One Day in a Small-Town Desert, chapter 19, page 5

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Tamé Vékídıpaíro parked his towtruck on the gravel in front of the Colonial Enforcer cruiser with a cracked front windshield. Despite the aspirin, a pain hit him between the eyes. He sincerely regretted the previous night’s activities, and the hangover wasn’t half of it.

As he climbed down from the cab, he spotted an Enforcer marching down the driveway towards him. “Oh, come on,” muttered Tamé. “This isn’t your auto I’m towing.” This one belonged to the dead guy.

Tamé hurried to the controls and began lowering the hook at full speed. He needed to get to a phone and call his cousin, Képé, as soon as possible, and he couldn’t do that till the police were off his back. He now had something that Képé might be interested in, something that might just save Tamé’s hide and his business. It was a good thing Séara had backed down so quick when he blamed her for ditching him. That could have been the end of it, right then and there, if she had known her speed had been reasonable.

When the hook hit the ground, Tamé shut off the motor and almost ran to the gap between the cruiser and his truck.

“Hey!” called the Enforcer, ten meters beyond the cruiser.

“Busy here,” replied Tamé as he hooked the chain to the auto’s frame below the bumper, his hands shaking. Had the police realized what he’d taken? No, if that were the case, they wouldn’t even bother with a “hey.”

The Enforcer stood over him. “Don’t give me that or I’ll have your Nazhoro ass in jail so fast you’ll--”

“What do you want?” Tamé interjected. He popped to his feet and walked back to the controls, deigning a glance at the annoyance of a policeman.

After a moment, the Enforcer answered, “They said that you’re only supposed to take this cruiser, and not the blue truck.”

Over the clattering of the chain lifting the cruiser’s front end off the ground, Tamé replied, “Yeah, I know,” even though it was news to him.

With the auto high enough, Tamé shut off the lift and hurried to lock the auto into place.

“Good.” The Enforcer turned and left. Tamé didn’t give him another thought.

If this new deal with Képé fell through, if Tamé had to sell his auto repair shop to Mapé, if he had to rename the place “Mapé’s Garage,” Tamé just might never come out of a drunken stupor. Life wouldn’t be worth living with that Voro-fucking lout in charge of things. He had to talk to Képé.

After scurrying under the cruiser to get the other side, Tamé paused to lift his cap and wipe his brow with a sleeve. It wasn’t hot out yet; he just hadn’t worked this hard in years.

He locked down the wheel and sprinted around to the cab door as fast as he could. His life and livelihood were on the line.

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