Page 44 of Special Agent Lucifer

Unnerved to the point of finding her own body clenching with rioting suspicions, Honey wavered to her feet and edged closer thinking to say something to him, calm him down or hell – she didn’t know.

Making her move, her brain screamed at her irrational decision. What the fuck are you doing?

Stop!

How could she? Sensing danger, she couldn’t just ignore what her heart knew. This creep wanted to hurt Luke.

As she crept closer, pushing between other customers on the move, she tried to call out, but her voice only squeaked. That’s when she saw him lift the hand from his pocket and hold the gun at his side. Oh, God! Oh, God. What…?

She heard Luke promise to return after a short break and noticed that he intended to head to the bar as he usually did. Sweeping past the fans who surrounded him, he came closer. Honey could see the man’s hand begin to raise, to aim… to steady.

And she dove.

With nothing more than the need to stop him from shooting, Honey grabbed the gun-wielding hand from behind, forcing it upward. She shoved her knee into the back of his as hard as she could. With the weight of her body, she propelled him against an empty barstool, knocking it over, and they both toppled to the ground... the gun landing on the floor, and him on top of her.

Powerful, his body like a snake, he wriggled… his back pressing against her front so she could barely move. In a jujitsu move, she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hold to keep him confined.

The people nearby parted, screaming, shouting… leaving her to deal with the struggling maniac. Reaching behind him, his hand found her loosened hair and his fist clutched at the tumbling curls, trying to force her away. But she wouldn’t let go. She bit his hand so hard, she drew blood. Still he tried to shake her loose, but she clung to his back like a bloodsucker.

Then Luke rushed in to take over. Once she saw his face and heard the harsh voice ordering her to back off, she listened and crept away. He plunged his fist into the stomach of the struggling man while another guy picked the gun up. And another fellow held back the crowd with an FBI badge being used as a reason to be obeyed.

The would-be murderer tried to fight back but Luke was having none of it. He stopped the coming blow and whirled with the arm caught in his while he punched the struggler in the stomach, again and yet again. His prowess had the lookie-loos gasping.

Soon, Luke stood the culprit on his feet with his hands behind his back. That’s when the badge carrier broke in and took over handling the criminal, speaking low to Luke who nodded and stepped away.

In seconds, he leaned down to lift Honey to her feet, his arms holding her so tight, she had trouble breathing. “Oh, God, Honey. Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Christ, I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

“I’m good. I’m fine.” Like a baby seeking protection, she snuggled closer until he pulled her away. Holding her by her arms so he could look into her face, his voice cracked as he questioned.

“What are you doing here?”

Suddenly, she was pissed again. Yanking herself from his embrace, she raged, “Really?” She hit out at him, slapped at his reaching hands. “You’re going to ask me that?”

Controlling her by pulling her back in his arms, he groaned. “Christ, you walked out yesterday and left me with the impression that you never wanted to see me again.”

She sniffed while keeping her face hidden against his chest. “That’s true. I only came to see Linda. But I couldn’t just let him shoot you, could I? He had a gun. And his-his face was ugly with hate. I didn’t know what to do. I tried to call out.” She covered her eyes, choking back the sobs.

In seconds, he led her toward the back room, met there by a nervous, upset Linda spilling drops from a large glass of freshly poured ginger ale. She passed the drink to Honey and handed Luke a warm towel. They both sat her down on the only chair in the space while Luke gently wiped the blood from her face. Linda gathered her rioting hair back, taking some combs from her own upsweep and using them for Honey.

“Oh, my God, what’s that?” Honey pointed at the red streaks on the white cotton cloth.

“It’s his blood, Honey. Not yours. When you pushed him over the stool, he must have cut his head. Didn’t you notice?”

“No.” She coughed, her shock obvious, and her temper brewing. “So bite me. I was too busy trying keep us alive.” Then she added, sarcasm making her words humorous. “Little ole me.”

Linda giggled with relief. “Sounds like you’ll be fine, kiddo. I’ll leave you two alone for now. Luke, when you have to get back onstage, let me know, and I’ll see to her.”

Voice stiff and manner unbending, Luke’s words shocked both women. “I won’t be going back tonight. Not now. I’ll take her home, see that she’s safe.”

“No, you won’t—”

His finger stabbed the air and made Honey back away. “Not a word.” He looked at Linda and ordered, “Stay with her until I get back. Just going to let the guys know they’ll be doing the rest of the show themselves.”

“Sure, Luke. I’ll hold her down in case she tries to run.” Linda grinned over her joke and smiled larger when Honey groaned.

Once Luke left, the electricity of the moment lightened, and Honey remembered why she’d shown up that night. “Linda, we’re alone now. Tell me why you wanted me to come and see you.”

Linda squatted down so their faces were even. “I ran into one of the older guys who used to bartend here twenty years ago. Fred’s a good friend, taught me a lot. He said something that made me wonder if it might help with your investigation into your sister’s death.”

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