Page 15 of Weatherman

She disappeared into the crowd toward the bar. I found a clear spot at a back wall and parked myself there to watch and listen to the music. It had been ages since I’d been to a bar. It didn’t really scare me, but I was still a little nervous.

The people were piled in thick, and many were dancing. I spotted some of the other Dragon Runners members by their cuts. One of them sat at the bar sipping a white ceramic mug of what I assumed was coffee. Huge, dark, and menacing, his eyes scanned the crowd constantly. Another one was behind the bar along with Betsey. I remembered someone calling him Bruiser, but I hadn’t really met him yet. She spotted me and waved me over. I played dumb and waved back. Then she got too busy filling orders to bother with me.

I glanced at my phone sometime later to find out only a half hour had passed by. I was sure it was more. The lights, the noise, the gyrating bodies—it was getting to me. I found myself thinking about the burn of a fireball shot as it made its way down my throat. Then the second and the third and the fourth and finally the numbness that followed. It had been so long since I’d done anything like that, and the sudden craving caught me off guard.

“Just one drink won’t hurt,”the voice in my belly urged. One that had been dormant but never completely gone.

No,I said internally, with a firmness that didn’t quite hit the mark.

“You can take tonight to relax. Go back to boring tomorrow.”

Stop talking to me.

“Maybe Kimmie will let you buy a joint off her. She obviously needs the money.”

Stop.

“You’ve been working so hard. Pearl is safe at home. You’d be okay letting your hair down.”

Stop!

I almost said it out loud. Shouted it for that matter. Yeah, one drink might be okay, but it could lead to another. Then another. Then another. And when that wasn’t enough, other stuff would follow. I would not be going down that road, but it was hard. Especially when a rum and Coke appeared in front of my eyes in a big square hand.

“Here you go, baby doll. You look like you could use one of these.”

My eyes focused on a large wide man with a slight gut hanging down over his belt. His flannel shirt screamed country farmer, not biker, and the cowboy hat on his head seemed like overkill. He stood very close to me. Closer than I wanted.

“No, thank you,” I shouted, hoping to be heard.

I wasn’t.

“Ah, doan’ be like that. It’s Friday, and we’re here for a good time!”

His boyish grin might be cute another time, but at that moment, I found it disturbing. “I’m sorry, but I’m not drinking tonight.”

“Come on now, baby doll. I’ll make sure you get home safe.”

The leer, the sparkle, the words—I recognized this tactic. It was far too familiar. “It’s not a good night for me.”

The grin fell a little. “You should lighten up some, else you ain’t gonna get anywhere.”

Anger rose up in me. In the past, I’d handled these situations much differently. Now, I didn’t want to handle them at all. “I’m not looking for anything, anyone, or anywhere tonight.”

“Then why’d you come here?”

Good question.“I don’t know. My friend needed a wingwoman, but she’s abandoned me, so I guess I’ll leave.”

“Who’s your friend?”

“Her name is Kimmie.”

His belligerent frown turned up into a knowing smirk. “Kimmie? Pink hair? I met her last weekend over at Reaver’s bar in Maggie Valley.” His bushy brows waggled a few times. “Nowthat’sa woman who knows how to throw down and go down.”

A vision of my friend on her knees ran through my mind. I didn’t need to hear more about Kimmie and her private life. I wanted to keep my own focus, and at the moment, that was to get away from this bully. “That’s great for her, but I’m not into that anymore. Have a nice night.”

I turned to leave and was promptly jerked back. My upper arm burned from the meaty hand that was wrapped around it.

“Don’t you walk away from me, bitch. I’ll say when you can leave.”

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