Page 68 of Oathbreaker

“Interesting. So all those parolees you were supposed to check on over those two weeks. They just...what? Hung out until you came back?”

Buck swallows before letting out a choked sound.

“When did you get the rest of it?” This comes from Leo.

Buck’s chin trembles before he says, “I opened my door one morning and the envelope was there.”

I hum. “And no sight of the delivery boy?” I say.

“No,” Buck says, sniffing. “I don’t think you understand, man. A hundred grand?” He releases a shuddering wail.

“I needed that money, man,” Buck says, tears streaming. “I really needed that fucking money.” He snorts up the snot clogging his nose.

“Yeah, I guess you thought you could double it at the casino?”

Buck lets out a hiccuping sob.

“Yeah. Tough luck,” I say. “Do you still have the envelope or the note? You know, since all the money is gone.”

Buck lets out a short wail before hiccuping again and saying a pathetic, “No.”

“Damn, that’s too bad.” I look over to Leo, who gives me the slightest shrug of his shoulders. “So you don’t know who gave you the envelope, what they looked like, or what they sounded like. You no longer have said envelope or note, and you just...did what they told you to do. That’s about the size of it?”

Buck nods. “I swear. Please let me go?” He looks up at Leo again, who wears a look of lethal calm; I’ve only seen it a few times.

“Oh, yeah. Right,” I say, taking a big step away from him. Buck groans and tries to readjust himself so he can stand. Before he’s in a fully upright position, I stop him with my hand to his chest.

“Except for one thing...can you explain the shit that’s on your computer? I have to say, it was shocking.”

He pales. “What?”

“Yeah, Buck. Hundreds and hundreds of hours of kiddie porn on your hard drive. What’s that about?” I step back from him and cross my arms. Buck slides down to sit on the concrete.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. That’s not mine,” he stammers. His eyes shift, admitting his guilt.

“Ah, I see. I guess shit like that does happen. Hackers, I suppose. Right, Leo?”

Leo grunts.

“Well, I did say I would let you leave. So off you go,” I say cheerfully. Buck eyes me with suspicion plain in his gaze.

“For real?” He stands up again, slowly grabbing at the splintered siding of the abandoned building for leverage.

“Yeah. I’m a man of my word. I promised I wouldn’t hurt you.”

Buck nods, standing to his full height and dusting himself off.

“All right, I’m just going to—” He stops talking with a squeak when Leo takes a big step forward and presses his gun to Buck’s forehead.

“I’m not going to hurt you. But I didn’t say anything about him.” I smile. I’m sure I look a little insane.

Maybe I am.

“Please!” The strangled cast to his voice, his plain terror, sends a jolt of pleasure down my back. That joy is stamped when the fetid scent of Buck’s urine hits my nostrils, and I curl my lip as he pisses his pants.

“Buck, there are consequences for your actions. Not only are you a piece of shit for all the disgusting content on your computer, your participation in this little pass-the-note game resulted in someone I love being hurt badly. So, I don’t see any good reason to have you remain on this planet.”

Without needing to communicate further, Leo puts a bullet in Buck’s brain.

---