Jerri was still out of town. "What the hell happened to you?" Louise asked.

"Tripped," Miles said.

Louise shook her head then said, "You know after all that crap Jerri fed me, she didn't even call over the holidays."

"Poor baby," Miles said in a voice definitely lacking in true concern.

"Asshole," Louise said. "So what are you planning for New Years Eve?"

"I'm going out to dinner with Sylvia," Miles said.

"Is Ada going to be with you?" Louise asked.

"I really don't know. To be honest I don't care either," Miles said.

The old style barbeque restaurant was in a building with corrugated metal siding. It was either depressing or nostalgic depending on your frame of mind.

Miles felt neither. He was mindful of it's history, but more than that he loved the food. The menu was small but that was okay because he loved everything on it.

It was the dry style barbeque made famous by the city of Lexington. The que was served with a spicy coleslaw and hush puppies. One could order french fries but Miles never did that. He was a que purest.

Sylvia was waiting for him in the parking lot when he showed up on the scooter.

She walked from her car to his scooter to hug him. "I am so glad to see you," she said. "You got that broken nose for me. I'm so sorry."

Miles ignored her gushing. "How long you staying this time?" Miles asked.

"I can stay until New Years day. I drove so I could leave anytime," Silvia said. "Mom and I bore each other quickly."

"I'm sorry to hear that. After dinner our business will be complete and it never happened. None of it, you do understand?" he asked.

"Yes I do," Silvia said. "Do we really have to eat here?"

"Oh you don't like the ambiance?" Miles asked.

"No not at all," Silvia said.

"Then I got these bruises for you so you can order coffee while I eat," Miles insisted.

Once they were out of the cold, Silvia relaxed a bit. She decided to try the food.

"This really is good," she said.

Miles was half through with his barbeque, when he said, "Silvia I wouldn't feel right if I didn't warn you. I know you don't want to hear this but I still have to do it. If everything you told me about Nathan was true, then this is truly over. If not it's just a matter of time before you are back in the jackpot. If it happens again, don't call me."

"Don't worry, it's not going to happen again," Silvia said.

Miles had looked her in the eye trying to judge her truthfulness. She had been under a lot of stress when they discussed blackmail problem. He got a different vibe that evening in the restaurant. That night he knew she was lying to him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

He understood what Nathan had meant when he said she owes me. He had dismissed it as his justification for blackmail. Someone like him might think that they were owed a free ride for picking up papers in the yard.

In Silvia's version it was a society misunderstanding their love affair. He pursued her until she gave in. His version might be different. He really hadn't given him a chance to explain.

The conversation was the culmination of his cop skepticism. It was just as likely that her affair with one, or more, high school students had awakened her appetite for younger. It was just as likely as not that she still fed her perversion.

"Well as far as I personally know, you have done nothing else illegal. Keep it that way, but if you do this again be more careful what you do with the souvenirs."

Miles was surprised when she simply nodded. She knew there was no reason to try to change his mind. He was sure at that moment that there would be more shit from Silvia. He was equally sure that he would not help her hide it. If she tried he would go to the cops. He had made damn sure to cover his ass during the recent operation. Miles trusted no one.

When he left for the ride home he had done what he hoped was an accurate threat assessment. He had decided that Silvia posed no threat to him.

With two days left in the old year Miles loaded his pickup for the trip back to the mountain.

He didn't wait for Eddie, he left for the mountain early on New Years eve. Even with the dawn start on his drive to the mountain, it was almost noon when he arrived at the spot where he parked his pick up. Because it was noon on an overcast day, he hadn't noticed anyone following. He was loading his sled for the trip into the site when he heard the sound of a vehicle pull into the parking area. Miles had his hands full, so he just looked up when the car door opened.

Miles felt the pain in his chest at the same time he processed the gun shot.

Miles heard the car drive away. He felt the life oozing out of his body. He hadn't seen who shot him, so he wondered who it could be. He would have to leave that to someone else.

The last words that Miles whispered were, "Cock sucker."

The possibilities are endless. The TV show said the end of the Christmas episode. "We are going to leave no stone unturned," the county Sheriff said. The no stone left unturned turned up nothing.

*****

Authors note. Most people hate my endings but that is how life is. Sometime you just never find out who killed Miles.