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“Ricky. Snake.” My voice is gravel, low and laden with an authority that brooks no argument. “That’s enough.”
Ricky’s slim frame goes rigid, his smug smirk faltering. He turns to me, that permanent sneer still clinging to his lips, but there’s a flicker of something else—caution. His buddy, Snake, narrows those cold eyes, sizing me up like he’s calculating the odds. They know I’m not some idle threat.
“Aw, come on, Pete. We’re just havin’ a little fun,” Ricky drawls.
“Your fun ends where her patience does,” I shoot back, not breaking eye contact. “She’s not your plaything.”
Snake snorts, a sharp sound that slices through the tense air, but he steps back, a silent concession to the line I’ve drawn. Ricky hesitates, then mirrors his friend’s retreat, the arrogance bleeding away from his posture.
“Alright, alright,” he mutters, and I can tell he’s trying to save face, keep that fragile ego intact. “No need to get your beard in a twist.”
The bar breathes again, the moment of danger passing as they slink away, their shadows melting into the crowd. Jane offers me a nod, her expression softening just the slightest, and I wonder if she sees past the gray in my beard, the weariness in my eyes, to the man who once would have thrown punches first and asked questions later.
“Thanks, Pete,” she says under her breath, and there’s something like warmth in those frosty eyes.
I gruffly nod back, watching her disappear towards the back. It’s getting harder to remember a time when this kind of trouble wasn’t waiting to pounce. But family means you stand up, even when your bones ache and your spirit’s tired. It means you protect your own against the darkness, even if it’s just with a few stern words and the unspoken promise of a fight.
A playful laugh from the other end of the bar catches my attention, a stark contrast to the tension that had filled the room moments before. Life goes on, it seems, regardless of the little tragedies that unfold within these walls. And for now, that’s enough for me.
The door swings open, a gust of cool night air brushing past me as Texas steps through the threshold.
“Thanks again, Pete,” Jane says, as she materializes from the back room. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Ride safe, you two,” I call out, my words steady despite the drumming in my chest. “And Tex, keep an eye on her, will ya?”
Texas tips his chin up. “Always do,” he replies, and though his words are few, they’re laden with a weight that reassures me.
Jane looks up at him, the pale green of her eyes gleaming even in the dim light of the exit sign. She’s got this small, tentative smile playing on her lips, like she’s on the cusp of some great discovery, and it makes something in my chest tighten.
“Ready?” Texas asks, his hand hovering just shy of her lower back—a gentleman’s invitation, respectful and protective all at once.
“More than ready,” Jane responds, and there’s this undertone to her voice, a hint of excitement laced with a touch of defiance.
It’s as if stepping out with him is her own quiet rebellion, a claim to the life she’s been denied too long.
They move together, their shadows merging and parting beneath the flickering streetlights outside. My gaze follows them until the door swings shut, cutting off my view, cutting off my reach.
Inside, the bar hums with its usual rhythm, but I’m adrift in my thoughts. I wonder about Jane and Texas. He used to blow through town when I owned the bar. Always a wild one, never settling down but the way he looked at Jane, well, that was different.
I push off from the bar and start cleaning up, the motions slow and deliberate. Every clink of glass, every swipe of the rag, feels like a small victory.
“Can I have another?” a patron asks, holding up an empty glass.
“Sure. What’ll you have?”
“The cheapest beer you have.”
With a chuckle, I pour him a beer. “A man of expensive tastes, I see.”
He laughs. “My wife will have my balls if I spend too much.”
With a nod of understanding, I pass him his beer. “Well, we can’t have that.”
He slides me a twenty-dollar bill and I give him his change.
The night goes on without incident, Ricky and Snake behave and leave early. Slowly, the crowd thins.
“Alright, let’s wrap it up! Last call!”
