McKuen’s Revenge (12 page)
Authors: Andy King
“Meeting with Captain Coil?” Amy said.
“I’ll give her the piece of paper tomorrow.”
“Bet she’s happy.”
“You never know with her.”
Zolo appeared from the back hallway. McKuen grinned.
“My savior.”
“Only ‘cause-a you actin’ like a dumbass,” Dennis said. Amy nodded and picked up her water.
“I’ll drink to that.”
“It was your idea,” McKuen said. Amy’s mouth dropped open.
“My idea? Tell me how this was my idea.”
“You said we should advertise it. ‘Come and get it,’ as I recall.”
He tried not to look too smug. “I just kind of enhanced it a little. Call it an upgrade.”
Amy gave him a corner-eye. She barely missed a beat.
“Seeing Zolo reminds me,” she said. “Think now that guy’s out of the picture, we can dispense with the guards?”
Dennis looked at Zolo, who looked away.
“What guards?” McKuen said. Amy pointed to two Latinos at the far end of the bar, talking to each other and ignoring them.
“Those guards.” Zolo rolled his eyes. McKuen smiled.
“Oh, them,” he said. “Yeah, I guess.” He shot a glance at Dennis, who gave him a blank look. Dennis raised a finger at Zolo.
“Let’s pull ‘em back, OK?” He looked at Liv. “Somebody got all on my case last night.”
Zolo nodded. McKuen was glad to see that Zolo didn’t really agree. He wanted to talk to him, but now was not the time.
“You’re going to do whatever you think is right, I get it,” Amy said. “I just don’t want to see them, OK?” She looked at Dennis.
“Liv and I are going to be comparing notes. She’s a lot tougher than I am. I think you get the picture.”
Liv stared at Dennis. He tried to look obedient. Then the wives glared at Zolo.
“I need to make a phone call.” He escaped out the back. Amy smiled at McKuen.
“Thank you, Steve. I really appreciate what you did.”
“It was as much for me as it was for you.”
“Not the necklace. I mean, I love the necklace and thank you for that. But thank you for staying alive. I would be really mad at you if you died.” She smiled again. Liv and Dennis laughed.
McKuen put his arm around her. “No worries.”
“I’m thirsty,” Dennis said. McKuen stood up.
“Drinks are on the house!”
He stepped to the bar to collect the beverages, still wondering about the murders. Coil had said it wasn’t over. He agreed.
As he watched the bartender pour drinks, his eyes drifted away.
Mañana
.
RECOGNITION
A big thanks to courageous first responders
everywhere, official and unofficial.
Luck is a huge part of life. I’ve been incredibly lucky to be able to write a few books.
Thanks to Chris Yeseta, Leroy Richards and Stephanie Moss.
This is the first of a series of five books, all thrillers, with dynamic, suspenseful conclusions.
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other books that feature Steve McKuen:
1-2015-11
The next book in the Control series
Coil’s Cold Justice
Detective or Serial Killer?
When a legendary detective tracks a serial killer, it should just be a question of time, right?
Not if the murderer is a detective, too.
When Captain Charlotte Coil tries to nail the killer, she brings down the boldest smuggling ring in the west and uncovers a haunting memory from her past.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Careening down the switchbacks of Highway 1 in Big Sur, it came to him — he had to do something. With the stories he’d lived through, sharing them was almost good works.
Early on King was a professional musician, then worked in the motion picture business. Later demoted to the software industry, he realized that the keyboard had been following him around for years, so…it was time to write books.
King’s debut novel,
Illusion
, was based on a person he knew with a what-if twist: what if the former-drug-dealer-now-bar-owner was a nice guy, a moral guy, not a maniac, but pursued by consequences from his past? Crime thrillers evolved, like
The Greatest Game
, starring female sleuth, Charlotte Coil. A slice of inspirational romance with a dash of the paranormal came from other characters King has known, colorful people with checkered pasts, mashed up with urban legends.
The books feature dark romance, mystery and suspense, political figures to serial killers, terrorists and mafia assassins, that result in Secret Service, FBI and CIA involvement. But they’re no match for vigilante justice dispensed by the lead characters. You’ll find them disturbing and intriguing in their quests for vengeance, and ultimately, freedom.
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FROM THE AUTHOR:
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McKuen’s Revenge
Control, Book 1
by Andy King
Published 2015 by MissionDevelopment.com
Copyright © 2014-2015
MissionDevelopment.com and Andy King
All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 978-0-9961974-1-0
McKuen’s Revenge is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, businesses, organizations, events and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading and electronic sharing of any part of this book without permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author's intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of authors' rights.
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