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I don’t hesitate as I stand and move away from the table, crossing my arms over my chest. I turn and see Riley standing before Laurence, who appears to be stumbling as he gets up from the ground, from either being thrown or hit.
Laurence’s eyes are set on Riley as he spits on the floor, blood coating his lips as he nods for his boys to circle him. I panic, but Riley doesn’t seem concerned. In fact, he looks so fucking pissed off, I don’t think anything could scare him right now.
Riley cracks his neck and clenches his fists when Laurence curls his lips back in a snarl and growls, “If you want a piece of that, get in line.”
The next second is like a bull being shown a red flag because Riley goes after him, has his hands in his shirt, pulling him close before hitting him once in the face. Laurence drops like a sack of potatoes.
All talk, I guess, I think to myself, as I notice his boys still there, watching Riley and Riley is all too aware. I don't know how this was gonna go. The boys could chicken out now that their leader has been knocked down, or they could wanna try to defend him.
Judging by the pissed off looks being aimed at Riley, I know what route they're going to take. But Riley still remains unfazed as he looks at each of them circling him, a couple holding beer bottles, the dancing crowd now backed off and watching the fight with looks of concern and delight.
Riley doesn’t see him, but a guy dressed in a blazer similar to Laurence, with styled blonde hair and a baby face, holds a beer bottle high as he goes to charge Riley.
I go to scream as fear crushes my chest, but the man makes it a couple of steps before a pool cue is swiped before him, knocking him down and out like Laurence.
Riley and the boys turn and see Malcom and Travis holding a broken pool cue, Malcom looking cautious as he eyes the men, but Travis adorning his usual cocky smirk. “Now, boys, five against one is just sad. Let’s make this interesting.”
“This doesn’t concern you,” one yells, a nervous glimmer in their eyes as they take in Malcom and Travis, specifically Travis.
Malcom narrows his eyes, but Travis scoffs. “Actually, that’s where you are wrong.” He points his pool cue at me still standing off to the side. “You hurt her.” He moves to point the pool cue at each of them. “And we hurt you.” He smiles. “A lot.”
The boys all look at each other, possibly considering leaving, but they are clearly not smart as I see their scowls focus back in on Travis, Riley, and Malcom a second before they charge them.
One guy swings at Riley, and he dodges effortlessly before swinging back, punching the guy in the nose, blood spraying on impact. Malcom has a guy approaching him, but Malcom has his hands up, warning him. “Now you might wanna think about this. Can you really walk out of this okay?”
The guy answers by punching Malcom in the face so hard, but Malcom merely sighs, looking apologetic as he says, “I tried to give you a chance.”
He then sends a punch sailing through the air, hitting the guy in the face until he is tumbling across the floor, landing in a heap near the last guy.
Travis, however, is not trying to settle things down. He smirks at the guys that went at him as he continues to swing his pool cue, hitting them in their legs, ribs, and faces until the pool cue is nothing but broken pieces of wood.
Dropping what's left and seeing more men coming his way, he grabs a chair, and that is when I gasp at the feel of a hand on my arm. I turn, ready to run, but stop when I am met with the familiar kind eyes of Danny.
I take his hand and he leads me away from the brawl, only saying as I stop, “Don’t worry about them. I need to get you safe, then I’ll deal with this bullshit.”
Even though every part of me wants to jump on the back of one of those guys and help take them down, I know I would not help but give the boys more to worry about, which they don't need right now.
Danny pulls me behind the bar, telling me to duck and hide. Feeling silly, I listen, sitting down with my knees up as Danny pulls something from behind the bar, leaving to enter the crowd, and end the madness that is this crazy night.
CHAPTER 32
RILEY
There's an ice pack on my cut eyebrow, Malcom is icing his hand, which looks red and swollen, while Travis continues to smile despite his busted lip he's currently icing. Danny's outside talking to the cops. Luckily, he had a few friends on the force who claimed they had run-ins with those boys before, but their parents have always bailed them out. They’ve taken the boys in and given the rest of us warnings because we were protecting Mia from these guys and they charged at us,technically.
Mia sits at the bar with a little blanket around her, a look of hopelessness on her face, and I wonder what she must be thinking. She has been attacked, so maybe she regrets coming here and wants to leave, maybe she’s blaming herself because I know people do that shit when these things happen. But before I can ask, Danny waltzes back in, looking at each of us with raised brows when he reaches the bar. I should expect a scolding or to be fired. We abused a customer, several, but they had tried to hurt one of our own.
So instead of apologising, I hold Danny’s look with one of my own as I say firmly, “I’m not sorry, Danny. I’ll do it again if anyone else fucks with our own.”
The boys nod beside me, Malcom saying, “They made their choice, Danny.”
“Yeah, so we made ours.” Travis gives a shameless smile as Danny looks at each of us with a thoughtful expression before he starts to speak, his expression neutral.
“My friend tells me that they will be charged, but I can’t guarantee their parents won’t try to wash it away. But they won’t be coming back here.”
After that, he sighs and looks at each of us as the silence lingers before saying the last thing I thought he would say. “I’m proud of you boys.”
We blink, surprised, as he moves towards Mia, throwing his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a fatherly embrace, saying to each of us, “Those boys are lucky I didn’t see what they were trying to do. I know what they were trying to do now, but if I saw it, I would’ve got my gun on those fuckers so fast.” He shakes his head. “I would have fired your asses if you didn’t kick their entitled behinds for trying such shit with Mia.” He gives her a squeeze, and she gives a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.
