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Chapter Two
Brent knew he had had too much to drink. That’s the way it was when you were in college. You drank heavily because that’s what was expected. Besides, what was the point in being twenty-one if you didn’t take advantage of it?
His parents badgered him all the time about his drinking. For some reason, they thought he was an alcoholic. They just didn’t understand how it was. You had to flow with the crowd if you wanted to be a part of it. And Brent was trying hard to get inside the frat house by the end of summer.
A couple of his buddies put him up to hassle one of the waitresses earlier as part of his initiation. They were easy here, providing services other than taking orders for drinks, and the guys had assured him he could score.
Unfortunately, the one he chose wasn’t playing.
She was a pretty thing, with long, jet hair and flashing jewel-green eyes, but she had a chip on her shoulder or something because he couldn’t get her to talk to him let alone entertain the offer he was prepared to make.
Looking around, he saw that half of the group he had come with were already gone. The other half were tipping back drinks with gusto and moving to the beats the speakers were pumping out.
Brent was tired, his stomach and brain filled to bursting with beer. He had classes in the morning and he wasn’t even sure he would be able to make them at this rate, but he had to try if he wanted to keep his scholarship. His grades sure as hell weren’t cutting it anymore.
Tapping Marcus on the shoulder, Brent nearly fell when the guy spun around and stumbled into him. He helped Marcus right himself and blearily straightened his clothing.
“I’m heading back to campus.” Brent jerked a thumb toward the door.
Marcus’ glassy eyes followed the gesture. “Yeah, man. Cool.” He turned back to his date and forgot Brent was ever there.
Brent felt a bit slighted, but it wasn’t like him to feel sorry for himself. He knew that he was still the low guy on the totem pole. Soon, though, he would be fully part of Marcus’ group, then he would be laughing right along with them.
Drawing his shoulders back, he headed woozily for the exit.
The bouncer, a muscled black guy with a goatee and hard eyes, pushed the steel door open, and Brent slipped passed him. The night air was still nice for this time of the year, the humidity low and the temperature mild. Tolerable.
Brent fingered his keys, locating the little fob as he stumbled over uneven ground toward his red Jetta. He just needed to get home, take a few aspirin and sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a killer.
***
Randy was staring out the windshield waiting for his tramp of a wife to reveal herself when the pretty-boy asshole he had watched fondling her emerged. He watched him trip over his own feet several times as if the ground heaved and rolled beneath him. Although his car was parked just feet from the entrance, the obviously drunk college kid seemed to be having difficulty traveling that distance.
Finally giving in to gravity, the boy crumbled to the asphalt, landing on his hands and knees, and gave up the contents of his stomach to the ground beneath him.
Randy saw his opportunity, and took it.
Shifting into drive, he let off the brake and let the truck start its slow roll forward.
“Thou shall not covet,” he whispered, angling the truck until the kid was in his crosshairs, then flipped on the high beams and stomped on the gas.
The impact of the boy’s body was solid against the grill of the sturdy 4x4. With a whump! the truck easily plowed over the insignificant scrap of flesh and bone and continued its path. The tires bumped a couple of times and recovered, squealing as Randy flew out of the parking lot and disappeared into the night.
***
Something was going down outside. Terri finished filling a pitcher of draft and lining glass cups up on her tray. She kept her eyes on her work, but her attention was focused on what was happening around her. A flurry of excitement had people evacuating the dance floor and their tables and crowding out the door.
“What the hell’s going on?” Luke yelled, storming from the hall that led to his office.
“No clue,” Cathie replied. “They all just started hollering and running like cattle from the slaughter.”
Luke shouted at his bouncer, Ray, to close the doors. “Don’t let anyone else out until they’ve paid their bill,” he commanded.
From behind the bar, Terri and the other waitresses waited to see what would happen next. If it became mob scene, Terri was prepared to bolt for Luke’s office where she knew the door to be sturdy, and then lock herself inside.
As predicted, the patrons trapped inside began shouting their protest, encroaching slowly on Luke and Ray, who didn’t look concerned in the least by the threat.
Pointing over their heads, Luke directed their attention back to the bar. “If you want outside, go pay your tab first!”
