I’ve never seen you in here before.”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m here with my friends.” I motioned to where Emily and Jake stood talking to Bobbie Jo across the room, though none of them looked in my direction.
“You’re with that FBI guy?” Joe looked at Clay, then back to me. His jaw clenched as he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him, whispering into my face with his beer breath. “You better keep your damn mouth shut, if you know what’s good for ya. If I find out you’re talking to him about us, then you’re going to see firsthand just how mean I can get.”
I glanced down at his fingers clutching my skin, then made the mistake of trailing my gaze upward to the tattoo on his arm. A large red fire-breathing dragon covered the bulk of his bicep with its red tail wrapping the length of Joe’s forearm and ending at his wrist. Bright orange flames shot from its mouth.
It only reminded me of their earlier intimidation tactics and made me wonder if I was the only neighbor the Barlow boys had threatened to burn out of her home. That’s when I remembered something. Cowboy had mentioned the Barlows getting into an argument with the chief the day of his death. Also, the fire chief and his wife had lived only half a mile up the road from my home next to the Barlows’ residence.
Was it possible they were involved in the deaths of the chief and his wife? The thought terrified me, but I couldn’t verbalize my fear. The brothers would just feed on it.
Not wanting to show how scared of him I truly was, I met Joe’s gaze directly and narrowed my eyes. “Let go of my arm.”
He chuckled, not the least bit intimidated. “Who’s going to make me?”
A rich male voice rang out from behind me. “Me, that’s who.”
I didn’t recognize the voice.
Flustered, my head jerked in his general direction, wanting to get a look at the bystander who was brave enough to step in and stand in my defense. With just three little words, he’d drawn the defining line between the Barlow brothers and me.
The dark-haired man’s chiseled jaw was held tight and his arms were crossed, as if he were waiting for the idiot body builder to release me on command. Something I didn’t see happening anytime soon.
“Why don’t you mind your own business, dickhead?” Joe told the man, waving him off with his free hand.
The unknown man smirked at that. “I’m making this my business. Let go of her. Now.”
“And if I don’t?”
The man took a step forward just as Mandy Barlow walked over. “Hey, guys. What’s going on over here?” She took notice of Joe’s fingers wrapped around my arm. “Joe, you stop it right now, ya hear? If you don’t let her go this instant, I’m gonna call Momma and tell on you.” She glared at her other brother standing on the sidelines. “On both of you.”
“Aw, Mandy, we’re just playing around,” Clay said. “We weren’t really gonna do nothing to her. Were we, Joe?”
Joe smiled at me, but released my arm. “Of course not. Just talking to her, that’s all.”
Mandy looked at me and smiled warmly. “Anna, right? You’re Cowboy’s friend?”
I nodded silently, though I was pretty sure Cowboy and I weren’t friends after I’d slapped him in the middle of the dance floor.
“I’m sorry. I’ll make sure these two don’t bother you anymore.” Mandy gestured to her brothers who were still in a stare-down with the stranger who had stepped in to rescue me. “Come on, fellas. Let’s leave Anna and her…uh, friend alone now. You two have caused enough trouble for one night. It’s time to go.”
Clay grumbled under his breath as he followed Mandy toward the door. She stopped a few feet away, apparently realizing Joe hadn’t moved from his position. “Joe! I said it’s time to leave. Come on, or you’ll be walking home.”
Joe slowly backed away from the dark-headed man, though they were both still eyeing each other. I breathed a sigh of relief as the Barlow clan disappeared out the front doors, then turned to the man standing beside me. “Thank you for stepping in. That was very sweet of you.”
“No problem, ma’am.” He winked at me and offered his arm. “You seem a bit shaken up. How about I buy you a drink and show you the proper way a man should treat a lady?”
I considered his