Down at the Twist and Shout Ch. 04

She paused, gauging the effect her words were having on the hired killer.

"Now, you ready to answer up good, or you wanna wait until nightfall an' mebbe have a rougarou, or some big ole 'gator come find you? 'cause that real likely right now; see them drag marks over to the bank? That where a real big mama 'gator, looks like mebbe a ten-footer, come up out the bayou regular like ever' night, prolly because she got a nest somewhere 'round hyah, mebbe that big ole mound o' leaves an' such over there, an' if that the case, then she ain't too far 'way t'all right now, watchin' an' waitin' for you to leave so she can check her nest. I reckon that there snake was lookin' for that nest, too; them things smell real good, so it prolly know there a nest hereabouts, jes' packed full a' eggs an' young, an' if the nest here, then mama-gator not too far away, neither. If you look over there a ways, see that log? See how it floatin' agin the current? That's 'cause it ain't no log; that's mos' likely mama-gator, watchin' her babies an' waitin' an' bidin' her time."

The killer began to sneer at her for trying to scare him with such a childish ruse when the floating 'log' swivelled an eyeball and looked straight at him; anything he might have said died in his throat. Mélette sat down Indian-fashion on a pile of leaves and began collecting her stuff together.

"Daddy-gators get up to sixteen feet hereabouts, mebbe more; one o' them come looking for a easy meal an' you toast boy. Then, o' course, there's that there mama-gator out there, she find you still here tonight, near her nest, where her eggs 'n young 'uns is, she ain't gonna question why, you just gon' be easy meat fo' her, so you wanna wait fo' her, or you wanna talk to me...?"

She watched his expression of horror widen, while she grinned to herself, and prodded him again with the alloy shaft.

"Answer up, boy, an' don' you go an' try lyin' to me. What you doin' slinkin' around out here like a animal, aimin' guns all sneaky-like at innocent folks? Jes' remember; I don' know you, an' I already don' partic'larly like you; if'n I leave you out here for the 'gators, ain't no-one gon' know 'cept me, and I ain't losin' no sleep over you, so you better start, an' if you ain't real convincin' real quick, weeelll..." she started nonchalantly tossing twigs and pebbles at the enormous drag-marks on the bank of the bayou.

"I reckon now's about time to start doin' your Christian duty an' confessin' all for the good o' your 'mortal soul...or, you could jes' keep your mouth shut, and, come nightfall, you-all can try and talk momma 'gator out o' tearin' you in half like a syrupy biscuit; good luck with that."

She stood, and brushed leaf litter off her jeans.

"Now you can talk to me, or I'm leavin', I got things to do..."

The thug's mouth clamped shut, obviously terrified of his masters, in spite of the fact he was tied half-naked to a tree in alligator-country, something Mélette saw, so she changed her tack.

"Look at it this way, boy; whatever your bosses gonna do, it gonna be sometime in the future; me, I'm here an' now, and I'm real immediate when I do somethin'; way I see it, you can tell me ever'thin' an' save yo' skin, then run where no-one ever gon' find you, let them people you works for think you-all dead, or you c'n be loyal an' stay shut an' momma 'gator gonna be all fat 'n satisfied tonight after a real good meal; I be long-gone, and there ain't no-one for miles aroun' to hear you screamin'. Think 'bout it."

Mélette grinned widely and chomped her teeth several times, the thug twitching in time to the clicking of her teeth, and when she had his full attention, she looked up at the sun.

"You got the rest o' the day to do some thinkin', boy; I mo leave now, I for real got things to do an', an' when I gone, I ain't a-coming' back this way, so I reckon it's time to make a choice; me or mommy-gator, 'cos come dark, you jus' a stain an' a coupla drag-marks."

She'd slung her pack and picked up her bow when the man decided to speak.

"Please...don't leave me out here; I'll tell you anything you want to know, I swear!"

Mélette listened in growing disquiet as the hired killer told her everything she needed to know, and more.

"There's four teams working this area," he told her, "me and Rico were supposed to take our shot if we could, otherwise we were supposed to link-up with at least one of the other teams and hit wherever Bastine and the girl are hiding-out, take him out, grab the girl, and take Bastine's head. "

He looked up in alarm when Odélie appeared from behind a tree, her rifle pointed right at him and her finger quivering on the trigger, but he carried on at Mélette's nod.

"There's a bounty on the big guy, a million dollars; he musta really burned the Ribeiro's, they're a pair of crazy fucks and right now they're foamin' at the mouth; they're madder'n shit, and they got a real hard-on for John Bastine; they want him dead, now, and they want his head as proof of death; both brothers were real definite about that; John Bastine's gotta die. We have to bring the girl back alive, though; the brothers were just as definite about that, too; alive and unharmed; she's some kind of looker, and Joao Ribeiro's got plans for her; he likes 'em young."

Mélette scowled angrily, jumping to her feet and unsheathing her huge Bowie knife.

"I was kinda feelin' almos' sorry for you, boy, I thought mebbe I could let you go and you jes' run, you ain't actually done nuthin' yet, but now I know for sure you a murdering scum-bag sonuvawhore, so now you bosses gonna get theyselves a head; I mo' carve you like a Halloween pumpkin, boy, an' them gators out there gettin' a free feed! You fucken' dead, boy, you-all just made my mind up for me...!"

The man cowered back from the sheer venomous fury distorting the little blonde's face, but the brunette girl stepped in front of her, blocking her way, without once taking her bead off the hired killer's forehead.

"Back off Mel, this piece o' shit got more talkin' to do! An' you!" she barked at the trembling man, "the rest of it, start talkin' or I mo' put a .22 Accu-Tip slug through yo' face, jes' like I done with yo' frien'. You talk, or you die, now!"

The thug's face paled at the fury glowing in the little brunette's eyes.

"Where...what...Rico..." he stammered, making a spirited attempt to dig his way into the tree with his shoulder-blades when Odélie pushed the rifle's muzzle up against his forehead.

"Yo' frien' tried goin' fo' his shoulder-holster, which was kinda stupid, what with me pointin' this big ole thing at him an' all, mebbe you Noo Yawk killers all stupid as that, so I guess I gave him what he knew was comin'. You wanna make a stab at doin' sumthin' stupid, boy?"

The thug gulped.

"What did you do to him...?" and Odélie grinned bleakly at him.

"He face down in the bayou with a hole in back of his head you can shove your foot in; he takin' a slow trip to the Gulf, 'less the 'gators get to him first, an' you gonna join him if'n you-all don' start talking real fast an' detailed."

The man knew when to give up; these two girls might look like pretty little things, but they'd just proved how merciless they could be, and so he talked, because he wasn't stupid, and he wanted to live.

*

Johnny crouched behind the Cottonwood at the side of the house, Justine flat on the ground behind him as he scanned the area carefully; they'd both heard the sharp crack of a small calibre rifle several hundred yards away to the North and West, and his first thought was that Odélie had fired that shot. If that was the case, trouble was up; she never wasted ammo, so she would have had a definite target in sight.

Nothing further had transpired, but caution had seemed in called-for, so now Justine and he were concealed away from the house, ready for whatever showed up.

A movement away up in the underbrush caught his eye, followed by a glint of light reflected off a binocular lens, and a piercing whistle. Johnny grinned and straightened up, patting Justine on the shoulder as he did so.

"Let's go, Minou; looks like them two li'l gals got themselves a new friend! Let's go be neighborly, what you think?"

Justine smiled back bravely, but Johnny saw the white knuckles, the lines etching themselves at the corners of her mouth, the hunted look in her eyes, and realized just how frightened she was. His elation died away, and he cursed himself for bringing all this down on her, for dragging his baby sister halfway across the country because his rage and lack of self-control had broken through yet again.

"Baby," he drawled softly, "I'm sorry for this, I'm sorry for ever'thin', for draggin' you 'round like all this your fault, mebbe I should jest get you to Dallas an' on a flight outta here, somewhere safe they can't find you, an' me an' my folks take care o' business here once't an' for all; this ain't your fault, honey, an' it ain't yo fight, I jes' drag you into it, and I'm purely sorry I did, but I can make it right, Minou, I can make you safe, and keep them scum a long way an' a painful road away from you. I 'pologize most sincerely for endangerin' you, if I send you somewhere I know you safe, I can clean this up for good, then I'll come get you, I swear on mama's heart."

Justine smiled at his solemn expression, and reached out to prod him gently on the tip of his nose.

"Johnny-Bear, being with you, all of this, has been the best time of my life; I've never felt more alive; when any moment could be our last, that's when my life with you makes the most sense, and seems the most perfect of all. This IS my fight, because you're mine, and I'm not going anywhere without you; do you think I could live for a single minute not knowing if you were dead or alive? Do you really think I could scuttle away with my tail between my legs, and leave you to face this alone? We're a team, Johnny-Bear, you're my other half, and I won't live without you; I swear to God, I will fight alongside you, I will be there with you when the last man is standing, and I will go down fighting for you, because you'd do that for me. I love you, Jean-Bastiènne Doucette, and I'll never leave you."

Johnny stared at her, taking her in, her sincerity, the set of her jaw, and swept her into his arms, his lips crushing hers even as her fingers twined in his hair, pulling him into her, kissing him as eagerly, as fervently as he kissed her. How long they stood like that they never knew, only breaking their kiss when a discreet throat-clearing jarred them back to reality.

Johnny spun around, his face reddening at the sly smile on Mélette's pretty face.

"You folks need some time alone? I c'n come back some other time..." she grinned, taking in their general state of undress, and her smile widened as Johnny slowly blushed a deep beetroot. Justine grinned back at her, totally unabashed.

"No, now's good, Johnny just needed to hear a couple things, so we're good now!" she giggled, and Mélette's arch expression sent Johnny into a fresh fit of blushing.

"When you kids done playin' 'kissy-feelie', Odie 'n' me got someone stashed up by the ole hollow coon-stump you might wanna have a little heart-to-heart with; we bin eddicating him properly on whut happens to idjits come bargin' in where they ain't wanted an' try an' kill folks, we softened him up some, but you might wanna work some o' that ole Swamp-Thing magic on him, he 'bout ready to pee his pants at the thought o' meetin' my 'clan', so look scary John-boy, batter-up!"

Johnny looked closely at her.

"Only one? What was that shot we heard while back?"

"Odie jumped th'other one, he got cute, now he swimmin' down to Lake Barre, 'course he doin' it kinda slow, on account o' havin' a big ole hole where the back o' his head useta be; serve him right thinking a hideaway gun a match for a loaded Remmy when Odie pointin' it at him. Way the current's runnin', he should be about down to Leeville by tomorrow, 'less the 'gators an' catfish get to him first..."

Johnny grinned at her innocent expression.

"Noncle Lubin sure was right 'bout both o' you; you a pair a hellions for sure! Get on the horn an' get a hold o' Randy Broussard; it's 'bout time the law get involved."

*

Eulalie Deaucette, Johnny's grandmother, Maw-maw to rest of the family, frowned at the large, blacked-out SUV creeping down along Route 56, the Little Caillou Road. Somehow she knew they were heading for her home, and it didn't look like they were paying a neighbourly call either. A quick glance back at the porch to check her 12-guage was still stashed just inside the door, and she wiped her hands on her apron. Looked like that trouble

Jacques Broussard had told her about was here.

Well, if they wanted trouble, she knew where a heap of it was laying around just waiting for people like them, so she stood on her porch and watched the large vehicle slow to a stop. The doors swung open and two men in brand new, tailored khakis, with fishing vests and new boonie-hats, with large, automatic pistols stuck in their waistbands, sauntered up to the porch.

"Hello the house!" called out one of them, smirking at the sight of the little old woman glaring at them. "Would you be Mrs. Deaucette, by any chance?"

"Who wants to know?" replied Maw-maw, her frown intensifying when one of the men grinned insolently at her.

"You are Mrs. Deaucette, old woman, don't bother denying it, we already know who you are, but hey, bein' polite don't cost nothing, right? We know who you are, we got no beef with you, we just wanna know where that big ugly fucking idiot John Bastine's hiding; you tell us, there'll be no unpleasantness, we'll just be on our way, no fussing, an' we won't trouble you again. 'Course, if you're gonna be difficult about things, well, we've got ways of dealing with that too. Answer up, old woman; where is he?"

He made as if to draw the pistol in his pant's waistband, but froze when a male voice rang out.

"Drop the weapons and put your hands on your heads!"

The second thug whirled, tugging the handgun from his waistband as he spun; there was a sharp *pop!*, the sound of a suppressed rifle-shot, and he dropped to the ground clutching his arm, blood seeping between his fingers and pooling around him.

"Next one's a head-shot! Move those hands and it's yours, now DROP YOUR WEAPON!"

The thug carefully laid the handgun on the ground, straightened up, and stared at the heavily armed soldier in full OCP battledress and IOTV body armor, complete with pushed-up night-vision goggles mounted on his helmet, who'd appeared seemingly out of nowhere, pointing an M4 carbine with an underslung grenade-launcher right at his face.

"On your knees; NOW!" commanded the soldier, a sergeant, and when the thug complied, another soldier appeared out of the roadside foliage, planted his boot in the middle of the thug's back and pushed him flat on his face, yanked his arms up behind him, and zip-cuffed him several times. Another soldier did the same to the wounded man, and retrieved his dropped handgun before he got any ideas.

"Move a muscle and you're dead, you pair of fucks! Be good and you'll get to live, and if you think I'm joking, make a move..." he muttered. The prone men gabbled their surrender, and the soldiers covering them hauled them to their feet.

"See, that was easy, wasn't it!"

The sergeant tipped back his helmet, pulled off his Oakley sunglasses and grinned at Maw-maw, while his men ransacked the SUV and piled all the weapons they found in the yard.

"Sergeant Everett Jones, ma'am, USASOC out of Fort Benning; we're on manoeuvres with the Louisiana Army National Guard, ma'am; my colonel thought we needed to sharpen-up our training, and a couple of your Johnny's friends asked us to come make sure these animals left you in peace, so we linked-up with the local National Guard unit and came on down. If you need any further assistance, ma'am, we're in the vicinity, and we'll keep watch for any more of these dirtbags."

Maw-maw stared at him.

"Jean-Bastiènne got friends in th'army? Who-all sent you?"

Sergeant Jones grinned.

"Ma'am, it was Miss Angel Graves and Miss Cassandra Matthews; I think you already know Miss Cassie's husband, Robin, he said he'd spoken with you. They're friends of the regiment, and what they ask, we do; it was our pleasure, ma'am, and Miss Angel said we were to stay close by 'til this is all over and done, she was quite definite about that! I'll take these two hyenas into town and drop them off with Sheriff Broussard; the one I shot isn't as bad hurt as he thinks, he'll live long enough to face a judge, and a few of the boys will kinda lay-up here and there and see you safe. Any more of these dirtbags show up, we'll clean them out for you, I have my orders direct from Miss Angel, an' I intend to carry them out! Now, if you'll excuse me..."

With that, a group of soldiers appeared out of the underbrush where Maw-maw would have sworn no-one was hiding, and a Humvee likewise appeared out of nowhere. The soldiers lifted the two prisoners into the vehicle, collected the pile of guns and magazines, and dumped them in the back of the vehicle.

"First bayou we come to, we'll drop this lot in there, somewhere nice and deep, ma'am!" grinned Sergeant Jones, and with a last wave, climbed in the Humvee and drove away, while the remaining soldiers drifted back into the underbrush and disappeared.

Maw-maw scratched her head in wonder. Did all that just happen? It must have done; one look at the bloodstain in the yard confirmed it. Maw-maw shook her head, grinning.

"Whut kinda frien's you-all got these days, John-Boy...?" she mused as she went back inside to get a bucket and some lye to wash down the yard.