a laugh, I shake my head and shove the gun back in its holster. No sense stirring any unnecessary drama off the bat. “I don’t believe that for a second. Just sit tight. I’ll be right back.”
I make my way down the winding staircase to the main floor, where I catch sight of Levi, who gives a nod from his spot off to the side. He monitors the crowd gathered around the guy, who’s clearly drunk, the way he sways and staggers on his feet, manhandling the dancer he’s got clutched to him in a headlock. The grand finale to a series of bad decisions that started whenever he decided to put on that ridiculous pink-striped shirt.
On my approach, the guy plops down in his chair, taking the girl to his lap with him, like he’s decided to behave all of a sudden.
It’s rare that I have to make an appearance on the floor, with Levi watching over things, but the fragile nature of this situation demands it. I tend to follow a three-step program for the belligerent ones, so for the sake of my time, I jump to step one before I even reach his table.
Ask politely.
“‘Fraid I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”
“Just having a good time. Nice club.” He runs his palm down the curve of the dancer’s ass. “Nice culito.” The strong Spanish accent isn’t what gives him away as one of Julio’s men. As the island becomes more popular, it’s attracted more of the cartel who seek to exploit the businesses popping up. Back when my grandparents were young, there wasn’t a stretch of this island where Valir French wasn’t spoken, yet these days, it’s only the older fishermen and their offspring, like Luc, who keep the language alive. The place has become a melting pot over the years, and his accent merely draws my attention to the ‘M’ inked on his neck as a devil’s tail. Matamoros Diablos, a gang with close ties to the cartel. The few scattered about this parish generally keep to themselves, only showing their faces when summoned after an uncooperative dealer, or an outsider, tromping on their turf. This guy must be new.
Step two: ask one more time.
“This is your last opportunity to let her go and leave. Quietly.”
His hand slips down between her thighs, and the girl, Marcelle, whimpers, the sound cut short by the arm at her throat that he seems to tighten. “Or what, Gavacho? You gonna escort me?”
Most of them don’t know who I am, or what I do outside of this bar, otherwise, I suspect they’d show a little more respect.
Which brings me to step three: don’t ask again.
Slipping my gun from the holster, I aim it at his head, and the crowd dies to hushed gasps. “No, cabrón. I’ll just put a pretty hole in your head to match that shitty shirt.”
Eyes locked on the barrel, he releases the girl, who slides to the floor and crawls away from him until sniveling at my feet. “Pendejo.” Stupid. He takes a moment to spit on my shoes, the sight of which thrums a violent chord in my blood.
I fucking hate germs.
He clambers to his feet, awkwardly swaying again, and sneers at me, waving me off in dismissal. “Vete a la chingada, pinche gringo.” Fuck off, fucking gringo.
The second he prods a finger toward my chest, I swipe it up before it makes contact and tug him close enough to slam the grip of my gun into his face. Once, twice, three times. Deadweight drops to the floor beside Marcelle. Blood spattered across his cheeks converges at his nose that I’ve clearly broken, judging by the unnatural crook to it.
I signal to Levi again, and nab the prick’s unused napkin, noting the circles of condensation from his beer bottle left on the table beside it. Wiping his blood from my gun, I step away from him, allowing Levi to drag him out of sight, and the music flips back on. Aside from the few lingering stares, everyone goes back to conversation.
“Thank you.” Gaze lowered from mine, Marcelle wipes tears from her cheek. They never look at me, the women. Rumor has it, if they do, I’ll entrance them into my bed, or something, and fuck all my bad luck into them.
Considering I’m probably distantly related to half this island, I wouldn’t touch these girls. Any time I have the urge to fuck, I make the drive to New Orleans, or some other city that