Safety

07/18/11

The kid was a pain in the ass, but that’s what a little brother is for.

Mark knew the kid worshipped him. What he couldn’t figure was how to parlay that into an all access pass to his sister’s panties.

Marcia let Stevie hang around way too much and Mark suspected it was because she knew the kid’s pro-level skill at cock blocking. Mark figured he had a sure bet to get Marcia alone that time he rolled up on his motorcycle, but as they were about to leave the brat behind, Marcia gave up her seat and let Stevie have a ride first.

Being kind to Stevie made Mark look good, at least. Good enough for a lay? Remained to be seen.

“Hop on, boy. I’m gonna teach you how to ride a motorbike.”

Little redheaded bastard wouldn’t stop bouncing up and down and Mark swore he could feel a tiny ten-year-old prick digging into his back. Mission accomplished: cock blocked.

When Marcia expressed interest in learning how to shoot, Mark happily obliged. His first thought was that there was no way Stevie would be invited out to the lake if there was live ammunition involved.

Mark was wrong.

Well, fuck that kid. Mark was gonna get nice and intimate with Marcia anyway. He told Stevie to stand fifty feet back by the tree line.

“Aw, I can’t see nothing,” the boy complained.

“I told you Stevie, this ain’t kid stuff.” Mark did his best to sound authoritative. Protecting the kid had to earn him pussy points with Marcia, right? Just to double down he threw the kid a bone. “Know what? Why don’t you go set up the cans.”

Stevie jumped and ran with an empty six pack of mismatched beer empties, all easily scavenged from the banks of the lake. When the six targets were placed in a crooked row, Stevie retreated to his safe distance and Mark began the lesson.

“Now, first things first, you gotta know if your safety is engaged or not. See this switch?”

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pointing out landmarks on the gun as he held his hands out in front of them. Marcia smiled and wiggled her ass as he cinched up close to her, letting her feel his breath in her ear.

“The important thing is to squeeze the trigger, not to pull it. Go gentle.” He rest his finger against the trigger, teased the metal, making sure Marcia could see his delicate touch.

“You sure do know how to use those fingers,” she said.

“Do I ever.”

Mission proceed: no blockage in sight.

“Can I hold it?” Marcia asked.

“We’re still talking about the gun, right?” Mark laughed. Marcia smiled. Stevie stepped onto a tree stump for a better view.

Marcia pushed harder with her hips against Mark’s crotch, a surge of heat coming through her jean shorts. He let go of the pistol and she wrapped two hands around it. He imagined what else those hands could do.

Mark turned over his shoulder and shouted to Stevie, subtly defying him to ruin this moment.

“Now pay attention here, boy. I’m gonna teach you how to do some real shooting.”

The first shot erupted. A wet spray coated the side of Mark’s face. As he turned back around Marcia’s body began to slump to the ground and he got a moving glimpse of her open skull.

He swore to God he showed her the safety switch. He knew he did. Still she managed to . . .

A light rain of blood and hailstones of skull fell to earth around them. He didn’t know how she’d done it, but the dumb blonde had shot half her head away.

Deaf in one ear, coated in her blood and with a rapidly fading erection, Mark stood in shock as Marcia’s body hit the soft soil. The gun came to a rest on a patch of moss. Six cans stood mirroring Mark’s motionless stunned silence.

He broke from his trance and turned. Stevie stood wide-eyed on his tree stump.

“Okay, boy, listen up. I’m gonna teach you how to dig a real deep hole.”

~ fin ~

Eric Beetner - Photo by Mark Krajnak

Eric Beetner has been described as “the James Brown of crime fiction – the hardest working man in noir.” (Crime Fiction Lover) and “The 21st Century’s answer to Jim Thompson” (LitReactor). He has written more than 20 novels including Rumrunners, Leadfoot, The Devil Doesn’t Want Me, The Year I Died 7 Times and Criminal Economics. His award-winning short stories have appeared in over three dozen anthologies.  He co-hosts the podcast Writer Types and the Noir at the Bar reading series in Los Angeles where he lives and works as a television editor. For more visit ericbeetner.com

Brilliantly done!
Paul D Brazill
July 27, 2011
Fabulous! The last line made the whole thing that much sweeter. Thank you for the read, Eric, that was great.
Trey R. Barker
July 25, 2011
my opinion of mr beetner just grows and grows, like Jack's beans. i reviewed One Too Many Blows today at http://nigelpbird.blogspot.com/2011/07/one-mans-opinion-one-too-many-blows-to.html where i basically try to say how much i loved it. only bar i got to last night was a Mars. never mind. glad you all had a good time, folks.
Nigel
July 20, 2011
Thanks all. This was a fun one to read at Noir at the Bar and when I mentioned Shotgun Honey it got a round of applause!
Ericbeetner
July 19, 2011
Loved it last night at Noir At The Bar when you read it. It has the same impact on the page. At least the kid brother got to learn a new trade: hole digging. Snappy WTF! twist that gave me no time to do anything but dodge mental shrapnel and falling skull fragments. Cool.
AJ Hayes
July 19, 2011
Love that last line.
Mike Oliveri
July 18, 2011
Brilliant. Just proper brilliant. Great pace, with that little playful conflict all the way through, not a word out of place, but we know it's building to something. Then just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water . . . BANG! Fantastic.
Ian Ayris
July 18, 2011

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