Chapter Four

Several weeks had passed since Cody first became aware of his new environment. From that first night in the alley to now, Cody had been hiding in the very city that was looking for him, or rather the person who looked like him—Mike Wesson.

He thought it very strange that back in his time, he would have to ride fifty, sometimes a hundred miles to avoid the law, but here, he could hide right under their noses.

His money was starting to run low and he knew before too long, he would have to rob a bank, or someone. The cost for the hotel room for as shabby as it was, was expensive. Sixty dollars a week. Back in his time, he could get a room for that price for a good three months and that would include a bath and the price of a hot meal every day.

Remembering his first night when he wanted to take a much-needed bath, he left his room to go down the hall to the public bath-house and couldn’t find one. When he went back to his room, he found a contraption on the wall with handles. When he turned them, water came gushing out, and he thought that was the greatest thing he had ever seen, and the water was hot as hell.

Cody stayed in a hotel above a bar for three nights before he had to do something. After being cooped up, hiding out, he decided it was time to have some enjoyment. Putting his gun inside his shirt, he went downstairs and walked past the desk clerk who fell asleep in his chair and was snoring loudly. So much for security. Cody looked around the shabby lobby at a few of the other faces who lived there, and he shook his head when he saw the abject despair written across the faces of all these tired and seemingly forgotten men.

Cody believed he would kill himself before he ever let himself get like that. Looking like they do, makes my skin crawl, he thought.

Entering the bar by way of a side entrance from the lobby, Cody’s eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. What he saw wasn’t much different from the lobby; three old men sitting at a bar, a stout, middle-aged woman tending bar, they let women do anything these days, and a couple in their sixties sitting at a nearby table.

In the distance on the far side of the bar, Cody could hear the sound of a pool stick striking a white cue ball as it slammed into another ball. He saw just a lone player. At the dar end of that bar sat a woman, who, upon closer inspection, he saw that once upon a time she must have been a real fine-looking woman. She still had some pretty in her, but he could see the tired in her eyes, that look that said why bother with anything anymore. Cody decided to sit down three bar stools from her.

“What can I get for you?” asked the bartender.

“A glass of beer.”

“What kind? I got Bud, Falstaff, and Coors on tap.”

“Ah, let me try that Falstaff.”

Cody watched as she flipped a handle and beer poured into the glass and he couldn’t help wondering why there were so many names for beer. A beer’s a beer where he came from.

The lone man who had been playing pool walked over in between Cody and the lady.

“Say, Millie, why don’t you and I go upstairs and get familiar again?”

“Charlie, why don’t you just put your hands in your pants. That ought to be familiar enough for you.”

The bartender sat the beer in front of Cody.

“That’ll be a dollar-fifty.”

Cody reached into his pocket and threw a five-dollar bill on the bar top and listened to the conversation.

“Don’t be like that, Millie. You know you give the best head on the block, and you know you love it when I put it up inside you. You scream like the bitch-in-heat you are, so don’t play games with me. Let’s go.”

“Charlie, I’m not in the mood, okay? Just go back to your game and leave me alone.”

Charlie laughed out loud and reached from behind and brought both hands around front and grabbed both of her breasts.

Millie squirmed and slapped at his hands. “Stop that, Charlie! Dammit! I ain’t in the mood I said!”

“I’ll get you in the mood. Fifty bucks says you’ll be in the—”

“Say friend, the lady said she doesn’t want your company.”

Charlie let go of Millie and stared cold-eyed at Cody. He had seen Cody around once or twice but never gave him a second thought until now.

“I don’t know who the fuck you are, but this ain’t none of your fucking business. Just go back to drinking your beer and mind your own business.”

“Charlie, you just made it my business. Where I come from, if a lady doesn’t want her affection abused, that means you leave her alone. Now, I’m asking real friendly like, leave the lady alone and walk away.”

Charlie looked at Millie.

“Hear that, Millie. He thinks you’re a lady. Ain’t that a kick in the ass.”

Charlie turned and looked at Cody.

“And what happens if I don’t leave her alone?” Charlie smiled his smile. He felt inside himself he could take Cody.

“Then I’d be forced to do something you wouldn’t like.”

“What’s that?” Charlie’s smile broadened. Yeah, he thought, this guy was going to be easy.

“Break both your hands or kill you.”

Except for the music blaring out of a tall box in a corner, the entire bar became silent. For ten long seconds, Cody and Charlie’s eyes were riveted to one another. Cody never stood up from his bar stool until Charlie backed away from Millie; then he stood.

“Mister, I don’t know who the fuck you are, or who you think you are, but you ain’t gonna be around here much longer.”

Charlie lunged at Cody like a huge bear, swinging away with powerful lefts and rights. Charlie was as tall as Cody but outweighed him by a good seventy pounds.

Cody ducked under the savage swings, putting his shoulder into Charlie’s stomach and flinging him over, high into the air where Charlie landed with a resounding crash to the floor.

The bartender yelled at both of them to stop but neither man listened. She went over to Millie and said, “You know something? I think Charlie’s about to get his ass kicked.”

“About time,” said Millie. She took another sip of her Jack Daniels and coke and gave her a wry smile.

Dazed from the fall, Charlie reached down into his boot and whipped out his hunting knife. As he turned on his side to vault into a standing position, Cody saw the knife and kicked out with his leg, sending the knife skittering across the floor. Cody kicked out a second time, hitting Charlie squarely on the jaw, sending him flat on his back, both arms sprawled away from his body.

Cody walked over to Charlie’s hands, looked down and said, “A promise is a promise, Charlie.”

Raising his right boot; he slammed it down hard on Charlie’s right hand bringing a loud scream from his mouth. Holding his broken hand with his left, that’s when Cody kicked his unbroken hand away and then slammed down even harder than before. Pain like Charlie never felt before coursed through his hands, his entire body feeling the rupture of bone and muscle tissue as his body tremored from the pain.

Cody walked over to Millie.

“I don’t think he’ll be messing with you for a long time, ma’am.”

Millie looked into Cody’s eyes.

“What’s your name?”

“Cody.”

“Well, thank you for getting him off me, Cody, but I’d watch my back if I were you. Charlie has a few friends.”

“Don’t bother me none. Where I come from, I’ve seen people try and watched all of them die. Him and his friends won’t be much different.”

Millie looked closer at Cody.

“Come to think of it, you do look familiar. I’ve seen your face somewhere else. I just know I have.”

Cody thought back to that box Jackson called a television that showed his picture, well not exactly him but of Mike Wesson.

“I’ve heard everyone has a twin somewhere.”

“Maybe so, but I remember seeing your face before. I just can’t remember where.”

Cody reached for his glass of beer, drank what remained in two rushing gulps and set the glass back on top of the scratched bar top. For a brief second, he looked at the bartender and smiled.

“Don’t worry none. I won’t be making anymore trouble for you tonight. I’m going back to my room where is safe—and quieter.”

Cody turned to leave when Millie grabbed at his arm.

“Want some company tonight, Cody.”

He looked at Millie and saw the tired look was gone from her eyes. She looked ten years younger than her forty-some years and he suddenly felt the need of a woman just then.

He realized it had been too long since he had had a woman and tonight he knew he didn’t want to be alone.

She looked at Cody and gave him a wink. “Don’t worry. No charge.”

He grabbed her outstretched hand and they walked out of the bar and went to his room. The rest of the people watched them leave. No one could believe what they had just seen, even though they had seen it happen with their own eyes.

Except for the jukebox playing and the still-wracking sobs coming from between Charlie’s lips, the bar was dead quiet.

… and the night moved on.

In Cody’s room could be heard the thrashing sounds of two bodies. The squeals of a woman delighted in her choice of male company for the night, and the heated sweat of a man who had gone far too long without pleasure. For Cody and Millie, a dull night turned into a well-deserved need beyond either of their expectations.

Across town at City Medical; Charlie was getting his hands put into plaster splints. Between all of the pain he was feeling, as well as being ridiculed at the bar, Charlie was consumed by anger and hatred. If it was the last thing he would do, he would make that stranger pay for what he did to him. And payback, like they say—is a bitch.