Page 63 of Wolf's Chance

It left the table open, and with slow measured care, I pocketed my fifthshot.

“Shit,” the guy who’d whispered to Ray muttered, and one of the others nodded.

After taking a drink from my beer, I lined up the next shot. Another ball pocketed, leaving just two balls between me and victory. The next ball was positioned at a challenging angle, and with the tension rising from the group of four men in front of me, I pretended to make a mistake, stepping back and sipping my beer.

Ray sprang into action, successfully sinking three of his own balls, but he failed to make the fourth shot. He’d also moved my seven-ball, and I nailed it home with a firm, confident strike. After that, I had only the eight-ball left on the table.

“Name the pocket,” one guy demanded.

The tip of the cue gently tapped the farthest corner. I glanced at Ray to see if he noticed, and the swift jerk of his head told me he did.

Taking a deep breath, I lined up for the final shot. With a perfect strike, the cue ball sent the last ball rolling easily into the corner pocket.

The bar was eerily quiet.

“Good game,” I said, laying my cue on the felt. “Thanks.”

“You cheated.”

I anticipated it, yet his predictability still brought a smile to my face. “Did I? How?”

Ray turned to his friends for support, only to find that they all avoided his gaze. “You just did.”

With a tired sigh, I shrugged off my jacket, fully aware of how the Henley shirt I was wearing emphasized my physique. “Damn, I was hoping you’d be different.”

“What do you mean by ‘different’?” It was thefriend who spoke, the one who I suspected was the only one with any intelligence.

“Your friend just called me a cheater, even though we all know I won fair and square. So that means he either doesn’t have the green to pay me or he wants to cheatme, and I want my money, so I have to kick his ass.” I met each of their stares. “I know you won’t play fair, so I’ll beatallyour asses. Are we on the same page?”

Ray dropped his cue on the table. “Just give him the money. This place is a shithole anyway. We’re outta here.”

The friend casually tossed the money onto the table, and as they exited, one of them carelessly knocked over a bar stool. Once they were out of sight, the remaining customers started cheering and laughing.

I gathered the money, placed it in my wallet, and then put my jacket back on. I restored the knocked over bar stool and locked eyes with the bartender at the bar.

“Be careful when you leave,” he said while placing a new bottle of beer on the counter. “Ray is someone who doesn’t handle losing well.” When I went to pay, he shook his head. “Hell no, that was the first time in a long time the little shit’s been quiet. You earned that,” he said, nodding to the bottle. “Enjoy.”

I received congratulations from a few more people before I departed not long after. The bartender reminded me once again to stay safe as I left, and I thanked him for the warning as I said goodbye.

Even without any prior notice, I would have stayed alert as I walked back to the bed and breakfast. Ray and his friends would never win awards for subtlety. The first one jumped mewhen I rounded the corner, but I was ready for him. While I was in the middle of punching the first one, the second guy rushed towards me. Surprisingly, the third person, whom I’d believed to be somewhat intelligent, jumped from a roof but failed to hit me or his companion. A loud scream accompanied the sound of a bone snapping upon his landing.

Which just left me and Ray.

While one friend was rolling around in self-inflicted pain, the other two were on the ground groaning. I couldn’t help but grin. “I’ll let you have the first hit,” I told him. With my fists raised, I gestured for Ray to approach by opening my right hand and motioning him forward. “Let’s do this.”

Big Bad Ray caught me off guard for the first time that evening. He turned on his heel and ran. At first, I thought it was a trick and he would come back with more sycophants and minions, but then I realized he’d just run away.

With a smile on my face, I strolled back to the lodge, knowing there wouldn’t be any more surprises.

The owner noticed my arrival, quickly covering her initial confusion, and greeted me with a smile. Upon entering the room, I quietly locked the door behind me, careful not to disturb Willow, who was still fast asleep.

Only after I had changed for bed did I notice that she had been awake while I was gone. The notepad had an addition since I left it on the nightstand beside her.

In the sketch, I was in a bar, sporting a confident grin, with my gaze fixed straight ahead. I looked at it, then at her, and ripped the paper off of the notepad, crumpled it, and threw it away.

As I climbed into bed, I couldn’t help but let out afrustrated sigh. I had hoped that a couple of beers would help me relax and fall asleep, but seeing that sketch only pissed me off again.

It took a long time for me to fall asleep, and when I finally did, the only thing I could see when I closed my eyes was Willow smiling in her sleep. Like she knew she’d pissed me off and was happy she had.

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