guess it had been
theirs. So the way I saw it, I had two choices: I could apologize, or I could
get belligerent.
I took a step toward them. “You were spying on me,” I
accused.
The one in the middle shrugged, looking unrepentant. He had
an expression on his face that I instantly hated, one that said he knew I was a
buzzed blonde, and he very much wanted to take advantage of that.
He raked his gaze down over me. “You looked real good in a
bikini,” he said. They closed in another step, pushing past the edge of my
casual-acquaintance bubble. “But now we’re missing a drone. How are you gonna
make that up to us? Hmm?”
He was leering, I realized. They were all leering. This
had somehow turned into a bad situation.
The one to my right reached for me, and Gary caught his
wrist. I hadn’t realized he’d come up behind me, and I don’t think they’d
really noticed him at all.
But now the one with a captured wrist peered up under the
brim of Gary’s ball cap. His dark eyes narrowed. “Hey,” he said, “you’re—”
As he was speaking, he reached for Gary. Gary took
exception to this, and drove the heel of his hand up into the guy’s face. The
thug toppled.
The other two leaped forward, knocking me aside as they
rushed past. I spun as I fell, and wound up doing a butt-plant in the sand.
The spinning made me dizzy as hell, but I’d landed facing Gary and the thugs.
He was beating them up. My vision kept oozing sideways, but
I was able to gather that much. Gary was just a blur of movement with quick,
hard jabs of his hands and elbows. I heard grunts. Thuds. In just moments, Gary
was the last man standing. At his feet, the men groaned.
He bent over them, starting to pat them down. He came up
with a gun, and this was the part my alcohol-soaked brain couldn’t quite
comprehend. Like some magic trick, the dark metal sort of clicked and slid
apart in his hands. Then he tossed the parts away and repeated the performance
on the next guy’s gun, and the next.
I shook my head, sure I was seeing things. It didn’t
surprise me that they all had guns, but what Gary had done with them… Guns
didn’t just fall apart, and they certainly didn’t fall apart in the hands of
some millionaire city-slicker. ‘Cuz that’s what Gary was. Right ?
He looked up and saw me sitting in the sand, and his lips
twitched. “You think you can drive a four-wheeler in your condition?” he
asked.
I scoffed. I wasn’t that drunk. “Sure,” I said,
crawling to my feet. I brushed off my damp ass and eyed the thugs. Gary’d
only had a few moments with them, but they only looked half-conscious at best.
“Why don’t you go ahead on up to the cabin,” Gary suggested.
“I wanna have a talk with these three.”
I met his eyes. “I thought the drone was yours.”
This time he outright smiled at me. “I thought as much.”
He jerked his chin toward the four-wheeler. “Go. We’ll have a talk about you
shooting my property later.”
I grunted, and managed to swing a leg up over the seat.
When had putting the four-wheeler in gear gotten so complicated? I got it
rolling in the right direction, and steered it carefully up along the trail.
I’d made it maybe halfway to my place when realization hit
me. My thumb slipped off the gas, and the four-wheeler puttered to a halt on
the darkening trail.
My neighbor, Gary, had just taken down three armed men. With
his bare hands. In seconds.
I was seriously, seriously beginning to doubt he was a
school teacher.
A flash of movement caught my eye, and I looked up to see
Mocha streaking up the trail toward me, a big doggie smile on her face. “Heya
girl,” I said. She butted her head against my leg, and I leaned down to pet
her.
That’s how I found out how surprisingly comfortable it was
resting my cheek against the gas cap. I didn’t really decide to take a nap.
My eyes just sort of
theirs. So the way I saw it, I had two choices: I could apologize, or I could
get belligerent.
I took a step toward them. “You were spying on me,” I
accused.
The one in the middle shrugged, looking unrepentant. He had
an expression on his face that I instantly hated, one that said he knew I was a
buzzed blonde, and he very much wanted to take advantage of that.
He raked his gaze down over me. “You looked real good in a
bikini,” he said. They closed in another step, pushing past the edge of my
casual-acquaintance bubble. “But now we’re missing a drone. How are you gonna
make that up to us? Hmm?”
He was leering, I realized. They were all leering. This
had somehow turned into a bad situation.
The one to my right reached for me, and Gary caught his
wrist. I hadn’t realized he’d come up behind me, and I don’t think they’d
really noticed him at all.
But now the one with a captured wrist peered up under the
brim of Gary’s ball cap. His dark eyes narrowed. “Hey,” he said, “you’re—”
As he was speaking, he reached for Gary. Gary took
exception to this, and drove the heel of his hand up into the guy’s face. The
thug toppled.
The other two leaped forward, knocking me aside as they
rushed past. I spun as I fell, and wound up doing a butt-plant in the sand.
The spinning made me dizzy as hell, but I’d landed facing Gary and the thugs.
He was beating them up. My vision kept oozing sideways, but
I was able to gather that much. Gary was just a blur of movement with quick,
hard jabs of his hands and elbows. I heard grunts. Thuds. In just moments, Gary
was the last man standing. At his feet, the men groaned.
He bent over them, starting to pat them down. He came up
with a gun, and this was the part my alcohol-soaked brain couldn’t quite
comprehend. Like some magic trick, the dark metal sort of clicked and slid
apart in his hands. Then he tossed the parts away and repeated the performance
on the next guy’s gun, and the next.
I shook my head, sure I was seeing things. It didn’t
surprise me that they all had guns, but what Gary had done with them… Guns
didn’t just fall apart, and they certainly didn’t fall apart in the hands of
some millionaire city-slicker. ‘Cuz that’s what Gary was. Right ?
He looked up and saw me sitting in the sand, and his lips
twitched. “You think you can drive a four-wheeler in your condition?” he
asked.
I scoffed. I wasn’t that drunk. “Sure,” I said,
crawling to my feet. I brushed off my damp ass and eyed the thugs. Gary’d
only had a few moments with them, but they only looked half-conscious at best.
“Why don’t you go ahead on up to the cabin,” Gary suggested.
“I wanna have a talk with these three.”
I met his eyes. “I thought the drone was yours.”
This time he outright smiled at me. “I thought as much.”
He jerked his chin toward the four-wheeler. “Go. We’ll have a talk about you
shooting my property later.”
I grunted, and managed to swing a leg up over the seat.
When had putting the four-wheeler in gear gotten so complicated? I got it
rolling in the right direction, and steered it carefully up along the trail.
I’d made it maybe halfway to my place when realization hit
me. My thumb slipped off the gas, and the four-wheeler puttered to a halt on
the darkening trail.
My neighbor, Gary, had just taken down three armed men. With
his bare hands. In seconds.
I was seriously, seriously beginning to doubt he was a
school teacher.
A flash of movement caught my eye, and I looked up to see
Mocha streaking up the trail toward me, a big doggie smile on her face. “Heya
girl,” I said. She butted her head against my leg, and I leaned down to pet
her.
That’s how I found out how surprisingly comfortable it was
resting my cheek against the gas cap. I didn’t really decide to take a nap.
My eyes just sort of
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