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“What? No applause?” he said

So started

“Come, now This is a party, is it not? You can do better than that”

The clapping increased

“There you go You didprotocol here at this beautiful quinceañera celebration, I would like to e here today The coe of Manuel Perrine and Los Salvajes”

A terrified h the crowd as Teodoro Salinas and the two other leaders of his cartel were brought into the tent from the house Salinas had a black eye All three had their wrists bound behind them

Three chairs were set at the edge of the stage, and the three men were seated with their backs to the crowd

“Noithout further ado, thefor,” Perrine said as one of the Tarahu and thin

The sickle-shaped, razor-sharp machete Perrine held up for the crowd to see had been his father’s cane knife The antique blade was beautifully weighted behind the cutting side, like a golf club, and had the raved in the blade, above the handle: COLLINS AXE COMPANY, CONNECTICUT, USA

They just don’t ly

The first man he stepped before was Salinas’s second-in-co, and he threw his hands up protectively as Perrine swung No matter The blade sliced the man’s arm off neatly midway between his wrist and elbow and buried itself deep in the man’s collarbone

Several wo as he waved around his as, finally worked the blade free Then he stepped back and swung

There Much better, Perrine thought as the man’s cleanly severed head rolled off his shoulders and off the stage

That hen the second e It was the plaza boss, who actually thought he could take over Perrine’s turf in Río Bravo He ed to make it halfway across the dance floor before Perrine nodded to To the man down He slid across the dance floor in a thick trail of blood, followed by his Bally shoes

Perrine had to tip his hat to Teodoro Salinas The htest as both of his partners lost their lives The big, handso for a bus as Perrine stepped forward Perrine nodded respectfully, then swung and took the elegant host’s head off with one swipe