Baby For The Mountain Man

“Can I help you, sir?” the bartender said.

I forced a polite smile. “Sure. Scotch, please.”

“Coming right up,” she said.

It took everything within me to not turn around and knock Zander’s lights out. But instead, I glanced sideways and smiled. “What’s up, buddy?” I said, careful to keep my voice light and friendly.

“Nothing much, my man,” he said, his words slurred.

I tilted my head sideways. “You from around here? You don’t look familiar.”

He laughed. “Nope. I’m an out-of-towner. That obvious, huh?”

I nodded. “Yeah. You’ve got an accent that I can’t quite place. Where’re you from?”

He laughed again. “Oh, if I tell you that, I’d have to kill ya!” he said, thumping me a little too heavy-handedly on the back.

“Oh really?” I said. “So what brings you into town?”

He sighed. “I’m here for my girl.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. She thought she could get away from me, but what can I say? I can’t let her go. Gotta make sure she knows it.” He grinned, under the impression that his words sounded romantic. But I could see the sinister stirrings behind his eyes. I could see the

cockiness in the way he held his mouth. I could hear the hidden threat beneath his words…

“Women,” I said, just as the bartender returned with my Scotch. I took a sip and then thumped Zander on the back myself. “Hey, step outside with me for a smoke, will ya?”

“Sure thing, partner,” Zander said. “Then I can just head on my way afterwards. Check to see what she’s up to.”

“Cool,” I said, and stood from the bar. I walked a pace ahead of Zander as we made our way through the door. “Let’s go around to the side. You know, these damned buildings got all these regulations on smoking and stuff now.”

“Yeah! The world’s turned into such a wuss! People get all up in arms about a little smoke. It’s bullshit, man!”

The second we had rounded the building, my hand balled into a fist that caught Zander right in the gut.

“Umph!” he groaned, doubling over. He looked up at me, his face full of surprise. “Hey? What the f—”

But before he could say anything more, I punched him again, landing another one in his stomach, and one to the side of his jaw, knocking him clean off his drunken feet.

“Hey, man!” he cried.

I leaned over, grabbing him by the collar. “That woman you speak of, wouldn’t happen to be Joanna Gentry, would it?”

“Hey, how do you—” But his words were cut off by my fist again.

“Listen to me, I’m only going to say this once you sick mother fucker, you come anywhere near her again, you’re dead. I will sue your pathetic ass for everything you’re worth, and then when you think you’re done with me, I will hire the best hitman in the city and kill you. So don’t you dare try me, Zander, so help me God…” I leaned in close to his ear. “And be warned if you somehow land yourself in prison before I can finish you, I know some guys on the inside. They don’t take too kindly to women-bashers. I’ll make sure they know just what a pathetic piece of woman-beating shit you are, and in return, they’ll show you precisely what they think of you. Catch my drift?”

And just to drive home my point, I gave him a square kick in the ribs.

He looked up at me, fearfully. “Who are you?” he asked, blood spilling from his mouth.

“Your worst nightmare, and the wrong guy to be messing with. If you’re smart, you’ll get out of town. You’ll get out of town and never show your face around here again. Because like I said, you come anywhere near Joanna…” I balled my fists once more.

“All right! All right!” Zander cried. “I’m leaving,” he said as he crawled away.

“For good? Never coming back?”