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Authors: Alexis Morgan
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as she left the clinic behind. Although she was disappointed, maybe it meant that he’d come to accept that she was a grown woman and capable of walking a few blocks on her own. She hurried her steps, ready to enjoy dinner with Emmett.
Jana stepped inside the bar and hung her coat on one of the hooks on the wall. Before she spotted Emmett, a loud argument broke out on the far side of the room. Like everyone else there, she turned to see what was going on. A man she’d never seen before bellowed in fury as he yanked the woman next to him up off her chair by her hair. She screamed in fear as she pleaded for mercy. “No, Ray! I wasn’t flirting with anybody!”
“You lying bitch! I saw you talking to that guy.”
To Jana’s horror, he drew back and backhanded the woman hard enough that the smack could be heard over the rest of the noise in the bar. Jana started forward, not sure what she could do, but she couldn’t stand by and watch the woman suffer further abuse. Before she’d gone two steps, Emmett vaulted over the bar and charged across the room to confront the couple. With his hands clenched in fists, he towered over the other man.
“We don’t allow that kind of shit in here. Let go of her, and you can walk out of here alone but in one piece.”
Jana held her breath, hoping against hope the man would listen to reason, but he was stupid as well as a bully. He glared up at Emmett and snarled, “Stay out of this, asshole. Tanya had it coming. Besides, she’s my wife, and I can hit her if I want to.”
He raised his hand as if to strike the woman a second time, and Emmett took him to the floor in a flurry of flailing arms and legs. Now free, the woman stumbled back a few steps. Dan led her into the safety of his office, then immediately headed back into the bar to help his other patrons clear out. Jana should go after the woman in case she needed medical treatment, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the vicious fight on the floor.
Evidently Ray had a friend with him, because out of nowhere another man jumped on the pile of bodies rolling on the floor. Jana shuddered at the sound of fists pounding on flesh, and the feral expression on Emmett’s face scared her. Even so, she could tell that he was trying to subdue his opponents while doing the least amount of damage. When Emmett bucked the second man off his back, Dan and the other bartender immediately wrangled the guy into the far corner away from the fight.
With a look of fierce determination on his face, Emmett finally strong-armed Ray over onto his belly. Then he jerked Ray’s wrists behind his back and sat on him. Emmett was breathing hard but appeared to be unharmed. Jana couldn’t find it in her to regret the blossoming shiner on Ray’s left eye, which matched the one he’d given his poor wife. The room grew quiet as everyone waited to see what happened next.
The wail of sirens drawing near could be heard now that things were calming down. Good, someone had had the good sense to call the police. As soon as the first officers appeared outside the bar, Jana opened the door to let them in. She recognized both men and knew them to be levelheaded and fair.
“Come on in, Officers. Thanks for getting here so quickly.” She pointed to where Emmett was still sitting on Ray. “That guy facedown on the floor is named Ray. Right after I got here, he started smacking his wife around. That’s Emmett, one of Dan’s bartenders, sitting on the husband. The guy on the floor over by Dan jumped into the fight for no reason. His attack on Emmett was totally unprovoked.”
The first officer said, “Thanks, Ms. York. We’ll take it from here.”
• • •
Emmett tossed the ice pack Dan had handed him down on the bar. His jaw still ached, but the pain would fade soon enough. It had been thirty minutes since the whole evening had gone to hell. At least Ray and his buddy were in cuffs and on their way to jail. Emmett had been half afraid the cops
Jana stepped inside the bar and hung her coat on one of the hooks on the wall. Before she spotted Emmett, a loud argument broke out on the far side of the room. Like everyone else there, she turned to see what was going on. A man she’d never seen before bellowed in fury as he yanked the woman next to him up off her chair by her hair. She screamed in fear as she pleaded for mercy. “No, Ray! I wasn’t flirting with anybody!”
“You lying bitch! I saw you talking to that guy.”
To Jana’s horror, he drew back and backhanded the woman hard enough that the smack could be heard over the rest of the noise in the bar. Jana started forward, not sure what she could do, but she couldn’t stand by and watch the woman suffer further abuse. Before she’d gone two steps, Emmett vaulted over the bar and charged across the room to confront the couple. With his hands clenched in fists, he towered over the other man.
“We don’t allow that kind of shit in here. Let go of her, and you can walk out of here alone but in one piece.”
Jana held her breath, hoping against hope the man would listen to reason, but he was stupid as well as a bully. He glared up at Emmett and snarled, “Stay out of this, asshole. Tanya had it coming. Besides, she’s my wife, and I can hit her if I want to.”
He raised his hand as if to strike the woman a second time, and Emmett took him to the floor in a flurry of flailing arms and legs. Now free, the woman stumbled back a few steps. Dan led her into the safety of his office, then immediately headed back into the bar to help his other patrons clear out. Jana should go after the woman in case she needed medical treatment, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the vicious fight on the floor.
Evidently Ray had a friend with him, because out of nowhere another man jumped on the pile of bodies rolling on the floor. Jana shuddered at the sound of fists pounding on flesh, and the feral expression on Emmett’s face scared her. Even so, she could tell that he was trying to subdue his opponents while doing the least amount of damage. When Emmett bucked the second man off his back, Dan and the other bartender immediately wrangled the guy into the far corner away from the fight.
With a look of fierce determination on his face, Emmett finally strong-armed Ray over onto his belly. Then he jerked Ray’s wrists behind his back and sat on him. Emmett was breathing hard but appeared to be unharmed. Jana couldn’t find it in her to regret the blossoming shiner on Ray’s left eye, which matched the one he’d given his poor wife. The room grew quiet as everyone waited to see what happened next.
The wail of sirens drawing near could be heard now that things were calming down. Good, someone had had the good sense to call the police. As soon as the first officers appeared outside the bar, Jana opened the door to let them in. She recognized both men and knew them to be levelheaded and fair.
“Come on in, Officers. Thanks for getting here so quickly.” She pointed to where Emmett was still sitting on Ray. “That guy facedown on the floor is named Ray. Right after I got here, he started smacking his wife around. That’s Emmett, one of Dan’s bartenders, sitting on the husband. The guy on the floor over by Dan jumped into the fight for no reason. His attack on Emmett was totally unprovoked.”
The first officer said, “Thanks, Ms. York. We’ll take it from here.”
• • •
Emmett tossed the ice pack Dan had handed him down on the bar. His jaw still ached, but the pain would fade soon enough. It had been thirty minutes since the whole evening had gone to hell. At least Ray and his buddy were in cuffs and on their way to jail. Emmett had been half afraid the cops
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