"Getting tired, grandpa?" The leader taunts, circling me like a rabid dog.
"Nah." I wipe sweat from my brow. "Just wondering if your insurance covers dental."
He charges, telegraphing his move from a mile away. I sidestep, grab his collar, and introduce his face to the bar top. The wood cracks under the impact.
"Hey Tres!" Jacoby calls out, currently has one guy in a headlock while fending off another. "Save some fun for the rest of us!"
"Plenty to go around," I grunt, blocking a desperate swing from my dazed opponent.
The crack of breaking furniture draws my attention. Kyler's opponent has him pinned against a table, but the kid hooks his leg and reverses the position. They crash through the wooden surface together.
"You boys picked the wrong bar," I say, landing another solid hit that sends the leader stumbling into his friend. "Wrong town too."
"Fuck you," he spits, along with a tooth. "Wait till Lupe hears about this."
"I don't give a fuck about Lupe. Tell him he's next." I grab him by the throat, slamming him against the wall hard enough to rattle the neon signs. "Now, here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna crawl back to whatever hole you came from and tell your boss that The Rusty Nail is off limits. Or next time, we won't be so gentle."
Behind me, Jacoby lets out a whoop as he drops his opponent with a devastating right hook. "Down goes the last one!"
I spin around my eyes searching my surroundings. I haven't heard Kyler in a beat. Suddenly, I see the Emerald, the big mother fucking running in Kyler's direction.
"Kyler, duck!"
My warning comes a second too late. Emerald swings a broken bottle, catching Kyler across his chest. Blood blooms across his white t-shirt, but the kid doesn't back down. Instead, he launches forward with a snarl I've never heard from him before, tackling his attacker through the bar's front window.
"Shit." I slam my opponent's head into the pool table, leaving him groaning. "Jacoby, wrap it up! Kyler's in too deep."
Outside, Kyler's still throwing punches, even as blood drips onto the sidewalk. I grab him by the kutte, pulling him off. "That's enough, he got the point."
"Fuckers had it coming," Kyler pants, swaying slightly. His face is pale under the streetlights.
"Fuck, kid." I press my bandana against the worst of the cuts. "You're bleeding like a stuck pig."
Jacoby emerges, wiping blood from his knuckles. "God damnit, do we need to take him to the Hospital?"
"Can't risk it." I keep pressure on Kyler's wounds, noting how the blood soaks through the fabric. "They'll report it."
"'m fine," Kyler slurs, but his legs buckle. I catch him before he hits the pavement.
Shit. My mind races as Kyler's blood seeps through my bandana. Then it hits me - Indy. Brick's voice echoes in my head, bragging about his little girl saving lives.
I fish my phone from my pocket, keeping one arm around Kyler's waist. "Call Indy Cooper," I bark at Jacoby, who's already dialing.
The phone rings twice before her voice comes through, soft but alert. "Hello? Tres?"
"Indy... I need some help."
14
INDY
The shrill ring of my phone jolts me from sleep, my heart racing as I fumble for it in the darkness. Tres's name glows on the screen. At this hour? My stomach knots.
"Hello? Tres?" My voice comes out raspy from sleep.
"Indy..." Tres's deep voice carries tension I've never heard before. "I need some help."
I sit up, sheets falling away. "What's going on, what's wrong?"