Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
My gaze moved slowly across the room, and I let my instincts take over. I wasn’t looking for the loud ones. I was looking for the shift in the air.
And I found it.
Two guys were sitting at the front right, near the stage. The table was right in the thick of the action, but the two men were too busy arguing to even notice the hot little blonde twirling in front of them. One of them leaned forward, and he looked pissed as the other continued to mouth off. I don’t know what he was going on about, but clearly, it wasn’t landing right.
I glanced over at Memphis, and as expected, he was watching the same two assholes. “You seeing what I’m seeing?”
“Yeah.” Memphis turned to Goose and motioned his head. “Front right table.”
“Yeah, I see ‘em.”
The tension at the table ticked up a notch, and the first guy shoved his chair back an inch while his friend’s hand came up like he was making a point. That’s when I saw it.
A small leather holster that appeared to be holding a 9mm.
It wasn’t against the law to conceal carry in most states, Arkansas included, but concealing in a bar was a big no-go. My gut went tight. Before I could point it out, Memphis leaned in and announced, “I see it.”
“I see it, too.” Goose’s friendly grin vanished and was replaced with a fierceness I wouldn’t expect from a guy like him. “It should’ve been caught at the door.”
“Well, they missed it.” There was no missing the agitation in Memphis’s voice when he said, “It happens. Now, we gotta get a hold of this guy before he does something stupid.”
“How you wanna handle it?”
“We don’t want to spook ‘em. We go in slow and easy.” Memphis cracked his neck and started forward as he announced, “I’ll take left.”
“I got the right.” As Goose started forward, he looked over to me. “You coming?”
I gave him a quick nod, and a familiar calm settled in as I followed behind. We didn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention, so we didn’t rush. We took it nice and slow, weaving through the crowd like we were just making rounds.
Goose eased to the right while Memphis drifted to the left, and I hung back half a step, letting the angle play out like it needed to. The two guys didn’t notice us at first. They were still locked in whatever argument they had going on, but they both fell silent when Goose stepped up to the table. “Evening, fellas. How’s it going?”
“We’re fine.” The guy on the left looked annoyed as he leaned back and said, “Just having a friendly discussion.”
“Why don’t you take your friendly discussion outside?”
“I said, we’re fine.”
“Yeah, we heard you,” Memphis answered, trying his damnedest to keep his calm as he approached from the other side. “But you’re getting a bit loud.”
The one on the right shifted in his seat, and I spotted the gun again. He clocked Memphis. Then Goose. His eyes lingered a fraction too long, and I knew he was about to do something stupid. He pushed his chair back like he was about to stand as he said, “Man, I ain’t going nowhere…”
His hand dipped, and that was all I needed.
I moved.
Two steps. That’s all it took. I was behind him, sliding my arm around his neck. With the V of my arm pressing at his throat, I locked in tight. His hands flew up, trying to grab at my arm, but I already had the hold set. And I had him tight enough to shut him down quick.
Memphis stepped in, catching his wrist before he could get anywhere close to his weapon, and warned, “Don’t be stupid.”
The guy struggled for a second, but it was already over.
His body started to go slack, and then, he was out.
I eased him back down to his chair, and Memphis took the weapon from the holster, quiet and efficient. I took a quick glance around, making sure there wasn’t going to be any backlash from someone we hadn’t noticed. Music was still thumping, the girls were still dancing, and drinks were still being poured.
Without a word, the friend stood and darted for the door. He kept his head down, trying to go unnoticed. It was a smart move. It was only a matter of time before we came for him. When the door closed behind him, Goose gave the guy a tug and said, “Let’s get him out of here.”
We hauled him up between us, arms slung over our shoulders like we were just helping out a fella who’d had one too many. We didn’t stop until we were out the door and at the curb. Memphis let him drop first, and Goose followed suit. The guy slumped against the pavement.