Got smacked for it.
What'd he look like?
I don't know,
he was tall.
Looked like a cowboy.
Light hair slicked back?
Yeah.
Thank you for looking after her.
His name's Carver,
he's the brother of the man I killed.
If he's here, there's plenty more comin'.
More what?
Bounty hunters. Carver's rotten,
but his old man,
that's the one to be scared of.
He'll spend every dime he's got to make sure I'm dead.
If it was up to me,
I'd lay the whole family down, same as the other.
Ain't a decent man between them.
Now, look here.
Listen to me,
if you see that old man, don't you go near him.
He's the triple six real deal scratch.
What's a scratch?
It's the devil himself.
Let's unload the rest of this, get it up top.
Now, what are you waitin' for?
Shut up.
All right, Ellis.
Can you climb that trunk,
- choke this off that limb? - Yeah.
Tie it in a bowline knot, you know it?
I'm not stupid.
Neck, I need you to start cuttin' line
in 15 two-foot pieces. Count two foot as long as your arm.
Be careful.
What's so special about that shirt you'd lose your pistol for it?
It's got a wolf's eye sewn into the sleeve.
More protection than a bullet ever gave.
Tom swears by it.
Tom said he wasn't your daddy.
He's the closest thing to a father I've ever had.
I never met my parents.
It's hard,
not knowin' those you came from.
My Uncle Galen tells me things about 'em.
He's the one that takes care of me.
Yeah. Tom did that for me.
What'd you mean when you called Tom an assassin?
Tom's had lives you'd never even know about.
Grew up, up North. Went to Yale.
For a long time, he was a paid assassin for the CIA.
Lived in Cuba in '63. Shoot, he's killed more people than you all probably ever met.
Neck, how's that line comin'?
If you're gonna do it, do it!
This shit's crazy.
One down.
Come on.
Wanna sit down?
Hey, you must really like to fight.
Not really.
You got a lot of friends.
They're all right.
I don't know all of them.
I bet you're pretty popular.
Why do you say that?
Because you're nice to people.
How do you know that?
You're nice to me.
But I like you.
I got you something.
A bracelet?
Yeah.
Neckbone's uncle finds them in the river
and collects the pearls, and I thought with your name and everything...
Thank you.
You wanna be my girlfriend?
You've been seeing Mud?
No.
You don't have to lie to me, boy.
I've seen you running around, taking things.
He all right?
He's okay.
He called you an assassin.
How long have you known Mud?
A few days.
That's long enough to know he's full of shit.
So, it's not true?
I was a sharpshooter for awhile
in the Marines. In Mud's world, that's an assassin. But it's not exactly true, right?
Yeah, I guess.
Assassin.
You think he's a badass, don't you?
I don't know.
You know why he's stuck off on that island?
Yeah.
He shot somebody.
You know why he shot that man?
'Cause he hurt Juniper?
Right.
The real reason Mud's in all the trouble he's got is because of her.
He's been in love with that girl since he was your age.
Trouble is she don't care about nobody but herself. I've told him as much.
She'd bed down with the meanest snake she could find,
and then when things got bad, she'd go runnin' back to Mud.
He'd take her back.
Then he'd go find whatever unlucky son of a bitch laid a hand on her
and beat him so bad he'd know never to touch her again.
Only this time, I guess
he figured beatin' wasn't good enough, he had to go shoot that feller.
I'm not for sure, but I'd put money on it that she knew he'd do it.
She might even put him up to it.
Either way, those two are set for failure.
The only chance he's got is to cut her loose.
That'll never happen.
But I tell you what, Mud's no badass. He's runnin' scared right now...
I've got to go.
You're wrong about Juniper.
They love each other and they're going to make it.
If you weren't such a worn out old man, you'd know it was true.
What do you say, Ellis?
I got more stuff.
Yeah? Did you find a motor?
Not yet.
What's that?
Bonfire's my all-purpose cure all
for bad luck.
I don't know where this boat's been
or what kind of person the owner was before me.
For all I know, there could be some serious bad business left on it.
We got too much ridin' on this thing to leave to chance.
Tom called me over to his place this morning.
What did he say?
He was runnin' down Juniper.
Told him he was a worn out old man.
And he couldn't know how much you love her.
You don't know his story.
I don't care.
You should.
Tom loved a woman more than most men can in two lifetimes.
They had a good life started together.
She was pregnant with a little boy,
birth got the best of them.
Tom's been alone ever since.
Lone wolf.
Thanks for the tin.
This shit never gets easy.
That's a good haul.
I've had worse.
You doin' all right?
Yeah.
Do you need to tell me anything?
Tell you what?
I know I'm just your uncle, not a parent.
But you can tell me things if you need to.
I can tell you this helmet smells like my duck butter.
Where'd you get that black eye?
A kid in town. He got his, too.
What was y'all fightin' for?
About this girl.
What girl?
My girlfriend.
You got a girlfriend?
Yes, sir.
When did that happen?
Other day.
What's her name?
May Pearl.
Two first names, just like your mother.
Have you seen your mother today?
No.
You're not talkin' to me now?
I'm talkin'. I'm talkin' to both of you.
All y'all want to do is talk.
That's your mother now.
She'd rather tongue lash a problem than step up and handle it.
You'll see one day.
Women are tough, boy.
They set you up for things.
You can't trust love, Ellis.
If you're not careful, it'll up and run out on you.
Daddy, this is Miller. He's one of ours.
Appreciate your help.
Yes, sir.
We'll be in, in a minute.
Catch me up.
We're working in shifts.
Got two outside her motel.
The others are either out searchin' or sleepin' here.
I met the county sheriff, but he wasn't much help.
Said they handle their own business.
But I got two of his people on payroll
and a person inside at the state police.
Ellis, let's go, boy. Come on.
Okay.
Let's meet the men.
Yes, sir.
Shit.
Get up.
Y'all pay attention.
This is my father, King.
He runs the show.
Men.
All right, everybody up.
Gather around.
Now form a circle.
Everybody, take a knee.
Want you to join hands.
We're gonna pray for the death of the man who killed my son.
Everybody, bow your heads.
You touch her titty?
A little.
That's great, man.
Thanks.
We could take it apart, bring it out piece by piece.
It's welded, we'd just tear it up.
What if we float it out?
With what?
Come on.
Jesus!
What do you think?
That's great, Galen.
Come here, Ellis.
See that ceiling fan up there?
I found it in the river.
Works great.
Best ceiling fan I've ever owned.
This river brings a lot of trash down it.
Some of that trash is worth a lot of money.
Some of it's not.
You got to know what's worth keepin' and what's worth lettin' go.
You know the difference?
I think so.
Neck looks up to you.
Don't get my nephew into anything you can't get him out of. Okay?
Help Me, Rhonda's just about a guy needin'
to get a piece to get over a girl that put one over on him.
So, you get your heart broke?
Don't walk around with a shit look on your face.
Get back in there, get your tip wet.
You hear me?
- You know what I'm sayin'. - Let's go.
Want to hang out? Allen's comin' over, we're going to pump it up.
No. We got stuff to do.
Whatever.
What were y'all talking about?
I don't know.
King! That's what they call him.
Y'all didn't go near him, did ya?
No.
Good.
How we lookin' on that motor?
There's one in the scrap yard that might work.
We're gonna need one that runs.
- I can get it runnin'. Tell him, Ellis. - Let's pull this.
It's true, he built his own dirt bike.
Little more.
Neck, take a shot at it.
I don't know, that motor's worth somethin'.
It's not like all the rest of that junk.
It's been there for months. Nobody will even know it's gone.
Ellis.
We need a motor.
Winds out of the west at 22 miles per hour...
Hello?
Juniper?
Ellis.
Hey, it's me.
Thank God. I'm goin' crazy in this room.
Is Mud okay?
Yeah, it's time to take you out to him.
Now?
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow, we'll come get you.
He's got a plan for y'all to get away.
Be ready tomorrow at 5:00.
Neckbone'll be waitin' at the side of the motel with a dirt bike.
Wait, just...
Just wait a minute. I don't know about all that.
Where does he think we're gonna go?
What are we even gonna do?
This is Mud, this is exactly what he does.
It's okay.
It's a good plan.
Just be ready.
Why are you doing this?
What do you mean?
Why are you helping us?
Because y'all love each other.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Wait.
- How'd it go? - We're good.
Give me a quarter.
May Pearl!
It's all right, man, she's with her family.
Come on, I want to get that motor before dark.
Hey.
Y'all remember me, don't ya?
Sorry about that.
You caught me at a real bad time.
Hold on a second.
Just a sec.
I don't want you to get the wrong idea.
Y'all were just doin' a job and I got in the way.
What do you say I buy a whole batch of fish y'all were sellin'?
Forty cover it?
That'll about do it.
We don't want your money.
Hold on. Hold on.
Y'all get around, don't you?
Bet ya know every
hole and ditch in this town.
You haven't come across that man whose picture I showed you?
Have you?
Sure about that?
Take a look with your good eye.
I'm sure.
What about that girl from the motel?
The pretty one.
Talk to her some more?
There's a number on there.
Let me know if you do.
This is it. This is it.
All right, it's loose.
Shit's heavy.
Shit!
Was she there?
No.
Come on.
Excuse me, sir.
What?
We're lookin' for the girl in room 210. You seen her?
Yeah, I've seen her.
You seen her today?
Yeah, she came down here lookin' for a bar nearby.
Sent her up to that place off 61.
Just leave it there, Mud's going to have to help us with it.
What are you going to tell him?
I'll just tell him the truth.
Hey, what you say there, Ellis?
Tom left this for you.
Where's Juniper?
Ellis, what happened?
Is she okay?
Was it Carver?
It wasn't Carver.
What's goin' on, Ellis?
She was supposed to meet us on the side of the motel.
She never showed up.
We went around looking for her.
Motel clerk said she went out to a bar on 61.
We tracked her down.
She was there with another guy.
They were together.
She must've thought Carver
was onto her.
She knew the plan, Mud.
She just didn't show up.
What was she doin' with that guy?
What was she doin' with that guy, Ellis?
They were playing pool.
And they were drinkin'.
And laughin'.
He was close up on her.
He kissed her neck.
So that's how it is?
We got that motor.
What do you want us to do?
Just go home, Ellis.
Hello?
Is May Pearl there?
This is Ellis.
I called yesterday, you didn't give her my messages?
I said it's Ellis.
I'm her boyfriend.
- Oh, she's asleep... - Mary Lee!
Mary Lee!
What the hell have you been doin'?
What have you been doin'?
- Senior, damn it! Damn it! Stop it! - You tell her what you've been doin'.
- I don't know what you're sayin'. - Take your hands off him, Senior!
J.J. Crawford said a boat motor went missin' from his stockyard!
He said his daughter saw this one and his friend haulin' it off!
Now, you tell me, right now, did you steal that motor?
We didn't steal it.
You lie to me again.
We thought it was junk.
We didn't think it was worth anything.
Ellis?
You tellin' me I raised a thief?
I'm not a thief.
You take property that's not yours,
property that belongs to another man.
That junk was his livelihood.
- I'm ashamed of you! - Senior...
Shut your mouth.
You think you can take things and not have him see it?
Neither one of you's got any respect for a man's livelihood!
A life that puts clothes on your back and food in your stomach!
Don't you blame this on me.
One doesn't have a thing to do with the other and you know it.
You don't tell me what I know.
If you can steal a man's life out from under him
and think he won't take a lesson from that, then you're dumber than you look.
- Stop it, Dad! - And she's raisin' you
a snake, just like herself.
And you can curl up beside her before I give a goddamn!
But you just remember this, boy.
You just remember, when they come in here and they tear this place apart
board by board! You hear me?
You are a man who's never had the strength to support his own life.
Ellis.
You'll return that motor from where you found it,
and you'll apologize in person to the man you took it from.
I won't hear about anything like this again.
I can't take that motor back.
But I can pay him for it.
I'll give him what he wants.
I don't care what you do, Ellis.
What the hell's all this?
It's a bonfire.
I guess he didn't care about bein' seen.
He had something else on his mind.
What you all hidin' for?
Found your shirt.
You can keep it.
I don't need it no more.
Saw what's left of your bonfire.
Somebody could have seen you.
I guess.
Do some drinkin' last night?
I did a lot of drinkin' last night.
Neck, I'm gonna need you to stay here and get this motor runnin'.
Ellis, I need you to do somethin' else for me.
I need you to get that to Juniper.
Okay, Mud.
Neck, let's go.
You still takin' Juniper?
Neck, fetch me that socket wrench.
You be all right?
Yeah. How about you?
He'll be okay.
Can I borrow your bike?
Yeah.
Don't tump it.
I was wonderin' when I'd see you.
Sorry about last night.
I'm supposed to give this to you.
What?
Okay.
Did you read it?
No.
I gotta go.
Ellis.
I said I was sorry.
All you had to do was be there.
I couldn't.
Then why'd you even come here?
I came here to leave with him.
I did.
You know you don't know him, right?
I know he'd do anything for you.
Is that what you think?
Mud's a born liar.
That's why people like him, he makes them feel good about themselves.
I do love him.
I just
can't spend the rest of my life runnin' away with him.
Tell him I understand.
What's it say?
Says, "It's over."
Bye, Ellis.
Did you get my phone calls?
- What? - I've been tryin' to call you.
- Who's this guy? - Get your head out of my car, kid.
- Ellis! - I called you twice!
Stop it, Kyle!
Stop it!
Kyle!
Stop it, Kyle!
God!
What the hell you doin' here, Ellis?
What?
You can't just run up and punch people I'm with.
I'm sorry, I just wanted to know why you hadn't called me back.
Why would I call you back, Ellis?
Because you're my girlfriend.
I'm not your girlfriend.
We've been on one date.
One.
Yeah, but...
But what? What'd you expect, Ellis?
I love you.
You're 14.
I don't know. He's just this kid.
Come on, let's...
Try it now.
Nothin'.
Son of a bitch.
What she say?
You're a liar!
Makin' two kids run around, doin' all the work
because you're too scared to do it yourself!
Makin' me tell her it's over because you're too scared!
You said you loved her and you lied!
You gave up on her, and she gave up on you!
Just like everybody else!
I trusted you!
Bonfires and crosses and wolf's eye... Bullshit!
Now, come on, Ellis.
Every single thing you told me was a lie!
You never cared about her, and you never cared about us!
Not enough to matter!
You used us.
You made me a thief!
Let me talk to him.
Ellis!
Ellis, come on!
Ellis, wait a minute.
Ellis!
Shit.
Mud!
Ellis! He fell in the creek!
He fell into the snakes!
Mud, please!
Get the motor started, Neck!
Is he okay? Is he bit?
Shit.
What time is it?
4:18!
Yell it out every 10 minutes.
Okay.
Is he going to be okay?
Got to get him to the clinic.
Are you bit?
No.
My bike's up there!
Need some help here!
Snake bite!
- It's a snake bite! - Stay calm.
Cottonmouth.
Just under an hour.
Okay, we'll take care of him. Let's go! Let's go, people.
Sir.
We're going to need some information from you.
Sir.
Sir!
Hello?
It's okay.
Just sit back.
Where am I?
You're home.
We brought you home.
Come on, sit up.
Come on.
You had us scared, son.
I'm so glad you're okay.
The doctors gave you some medicine.
You had a snake bite.
How did I get to the doctor?
A man brought you in.
No one knew him.
No, no, it's all right.
You just rest now. We'll talk about it later.
Do you need anything? Are you hungry?
No.
Come on, let him get some rest.
I'll be back in to check on you.
Mom? Dad?
I love you.
We love you, too, Ellis.
The sun does shine on a dog's ass some days, huh?
It ain't sunk yet.
Wish Ellis could see it.
I know.
Well...
Looks like you get your end of the deal.
Where's the bullets?
Deal was for the gun, not the bullets.
Shit.
Yeah.
Neck, I've got one more favor I want to ask of you.
Mud?
Don't get up.
How'd you get here?
Neck brought me.
We got the boat in the water.
- You did? - Yeah.
Smooth sailing from here on out.
Wouldn't have felt right leavin' town without comin' to say goodbye.
I'm sorry about what I said.
No, you were right to be mad. You were right about a lot of things.
I don't traffic in the truth too often, but
I did love her.
I do
love her.
She loves you, too.
She said it.
Yeah, I just made mistakes. Heck, we both did, you know.
It's a hard life to keep up with,
can't blame her for gettin' tired of tryin'.
My dad says you can't count on women loving you.
He said you can't trust them.
That's not true.
You're a good man, Ellis.
You meet a girl half as good as you, you're going to be all right.
You're a good man, too, Mud.
No.
No, I ain't, Ellis.
Maybe from here on out, I can...
Stay put.
Ellis!
Don't move.
Mud!
Let him go.
You still down there, buddy?
- Yeah. - All right, stay put.
Flush him out this way.
Mud!
- Mud! - Ellis!
Ellis!
Ellis. Ellis.
It's okay.
Hello?
You're speaking to him.
He's dead?
Hey.
You got your bike back?
Yeah.
Mud dinged the shit out of it.
They're really doing it.
It's the law.
It's bullshit.
They ever find Tom?
No. He's gone.
I heard on the news,
they still hadn't found Mud's body.
You think he's dead?
I don't know.
I hope not.
I gotta go.
Come by the apartments later, help me fix up my room.
All right.
I'll see you next week?
You betcha.
Ellis.
You mind your mother, okay?
This is a big change for her, too.
She's gonna need your support.
Yes, sir.
All right.
I love you.
I love you, too.
Come on, son.
You gotta see this.