Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

By A.S. Crowder

Crime and Family collide in SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES, a pulpy period short story by A. S. Crowder, now available as a Pro Se Single Shot!

Helen revels in the pulsing night life in her home city of New Orleans. She has a fashionable look, a bootlegger boyfriend, and a city full of speakeasies to explore. She also has an older sister who staunchly opposes Helen's involvement in the city's shady underground.
On one eventful night, Helen discovers that her sister is neck deep in her boyfriend's business and that her boyfriend is less than happy with her sister's work. When a threat to her sister's life is revealed, Helen takes action, planning to take down her boyfriend's organization one man at a time.
Win or lose, taking down some of the most powerful bootleggers in the city will change Helen's life forever. She stands to gain much, but what will she lose?

SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES by A. S. Crowder. From Pro Se Productions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pro Se Press
• Release date: Jan 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370923243

A.S. Crowder

A.S. Crowder has been writing stories ever since she first learned how to write. She’s got about a million stories left to tell; hopefully she’ll finish one or two of them. When she’s not writing, she teaches sociology at local universities. A.S. Crowder lives in the Deep South with her husband and her cats. She probably watches too much T.V. For updates, check out AuthorASCrowder.blogspot.com.

Book preview

SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES

By

A. S. Crowder

Published by Pro Se Press at Smashwords

SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES

A Pro Se Productions Publication

Part of the SINGLE SHOTS SIGNATURE line

All rights reserved under U.S. and International copyright law. This book is licensed only for the private use of the purchaser. May not be copied, scanned, digitally reproduced, or printed for re-sale, may not be uploaded on shareware or free sites, or used in any other manner without the express written permission of the author and/or publisher. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

Written by A. S. Crowder

Editing by Kelby Newcomb

Cover by James Hopwood

Book Design by Antonino Lo Iacono

Logos by Jeffrey Hayes

www.prose-press.com

SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES

Copyright © 2017 A. S. Crowder

Smoke curled out from the barrel of the gun, the writhing ghost of the shot that had just fired. She lowered the weapon. Her hands trembled as she looked upon what she had done.

He was dying. She could see that even before her eyes fell on the crimson colored stain seeping its way through his white oxford shirt.

He opened and closed his mouth wordlessly a few times, struggling to force words out.

At last a single word slipped from his lips. His wide eyes stared up at her as the light left them, and he asked his last question.

Why?

She took a few slow steps back, watching him until the desperate heaving of his chest ceased.

When he was still—when nothing moved but the night air—she answered him.

Because you made me.

***

She crept in the front door as the sun was rising. She smelled of booze and cigarettes and cheap cologne, but she didn’t care. The entire city reeked of the same. She wore the scent as though it were Chanel.

She slid the door shut as quietly as she could, tiptoeing away as it latched and humming breathily as she danced her way to the kitchen.

"Where the hell have you