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"What in the world?" I mutter.
The sound is followed by another that explodes over the din.
"I'm going to fucking kill you, Clancy!"
"Get in fucking line, kid."
An old grizzled man is standing up and spitting out the last statement while pointing his hand in the face of a man who is about twice his size and just as angry.
The man decides to charge at Clancy who sidesteps him and brandishes his beer bottle.
"Come on, you asshole," Clancy exclaims beckoning to him like a bull. "Show me what you got!'
"Is that..." I wonder.
"Probably," Maddox says, and I sigh. This is going to be a lot tougher than I thought.
The other man’s face turns even redder as he charges at Clancy again. This time, he makes contact and the bull of a man drives Clancy into the table behind him which goes crashing down. Cheers go up in the bar as Clancy proceeds to break the beer bottle over the man's head.
"Cut it out!" the woman behind the bar screams. "Seriously, guys! I'll call the police this time."
Her voice can barely be heard over the crowd of people now chanting, wanting more. I don't even notice Maddox leave my side until suddenly his tall frame is standing next to the fight catching the other man by his shirt and pulling him off Clancy.
The man looks furious and confused at the same time. He turns to Maddox like he's about to attack him too until Maddox leans in and whispers something in his ears. Then his frown eases slightly and then nods. With a final glare at Clancy, the bull walks off.
I move forward as the disappointed crowd quiets down and goes back to whatever they were doing before. I get to Maddox just as Clancy snarls, "Well, who the fuck are you?"
"I’m the man who’s going to buy your house," Maddox answers smoothly.
"You're old man Clancy, right?" I ask, and his unfriendly blue eyes pivot to me.
"Who's asking?"
"I'm Ava," I say. "And this is Maddox. We're really interested in the mansion near the forest. Are you free to talk about it?"
"I'm not talking about shit with you two meddling brats," he slurs and staggers a little. The man is clearly drunk.
I scan my eyes over his unkempt form noting his faded shirt and his tattered trousers. His sneakers though are surprisingly well-kept, Nike Air Force ones. Stuff I typically see on younger people. That combined with the silver locket on his neck and his colorful woven bracelet tells me everything I need to know about the man.
"Tell me about your granddaughter," I ask.
His face frowns in confusion. "Huh?"
"Your granddaughter," I say. "She bought you those shoes, didn't she?"
He hesitates and then nods.Lucky guess.
"Come," I gesture to the seat that was upended, setting it aright. "Tell me about her. And don't skimp out on the hard stuff. I have a daughter so I know teenagers can be tricky."
Clancy is silent for a few more seconds watching me drowsily. And then he nods.
I catch the visible surprise on Maddox's face when Clancy immediately slips into the seat. I savor it, enjoying the thought that he will see me at work.
But it's nothing compared to his face when I walk out of that restaurant two hours later—slightly drunker—with a deal.
Chapter Twenty
Maddox
