Page 31 of Lawton

"Oh my God," Brittney said.

I didn't bother to look. "What?"

"Aren't those the guys from The Pit?"

The Pit was a club near Troy, a half-hour south of here. I'd taken Amber, along with Brittany, there for Amber's birthday. There had been some trouble. Nothing I couldn’t handle. But nothing I wanted to repeat, not with Chloe around.

Brittney was pointing to the window. "There," she said. "Hanging out by your car."

I looked through the window, and sure enough, there they were, the two guys who'd been hassling Amber at the club. They'd been drunk. It had gotten ugly. It hadn't ended until both guys were on the pavement.

It was pathetic more than anything.

Across from me, Brittney was smiling. "Man, you wiped the floor with those guys." She leaned closer and purred, "You were our hero."

I was no hero. The guys had been drunk off their asses. They'd been stupid and unprepared. I used to fight for a living. They didn't. I glanced at Amber. Unlike Brittney, she didn't look terribly thrilled to see those guys again.

No surprise there. They'd been hassling the snot out of her. When I'd put a stop to it, they'd wandered away, only to jump me later in the parking lot. It had been over in seconds.

Amber bit her lip. "This is my fault. I mean, maybe if I'd just danced with the guy—"

"It wasn't your fault," I said. "So don't say that."

With a shaky smile, she turned to look out the window. "I think they recognize the car."

She was probably right. Once again, I cursed my choice of vehicle. I had nearly a dozen. Like before, I should've brought the sedan. It was dark and businesslike. It blended.

Brittney's eyes were bright with excitement. "You'll probably have to kick their asses again."

Probably.

I gave her a look. "You think that's a good thing?"

"Sure," she said. "Why not? I mean, you're good at it, right?" Her voice became husky. "I heard you're good at a lot of things."

Iwasgood at a lot of things. But she wouldn’t be finding out.

For Amber's sake, I flashed them both a grin. "Screw those guys," I said. "They'll be gone by the time we leave. And if they're not?" I shrugged. "I'll handle it. Not a big deal."

I just needed to keep Chloe from seeing.

Chapter 15

An hour later, the food was gone – my cheeseburger, their salads, sundaes, pie, whatever. It wasn't like I paid much attention. Iwantedto watch Chloe. What Ihadto do was watch the guys in the parking lot.

They were just hanging out, circling my car and waiting. For me, obviously. Maybe Amber, too.

Sure, I could've called the police. But I didn't. That wasn't my style. And even if it were, I didn't need the hassle. Neither did Amber. Her mom was running for state senator, and the election was just weeks away.

When it came to publicity, there was only one kind I got. Bad. I was used to that. But Amber's family wasn't.

Inside the restaurant, we'd just gotten the check. I reached for my wallet, peeled off some bills, and tossed them on the table. I stood. "You two wait here, okay? I'll be back in a few."

Brittney looked down at the money. "But wait. How much change do you want?"

"None," I said. "The rest is a tip."

She frowned. "But that's too much."