The only ones absent are Darren and James—Darren who is still recovering from his ordeal, and James who refuses to leave him—and Moon. No one specifically excluded Moon from the proceedings; they didn’t have to, as Moon was more than happy in his shame to exclude himself.
“I saved it once. Hara’s life. A long time ago. He felt he owed me for that. He would’ve followed me to the fire at the end of the world if I asked him to. That’s who he was, and that’s what he believed. But I can’t tell you where he came from, or who his people were, what he did or where he’d been that brought him to the point in his life when we met. I don’t know about any of that. I don’t imagine there’s a living soul on this planet who does.”
Standing closest to the coffin, Cindy’s eyes are dry. Anger is her version of grief, and the scowl she wears is for Allensworth, for Moon, but more than anything for death itself.
“But I do know who Hara was,” Ritter continues. “And I think that’s more important. He had the sharpest mind I’ve ever encountered, but he never spoke unless he had something to say. He was a desert rider. He always returned to the desert. That existence appealed to him because there are no false pretenses among desert riders. They live simple. They live honestly. They live in motion, in a confluence of circles that always bring them back to the beginning. Hara found purity in that. I wish we could all be so content.”
Not everyone chooses rage. Lena weeps for the stoic giant, and for a lot of other things. Nikki cries the same tears she’d pour for any of them, all of them.
Even Bronko feels the hot, wet sting on his cheeks.
“I’m not sad for my friend. I’m sad for myself, and for the rest of us left behind. We’re left without him, and still in danger, still with wars to fight. Hara is beyond that now. He’s found the peace that eludes the rest of us. And I’m happy for him because of that.”
Ritter finishes speaking. He turns and walks behind the casket, reaching inside his pocket and removing the key to Hara’s Gunbus motorcycle. He kisses the brass and places it atop the lid.
As they all stand in silence for the departed, Ritter joins Lena and Cindy, bowing his head with the rest.
Instead of thinking about Hara, Ritter imagines somewhere in the world at that moment, there’s a rare and much-needed rain falling on distant sand.
He hopes something grows there, the way it can’t grow in the city.
Acknowledgments
This is the penultimate volume in the Sin du Jour series, yet I haven’t run out of folks to thank; indeed, the list grows longer with each book. My thanks to my editor, Lee Harris, for the explodey things and for cleaning up my big messes. My copy editor, Richard Shealy, for cleaning up a lot more of my little messes. My agent, DongWon, who keeps me on point. My fiancée, Nikki, who keeps me on point when nothing else, including my agent, can possibly do the job. Irene Gallo and Peter Lutjen, who just keep topping themselves with each cover they produce for Sin du Jour. Tor.com Pub’s swag master, Mordicai Knode, and ace marketing whiz, Katharine Duckett, who keep pushing to bring the books in this series to the attention of the masses. I also want to thank Sue and Del Howison of Dark Delicacies in Burbank, who continually invite me to celebrate the releases of these books in their amazing shop. My mother, who drives all the way from Phoenix and rallies everyone she’s ever met to fill my book signings, just in case. Finally and most important, thank you, Sin du Jour’s regular customers, whose visits keep the lights on the stoves burning. I’ll see you for the final course.
About the Author
Photograph by Earl Newton
MATT WALLACE is the author of the Sin du Jour Affairs, The Next Fix, The Failed Cities, and the novella series Slingers. He’s also penned more than one hundred short stories, some of which have won awards and been nominated for others, in addition to writing for film and television. In his youth, he traveled the world as a professional wrestler and unarmed combat and self-defense instructor before retiring to write full-time. He now resides in Los Angeles with the love of his life and inspiration for Sin du Jour’s resident pastry chef.
You can sign up for email updates here.
Also by Matt Wallace
THE SIN DU JOUR SERIES
Envy of Angels
Lustlocked
Pride’s Spell
Idle Ingredients
Greedy Pigs
THE SLINGERS SAGA
Slingers
One Fall to Finish
The Victim Hold
Where Gods Cannot See
Savage Weapons
The Failed Cities
Galactic Football League: Title Fight (with Scott Sigler)
Rencor: Life in Grudge City
Thank you for buying this Tor.com ebook.
To receive special offers, bonus content, and info on new releases and other great reads, sign up for our newsletters.
For email updates on the author, click here.
TOR•COM
Science fiction. Fantasy. The universe. And related subjects.
*
More than just a publisher's website, Tor.com is a venue for original fiction, comics, and discussion of the entire field of SF and fantasy, in all media and from all sources. Visit our site today—and join the conversation yourself.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
PART I
WELCOME HOME
FAR FROM HOME
HOME SECURITY
HOME VISIT
PART II
SLACK
THE NEXUS OF SPIDERS AND SPIRITS
BRING HITHER THE FATTED CALF, AND . . .
GET MORE
ONE WILL NOT COME BACK
THE FUTURE IN THIRTY MINUTES OR LESS
TONIGHT’S SPECIAL
PART III
FLOCK OF SEAGULLS
EXECUTIONER’S CHOICE
WALK-INS
DOUBLE-BOOKED
GO
WILLING DONOR
MOONLIGHTING
SINS OF THE MORNING
EPILOGUE: DESERT RIDER
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Matt Wallace
Copyright Page
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novella are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
GLUTTONY BAY
Copyright © 2017 by Matt Wallace
All rights reserved.
Cover illustration by Peter Lutjen
Cover design by Christine Foltzer
Edited by Lee Harris
A Tor.com Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.
ISBN 978-0-7653-9321-0 (ebook)
ISBN 978-0-7653-9322-7 (trade paperback)
First Edition: November 2017
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, ext. 5442, or by e-mail at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.