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“No, I’m really not,” he said, standing up and towering over them.
His face dripping with scotch and soda, the man swung his fist at Baron, who caught it and wrenched it up and then behind the man’s back.
Hegave him a hard push and sent him sprawling on the floor.
Baron blocked the blow from the second man and lashed out with his fist, catching him on the chin.
But the third man kidney-punched Baron from behind and he staggered and fell down against the bar.
The other two men jumped up and started punching and kicking him. There were other people in the bar, but noneof them tried to stop the pounding Baron was taking.
Except one.
“FBI!”
Amos Decker had his weapon pointed at the men.
They all froze.
“Get away from him. Now!” barked Decker, who had just walked in to see this beating. After the men retreated, he glanced at Baron. “You okay?”
Baron, his lip bloody and his right eye puffy, struggled upand managed to stand while holding on to the bar, clutching at his side.
He rubbed his hand along his back and stretched. “No permanent damage, it seems,” he said, though he did wince in pain.
“He threw his drink in my face,” said the first man. “He started it.”
The bartender said, “No he didn’t. You jerks did.”
Decker snapped, “And it’s three on one andyou guys are half his age?”
“You needn’t detain them,” said Baron.
“What?” said Decker.
Baron next looked at the bartender, who had started to punch in 911 on her phone. “You don’t have to do that. These young men are obviously a bit intoxicated. I’m sure they meant no harm.”
“I’m pretty sure they meant a lot of harm,” countered Decker. “To you.”
Baron held up his hand. “Nevertheless, it really won’t do any good to have them arrested. And it might do far more bad.”
“You sure?”
“Quite sure, thank you.”
Decker glared at the men. “You so much as think about touching this guy, your asses are mine. Do you understand?”
The largest of them glared at Decker as he wiped scotch from his eyes. “Whatever.”
Decker holstered his gun, marched forward, grabbed him by his shirt, and slammed him up against the wall. “No, not ‘whatever.’Do you understand?”
“I understand, I understand, okay? Shit!”
Decker let him go and pushed him toward the exit. “Now clear out!”
The three men slowly left, each of them looking back at Decker and Baron before the last one slammedthe door behind him.
Decker looked at Baron. “What was that all about?”
