Page 67 of No One Wants That (Blitzen Bay)

BUTCH

“What do you mean fight? What kind of fight?”

All of the guys are sitting around the patio of the bar right across the street from The Angry Ant. Nash just answered a phone call. His face went from normal to deadly in under a second.

“Jim! What do you mean the blonde woman sent a guy to the ground with a right hook? What blonde woman?”

Mason and I jump up, throw a few twenties on the table, and head toward the gate.

“We’re across the street. We’re on our way.” Nash shakes his head and looks at Mason. “My buddy Jim is at the Ant. He said some guy was talking to our ladies when ‘the blonde woman’ floored him with a right hook. Since he knows my blonde woman’s name, I’m guessing it was your blonde woman.”

“If it was a right hook,” Mason says, letting out a long sigh, “it was always going to be my blonde woman.”

Alex catches up to us. “What? They’re in a bar fight?”

“Settle down,” Mason says. “Millie can hold her own until we get there. And I’ve seen Raine do some damage, too. Butch, you remember that guy in Virginia Beach who pulled Raine into a hug against her will?”

“The guy she punched in the sack?” I ask, chuckling. “He crumpled to the floor like he’d been shot. You have to get permission before you hug someone that short. Her shoulders line right up with most crotches.”

“Damn,” Nash says as we approach the Ant. “You have some fighters. I’ve been trying to teach Elle some self-defense moves, but she’s not that interested. I bet Kit can fight, though.”

“She’s certainly got a fighter’s attitude,” I say as we close in on the door.

When we walk into the bar, a steroidal body builder has Millie wrapped up, pushing her toward the door. Raine and Elle are hanging off his arms, trying to break his hold. Kit’s talking to some guy behind them who’s holding his cheek like he just got punched. And there’s an older man cowering on the floor with one hand over his crotch and the other over his ear.

“Whoa! What the hell?” Mason says, putting a chokehold on Steroid’s neck until he releases Millie. Mason pushes him against a wall.

Steroid throws his hands up. “I was just trying to move her to the door,” he says, gasping for air.

“You don’t fucking move her anywhere. Are we clear?”

Steroid nods quickly. Mason releases him and looks down at Millie. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. He’s not the problem,” she says, pointing at the older guy, “but that asshole needs to learn to keep his mouth shut.”

“Mr. Walker?” Nash says, walking over to the guy on the floor. He turns around to look at Elle. “What the hell is going on?”

Trip points at Millie. “That bitch assaulted me.”

When Millie starts back toward him, Mason grabs her and pushes her to me. “Butch.”

“Yep. I’ve got her.”

I grab Millie’s arm. She pulls it away and tries to get around me.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Mills,” I say, blocking her with my arm. “Your choice.”

When she tries to duck under my arm, I quickly pin her arms to her sides and pick her up. “Hard way, it is.”

I scan the bar and point to an empty booth in the back. “Everyone over there,” I say, looking at the ladies. “Move it.”

Elle, Raine, and Kit hustle over there. I carry Millie over and push her down into the booth.

“Did you hit the old guy?” I get down in her face. “He’s a little below your fight class, don’t you think?”

Millie crosses her arms and glares at me. “He grabbed Raine and called her a little bitch.”

“He did what?” I spin around and start walking back to where Nash is talking to him.

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