Kings of Decay (The Winston Brothers Duet #1)

3. Pearce

Chapter three

Pearce

I wiped the blood from my hunting knife. No matter how many times I did it, the metallic tang of blood made my head spin. It made me feel like an animal – but even animals had better self-control than me.

“Oy, Pearce,” Ainsley’s voice crept from behind me. “Wolves are out tonight.”

I grinned and stood up. “Excellent. Looks like we won’t have any issues getting rid of the trash.”

A dead man lay at our feet, his throat slashed deep and wide. The snow was stained dark red, so dark it almost looked black in the moonlight.

Howls in the distance were closer now. The wolves smelled the blood, and they were looking to feed. They were our trusted partners in crime, even if they didn’t know it. A few hours later, this bloated carcass will look like an unfortunate accident and nothing more.

Ainsley took care of disguising our footsteps. We had this down to a science now.

“You should give his wife a call,” I said.

“Already got the money. Less conversation, the better.”

I curled my lip at the dead man’s face. Fucking disgusting abuser who tried to put his hands on his pre-teen daughter. He deserved to suffer more than I had time for, but I was a busy man, so a simple execution had to do.

Ainsley nodded towards the tangled thicket of trees where a dozen pairs of gleaming eyes wait.

“Let’s go,” I said. “I need a drink.”

We walked out of the forest backward, although the snow would probably cover them by morning. No need to get caught if we could help it.

I chuckled to myself as we got back to the Jeep.

“What?” my brother asked.

“Just thinking what would happen if someone found us,” I said.

Ainsley rolled his eyes. “Who’d find out? We’re the closest thing to justice this god-forsaken town has.”

“I didn’t say I was worried,” I added pointedly. He was only a year younger than me, but sometimes he could be naive. Well, as naive as a guy in our line of work could be. Ainsley took care of business, and I did the messy stuff. The partnership was flawless. We made stacks of cash, and regular people had someone they could call when the cops did nothing.

We’re the good guys. Sort of. Not that I gave a shit about morality. Good or bad, I only cared about getting paid.

The Jeep sputtered to life, and we drove back towards town. The cold engine whined until it warmed up, so I turned on the satellite radio. The sound drowned out the flurry of thoughts in my mind.

As we turned a corner, we saw lights in the other direction. There was a slight delay, and then the vehicle lit up with red and blue.

“Trooper,” I said through gritted teeth.

Ainsley was an expert at playing the role of a law-abiding citizen. “Your hands clean?” He asked as he pulled over.

“Yes,” I snarled, glancing down at my hands.

The Trooper pulled in behind us and got out of his SUV. He had to wade through a snow drift to get to the driver’s window.

“Evening boys,” he said.

I clenched my teeth. Of course, it was Sargent Reed – the literal definition of a pain in the ass and the only State Trooper this side of Fairbanks that gives a shit about Grayling Pass. He was a typical do-gooder who constantly put his nose in our business, not that he’d found anything to pin on us.

“Evenin’ Sarge,” Ainsley replied with a friendly smile.

Reed shined his flashlight into the Jeep. “What are you two doing out here tonight?”

“Just going for a drink, sir,” Ainsley said.

Reed’s mustache bristled as he spoke. “You’re not twenty-one yet, are you?”

Ainsley whipped out his driver’s license. “Actually, it was my birthday last weekend, sir.”

Never mind the fact that we’d been drinking in the local bar since we were teenagers.

Reed took way too long to put his flashlight down. He eyed us suspiciously before stepping back. “Alright,” he says. “Take it easy.”

I scowled as he slapped the top of the Jeep when we drove off. “One day, I’m going to kill that asshole,” I hissed through my teeth.

Ainsley laughed. “Won’t that be fun!” He shoved my shoulder playfully as we approached town. “Maybe a belated birthday gift?”

“Nah, I want to save it for an important occasion.”

My brother rolled his eyes. “Love you too, man.”

I smiled to myself and clutched my hunting knife that was temporarily stashed under the seat.

I wondered what he’d be like before he died. I wonder if he would beg and cry like most people did. Or maybe he’d fight back. Either way, one day, I would find out, and I was looking forward to that moment.