they’re all smiles through the doorway.
A couple hours pass by before I start thinkin’ it’s about time to leave. Zane is chattin’ up a storm with the prospects, tryin’ to learn anything he can about them when I hear a man at the bar getting a bit drunk and loud. He’s sittin’ beside a couple of boys, hands on each other’s backs and I can tell they’re all fuckin’ plastered.
If it wasn’t for his accent, I might not be slowly gettin’ closer. There’s no mistakin’ it. He’s definitely not American, and I know better than to think his accent is Irish or English. Nope, it’s Scottish.
“When I get my hands on ‘er I might kill ‘er for what she’s done to me. Fuckin’ bitch, takin’ my girls away from me. How fuckin’ dare she, am I right!?” He snarls, soundin’ as angry as he’s claiming to be.
“Can’t believe she did that to you buddy, and she staged that whole thing? Fuck, man.” The guy to his right says.
“Women will do anything these days to make us guys look vile.” The one on his left says.
Now he hasn’t said her name yet, or the girls’ but fuck if I don’t have a nasty gut feeling.
“What are you doing here?” The sounds of Aggie’s petrified voice causes me to spot her standing in the walkway, staring in the direction of the bar.
The man in the middle stands up and I walk closer to Aggie, showin’ her I’m here for her. From what I know, she doesn’t have a great opinion of her father. He too goes into the walkway and I take a step forward. “Keep your distance, buddy.”
“You know this guy?” Val asks me.
“Yeah, Val. This is the shitbag who put his hands on my woman.” I hiss, glarin’ in his direction. I wanna grab my gun and end this right now, but his daughter is right here. I can’t fuckin’ do that. She’d never be able to push it outta her mind.
“Who might you be?” He asks, starin’ me down like we’ve been lifelong enemies.
Aggie takes a couple steps forward, maybe only three feet away from her father now. “Why did you come here? Why did you come here after what you did . . .”
“And what is it you think I did?”
“I don’t think anything. I saw what you did. I was watching through the window in the kitchen. I saw the way you hit Mum, how you made her bleed and gave her the scar on her face. Why would you do that?!” Aggie screams, heading for her father. She starts to push him but he grabs her by the throat and wraps his hand around it.
I draw my gun and pull back the safety, “Let her go, now!” I roar, not in the mood to play games. We’re not gonna do this. We came here for the girls to have fun while we dealt with some club business.
Footsteps come up from behind me and Zane quickly appears in my view, his own gun drawn. “Daddy?” Davina’s voice appears out of nowhere. “What’re you doing to Aggie?”
I can’t see Aggie’s face, but she quickly kicks him. It’s enough to cause him to drop to the ground and hold his knee. Aggie runs right into my arms and I holster my gun, makin’ sure the safety is back on before doin’ so. She burrows her head into my chest and I quickly feel my shirt bein’ soaked. Wrapping my arms around her, I hold her tight. Even Davina comes up and hugs her. “It’s alright, girls. You’re both okay.” I tell them.
Davina even burrows herself into my chest like her sister has. “I suggest you get out of here before my good friend blows your brains to bits.” Val states, pullin’ out the shotgun she keeps under the bar. “Actually, I might be the one who does it. I am feelin’ a bit trigger happy today, pal.”
“Get out and don’t ever come back here,” I snarl in their father’s direction.
I want nothin’ more than to pull out my gun and end this all right now, but neither of these girls need to see me go that cold. Unbeknownst to Natalie, Aggie’s already seen the showdown between her parents. She saw far more than she should’ve and I can’t imagine how that’s scarred this little girl’s mind.
“You the man keepin’ my wife’s bed warm?” Their father asks.
I glare at him, wantin’ to say so much, but I don’t say a