Page 42 of Girl, Bound

‘You tell me.’

‘You've got no proof.No evidence tying me to anything. It's just your word against mine, and we bothknow how that'll play out.’

He’s not denying it,Ella thought. That went in her favor.

‘So, you did haverun-ins with Eric Saunders and Kara Murphy?’

‘Maybe I did, but sowhat? You’re not going to pin the blame on me. I'm a decorated officer with aspotless record. You're just a couple of out-of-town feds sticking your noseswhere they don't belong.’

Ella felt theadrenaline begin to overflow. Barber wasn’t going to come quietly, which meantthey had to go for plan B.

She leaned in closerand said, ‘‘We've got more than enough to bring you down, you son of a bitch.The incident with Kara Murphy, using your badge to get a little extra service?Got mad when she turned you down? The personal vendetta against Eric Saunders,the threats you made against him and his company? We've got it all, chapter andverse. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.’

'You're bluffing.You've got nothing. And even if you did, do you really think anyone in thistown would believe you?'

Ripley’s hand twitchedtowards her gun. Ella was keeping herself from doing the same, not wanting toescalate but getting closer to boiling point.

‘Watch your mouth,Barber. Or I'll put a bullet in it and call it a day.’ Ripley said. ‘We’re notleaving here without you, so save us the trouble of dragging you out of here,will you?’

But Barber justlaughed, the sound cold and hollow. ‘Come quietly? Where's the fun in that? No,I think I'd rather see how this plays out. See if you two really have thestones to take me down in front of all these fine, upstanding citizens.’

He spread his armswide, encompassing the room in a grand gesture. ‘Go ahead, make a scene. Butjust remember - these are my people, my town. And they'll never turn on one oftheir own. Not for a couple of outsiders with a grudge and a badge.’

In a place like this,loyalty certainly ran thicker than blood. And Barber had been wearing the badgefor a long time.

Anger boiled up insideher like a geyser ready to blow. She wanted nothing more than to wipe that smuggrin off Barber's face, to grind him into the dirt like the worm he was. Butshe knew she had to play this smart. Couldn't just grab the bastard, not withoutrisking a shit storm of trouble raining down on her head.

No, she had to takethe low road as much as it pained her. Had to hit Barber where it hurt, knockhim off balance.

‘You think you're hotstuff, don't you Barber? Think this town's got your back no matter what?’ Shelet out a harsh laugh. ‘Newsflash. You're not as popular as you think. Hell,how do you think we found you? Your so-called pals ratted you out faster than asnitch in a prison yard.’

Barber's expressionchanged, but he quickly masked it. 'Nice try, sweetheart. But I'm not gonnarise to your bait. You got nothing on me, and we both know it.'

Ella's lips curledinto a vicious smile. Time to go for the jugular. ‘Maybe not. But I can see whyyour wife left you.’

Barber's face wentwhite, then red. A vein throbbed in his forehead, pulsing with barely containedrage. 'What did you say? You shut your mouth about my wife, you bitch.'

‘You mean ex-wife?’

It exploded. Barberlunged at Ella, hands outstretched like claws.

But she was ready forhim. She sidestepped his clumsy grab, then drove her knee into his gut. Barberdoubled over, wheezing.

The crowd, a motleycrew of night owls and neon junkies, froze. The music thumped on, oblivious,but the pole dancers paused, clinging to their poles like startled cats in atree.

Barber straightenedup, murder in his eyes. He swung a meaty fist at Ella's head, but she duckedunder the blow. Grabbed his arm and twisted, using his own momentum to flip himonto his back.

He hit the ground witha thud, the breath whooshing out of him.

Barber tried toscramble up, but Ella was on him like a shadow. She pinned him to the stickyfloor, her knee in his back, her hand snapping cuffs around his wrists with theefficiency of a chef plating a dish. Barber thrashed beneath her, spewingcurses. But Ella held him fast, her grip like iron. She glanced up, taking inthe stunned faces of the onlookers. She caught the eye of a dancer in mid-poseand a trucker with a beard that could hide a family of squirrels.

‘Don’t mind us.’ Shewaved them away. She hauled Barber to his feet, his legs wobbling like anewborn foal.

‘Wasn’t so bad, wasit?’ Ripley asked as she lowered her pistol.

‘Bitches,’ Barberspat. ‘You’re going down for this.’

‘Move your ass,Barber. We got a nice cozy cell waiting for you back at the station. You shouldbe pretty familiar with it.’’

---