Page 80 of Just Say When

She had allowed it to happen.

Because of me.

And that was unbearable.

Shameful.

I found Alan inside, his fist wrapped around a bottle of beer. “You and I need to have a little chat,” I said, pulling up next to him.

He grunted. “I want my money.”

“So you told my wife.”

He grunted again.

“That was a mistake, Alan.” I said this pleasantly enough, despite the fury building in my gut.

He glared at me. “I want my money,” he repeated.

“You will get your money,” I gritted out. “Read the fucking contract. Whatever you’re owed, you get a check for on a quarterly basis, along with a statement of account. March, June, September, December. Understand? The money didn’t magically appear in my bank account the second Pirate won. It doesn’t work that way.”

“Oh.” Alan blinked slowly as he considered that.Then he gave me a sloppy grin. “Well, in that case, you can tell Essie no hard feelings.”

My rage boiled over.

I grabbed him by his flannel shirt and hauled him to his feet. “I won’t be telling Essie shit, and neither will you. Keep her name out of your mouth, and your hands off my wife.”

Alan sputtered incoherent sounds of surprise.

“Say you understand.” I shook him, hard. “Say it.”

“I understand,” he whined.

“Good.” I released my hold on his shirt and took a step back, not remotely sorry when he crumpled on the floor. “Now get the fuck out of my bar. Men who put hands on my wife aren’t welcome here.”

That’s when the little fucker grabbed me by the leg and before I could shake him off, he had my jeans pushed up and sank his filthy teeth into my shin like a goddamn chihuahua. I kicked him in the ribs with my other foot and he let go with a howl of pain.

“Fucking hell!” I roared. “If I have to get a goddamn rabies shot, I swear to god—” And I kicked him again.

“I’m calling the cops!” Alan wailed as three men jumped in to pull me away. “You Hale boys think you’re so high and mighty. Well, this time you made a mistake.”

“We’ll see about that,” I seethed.

I had fucked up again.

“Can’t say I ever thought I’d see you on that side of the bars,” Mike Bailey said, shaking his head as he slid the door into place with a metallic clang and locked it.

Mike and I had graduated Aspen Springs High School the same year and our paths had crossed a handful of times in the ensuing years. Mostly when he arrested my clients. Taxes and divorce made up the bulk of my work, but every now and then I had a criminal case. Drunk driving or nuisance charges, generally.

“I get a phone call,” I reminded him.

“Yeah, I know, you can’t bail yourself out. Unless you have five hundred cash in your wallet right now?” Mike looked hopeful. I shook my head. “I figured as much. We only take cash. No cards or checks. Want me to give Essie a ring? Tell her to come get you?”

My chest clenched at the sound of her name. Essie was the very last person I’d want to see me here. She had to be up at five a.m. to get to Lodestar. No way was I going to drag her down here to bail out her dumbass of a husband. Especially not when the whole thing was my fault.

Zack would have been my first choice, since I’d done the same for him on more than one occasion. But he wasn’t driving anywhere with that leg in a cast. My dad was out of the question, too. I didn’t think I could stand his look of disappointment when I was already this disappointed with myself.

That left Adam.

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