Con Game by Allan Leverone
Cons walk slower than citizens. In the prison yard, the chow line, you name it. Slow. The reason is simple: there’s no reason to hurry when there’s no place to go. I was one of those cons. Still am. For however much time I have left after I shiv Paco Perez. • • • My […]
Release: Kraj the Enforcer: Stories by Rusty Barnes
About the Book Meet Kraj—pronounced krai—a low-level errand boy and hitman masquerading as a bouncer for Tricky Ricky Gutierrez, nefarious owner of the Twist, a club in upstate Elmira NY. A place that has both a LGBTQIA night and a cowboy country night, this cockeyed corner bar in northern Appalachia supports Ricky’s illegal schemes, and serves […]
Release: Chasing China White by Allan Leverone
About the Book Derek Weaver’s a junkie. He’s also homeless and jobless and into his dealer for way more cash than he can hope to repay. So when he’s given an ultimatum by the regional heroin supplier—commit a home invasion and steal enough jewelry to cover that man’s debt or take a one-way trip into […]
Blonde to Black by Allan Leverone
I never wanted to hurt anybody. Never wanted to kill anybody, either. But as the Stones reminded us a long time ago, you can’t always get what you want. * * * The girl was tall and blonde, and she rocked her miniskirt the way Michael Jackson once rocked that white glove. I eyed her […]
Falling Away by Allan Leverone
I’d never expected to see her again.
But six long months after she left me without so much as a goodbye I walked into my apartment after a night of drinking—a typical night, in other words—and there she was. It was like she’d never left. She sat in her customary spot at the end of the couch, feet curled under her like a cat, wispy cigarette smoke forming a fallen angel’s dirty halo over her head, open bottle of Jameson’s on the end table.
And she looked even more beautiful than she had the last time I saw her.
The Needle and the Spoon by Allan Leverone
I was busy breaking some guy’s knuckles the night my brother died. You see, when people gamble, sometimes they end up owing more money than they can pay. To the wrong people. I work for those people, so needless to say I work odd hours. Anyway, the night Danny overdosed on heroin and alcohol was […]
‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Allan Leverone
Christmas Eve. The snow had been falling lightly all day, and the Hancock Building shimmered in the distance through the milky gauze. It was a postcard scene, but in my neighborhood, good tidings were hard to find. Grimy cabs bounced through rutted streets, splashing mud and filthy snow on the skeleton crew of hookers looking […]
Lessons Learned by Allan Leverone
The kid eased into my Jaguar in half a heartbeat, all smug self-assurance and low-riding jeans. And a snub-nosed .38, which he jammed under my chin. “Drive,” he said, and it seemed like the best option, so I did. The light turned green and the traffic moved sluggishly along Storrow Drive. I checked the rear […]
Lessons Learned by Allan Leverone
The kid eased into my Jaguar in half a heartbeat, all smug self-assurance and low-riding jeans. And a snub-nosed .38, which he jammed under my chin. “Drive,” he said, and it seemed like the best option, so I did. The light turned green and the traffic moved sluggishly along Storrow Drive. I checked the rear […]
