Elaine Levine - The Edge Of Courage

“I’m sorry to cut our time short, sweetheart, but it looks as if we’re heading out.” Val stood up, his arm still around the woman he’d been fondling.

She arched against him like a cat stretching, her hands kneading the contours of his chest. “Why do you have to go? Stay and keep me company.”

As Val leaned in for a good-bye kiss, the woman was yanked out of his arms. A fist connected hard with his jaw instead. Stunned by the abrupt change in his circumstances, Val barely had time to focus on the bearded, bald man in front of him before Kelan intercepted the next blow. His friend grabbed the skinhead’s throat in a hold so tight, the man could neither breathe nor pull away. It stopped the others who’d come forward in a close circle.

“Take it down a notch.” Kelan glared at the guy. “I’m going to let you go so we can have some nice convo about what’s got you freaked out.” The guy held his hands up. Kelan eased his hold.

“The bastard was touching my woman. I’ll be doing my talking with this-” He pulled a switchblade out of his pocket and popped the blade. He swiped at Kelan. It was the only strike he managed to make. Kelan hit his throat with the edge of his hand, then kicked out his knees.

When he turned to the next man, Kelan realized all his bros were likewise engaged. The space was too tight for them to take on more than a couple of men each. It was hard to tell how many they were going to have to fight, but the odds were definitely not in their favor.

Ty and Kit were fighting back-to-back, dodging chairs. For every man they put down, another took his place. Ty looked over where Eddie had been sitting. She was gone. At first, he was relieved, thinking she’d slipped away with the other women who’d been at the table. But then he caught a movement under the table and realized she was trapped inside the ring of fighting men.

He moved toward her, putting himself between her hiding spot and the circle of angry gangbangers kicking and thrashing their way into the line the team was holding around the table. As soon as he saw an opening in the crush, he drew her from under the table.

“Go. Get out of here. Find the other women you were with and go home.”

She looked at him for what seemed several heartbeats. He wondered if he’d ever see her again. He touched his hand to her cheek, unable to live out the night without knowing the feel of her skin. “Stay safe, Eddie.”

“It’s Eden. My name’s Eden.”

Ty smiled. Eden. He’d no sooner indulged himself in repeating her name than another fist plowed into him. He pushed into the bastard to give Eden enough space to slip away. When he looked back, she was gone.

The fight seemed to last for hours but probably was only minutes. Ty’s knuckles were torn and bleeding. He had a split lip and one rib felt as if it might be broken. His thigh was protesting its extended strain. He noticed a ring of downed WKBers was clogging up the fight zone just as a shotgun went off.

“It’s over. Get out,” Hal shouted, his shotgun poised for another blast into the ceiling. “And if you ever want to come back, you’ll pay for tonight’s damages.”

“We didn’t start it,” Pete said.

“Of course. I have no doubt who threw the first punch. But don’t worry-you’ll be splitting the bill-half to the Feds, half to you. Now get out.”

Ty and the others watched as the WKBers helped their friends up. They had to carry a few of them. He looked around the room for Eden but didn’t see her. Val clapped Kelan on the back. Being slightly behind him, he didn’t see the wince that tightened the man’s face.

“Thanks for the quick save earlier. Was expecting a pair of soft lips, not a hard fist,” Val said.

“Happy to help. And thank you for getting us all fucked tonight,” Kelan groused. “Next time keep your hands to yourself.”

Val sighed. “Yeah, sorry about that, too. She was just so damned sweet.”

“We didn’t all strike out.” Greer held up a torn napkin. “I got Trudy’s phone number.” He leaned over and spoke to Ty in a lower voice. “Might come in handy if we want an in with the WKBers. She lives in their compound.”

“Great. Maybe you and Val can double date,” Ty growled. He had a reason to get in to the compound too, but he doubted he’d get a warm welcome.

Kit handed Hal, Winchester’s owner, a business card. “Send our bill to Mandy’s house. Sorry things got out of hand.”

“Next time, don’t come here on WKB night, got it?”

“Loud and clear.”

At breakfast the next morning, Mandy thought the guys were unusually quiet but she was too busy cooking breakfast to notice why until she sat at the table. She sat next to Rocco. As he poured coffee for her, she looked around the table.

“Good heavens! What happened?” Every man, except the three who had stayed home last night, looked as if he’d been run over by a herd of horses. They had swollen, split lips, red, bruised cheeks, swollen noses, black eyes. Kit sported a butterfly bandage on his eyebrow. “Were we attacked? How could I sleep through such an event?”

“No attack,” Kit told her. He filled his plate as if nothing extraordinary had happened. “We went to Winchester’s last night.”

“I go there all the time. I never come home looking like you do now. I’ve never even seen a bar fight there. Really, Kit, you should have outgrown that long ago.”

“I’m guessing you don’t go there on WKB night.”

“Oh. Oh, no!” Mandy’s eyes widened as she processed what must have happened.

“And lucky for us,” Kelan explained, “Val hit on the lead guy’s hoochie mama.”

“She voluntarily sat on my lap. How was I supposed to know she was spoken for?” Val said in his own defense.

“Tell me the other guys look worse,” Mandy commented.

“We have owies, Mandy. We need massages.” Val gave her a soulful look.

“No massages,” Rocco growled. “Mandy is not here for your amusement.”

“And don’t even look at Fee. She’s under our protection,” Kelan warned.

Val grunted. “So that’s how this team’s gonna roll, is it?”

“I’d be happy to put you out of your misery,” Rocco offered.

Mandy laughed and set her hand on Rocco’s forearm to calm him. “I have a friend I can introduce you to, Val. I’m sure she’d be quite taken with your injuries.”

Kit glared at her. “Not Ivy.”

Mandy frowned. “I do have more than one friend, Kit.”

“Wow. No one’s sharing. What happened to the team that fights together has fun together?” Val shook his head and glared at Owen. “If I’d known women were so scarce here in Wyoming, I would never have taken this assignment.”

As evening cast long shadows across the ranch, Rocco stood with Blade at the high fence of Kitano’s corral watching Mandy work the Paint. He loved how she handled the gelding, eased his fears, respected him, asserted herself. It seemed to Rocco that the Paint looked forward to his twice-daily workouts with her. Soon she’d be able to ride him.

Blade’s phone rang. He had a short conversation with the person on the other end, then hung up. Rocco looked at him. “Problems?”

“No. I asked my foreman to take an extended leave for a while until we get the situation here cleared up. He said he was ready to go, but had a few things to discuss with me. I’m going to head over there. I’ll be glad when they’re safe.”

“Want company?” Rocco offered.

“No need. I shouldn’t be long.”

Ty walked into the foyer of his house a few minutes later, calling for Dennis.

“In here, sir.”

“Glad you could make arrangements so quickly,” Ty said as he walked into his father’s office. A sound caught his attention over by the private bathroom off the study. He caught a quick glimpse of Kathy, Dennis’s wife, gagged and bound. Hearing someone behind him, he spun around as a tranquilizer nailed his shoulder.