Because of a Cup of Coffee
He hadn't had a woman in a while, and she had a really nice ass. Hanzee noticed that first thing when he opened the café door. There was a woman and her kid at the bar, a big man who was probably the owner, and the little waitress, with her back to him, behind the counter. Two men sitting at a booth in the back.
"Coffee?" The waitress turned around and asked, the second the bell on the door jangled. It was a safe bet, it was cold as hell outside. And she actually smiled at him. She was probably a friendly person who greeted everyone the same way, but he didn't remember when anyone had smiled at him. Other than a woman he'd paid, and that hadn't been real. Her face would have complimented her ass, except she had a black eye that she'd tried to hide with make up.
"We don't serve Injuns in here." The big man said, scowling at Hanzee. "Git!"
The woman ignored him, and grabbed a cup from behind the counter. "It's cold as hell out there!" She protested.
"Git!" The big man said again. Making a shooing motion at Hanzee. "He ain't gettin' no coffee." He told the waitress, and then turned his back on her, proving he was a damn fool. You never turned your back on a woman. You certainly never turned your back on a pissed off woman with a weapon.
Hanzee calculated how far that coffee was going to splatter when she threw the pot at the big man's head, and started backing for the door. He'd been cold and hungry before, it was nothing new. He saw the waitress look at the little boy, and slowly lower the coffee pot.
He headed for the truck parked in the alley, and the back door of the café burst open. He spun around, his hand on his gun in his pocket.
"Sir?" the waitress called. "Sir? I brought you some coffee, and some left over biscuits from this morning. It's cold as hell out here, and I know you're hungry -" she stopped at the look on his face.
She had no idea that he had almost shot her. He didn't really know why he hadn't.
Her eyes were talking to him. She wanted a red man to rock her world. She wanted to go with him, and she didn't care where he was going. He certainly wouldn't kick her out of his bed, black eye or not. But he preferred Asian chicks, or women he paid. This woman would be nothing but trouble for him.
He saw the men come around the corner. He thought they'd sent her to distract him and slow him down, except the look of sheer panic on her face was real. "Oh, God!" She said. "GO! Just GO!"
The big man had a baseball bat in his hand, and the other man had a switchblade, and both of them were grinning. The big man tapped the bat in his hand.
"Leave him alone!" the woman burst out. "He just wanted something to eat! Don't hurt him!" She started backing away from Hanzee and he knew she was scared to death, and somehow, that bothered him a little.
Hanzee let them get closer and closer, and the younger man suddenly started backing off. He'd realized that the Indian wasn't afraid. He lagged a few steps behind, and when the big man rushed Hanzee , he turned and ran away. Hanzee grabbed the end of the bat, and shoved it right into the big man's gut. The man sat down, with an "oomph" and a look of shock on his face. Hanzee decided he didn't need to waste a bullet on him.
He opened the truck door, and sent the woman a silent invitation with his eyes. She scrambled in the cab ahead of him. She did have a really nice ass. And Hanzee had damn near frozen to death last night in his sleeping bag, alone. It would be a tight fit, a really tight fit, with the two of them together, but they damn well would not be cold.
She sat snuggled up next to him, and Hanzee decided that he kind of liked it. She didn't talk, but now her face said that she was really looking forward to rocking his world. Hanzee was ok with that. He'd enjoy her for awhile and kill her when he was done.
They drove for while in silence and then she opened the lid on the coffee and offered it to him, but he wouldn't take it. She blew on it for a second, and then took a swallow, and gave him an exasperated look. "It's just coffee. I'm not trying to poison you. You're cold." She ran her hand down his arm. Even through his field jacket, it felt like a caress." Want me to drink the whole cup?"
Hanzee took the coffee from her and sipped it. It was actually pretty good, and he was cold. He handed the cup back to her, and she leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Not now."
She started to scoot away from him and he clamped his fingers around her thigh to keep her from moving. "You're easy." She said, and grinned at him.
If he had the time, and money for a hotel room, Hanzee thought he'd be happy to show her just how easy he was. For about three days.
She unwrapped a biscuit and handed it to him. He didn't remember when anyone had fed him, other than his grandmother on the Rez, and that had been long ago. They shared the coffee and he ate the biscuits, and she brushed some crumbs off his mouth with her fingers.
He bared his teeth and growled at her. He'd seen VC piss their pants when he did that. She laughed at him. The shocked look he gave her made her laugh again. He had never made a woman laugh before. It was unsettling.
Somehow, this woman had got in his head. He needed to slit her throat and dump her. But not before he screwed her brains out.
It was snowing again, and he was so damn tired of being cold. She'd look really good in a skimpy bikini."Wanta go to Florida?" he asked her.