All the Right Moves(52)
13
ALERTED BY THE SUDDEN silence after laughter that had made her grin, Cassie dropped her pen as the words came through the door.
Her entire chest felt as if it had imploded. Her fury at Tommy was only equaled by her concern. The last thing anyone needed was a fistfight in the middle of the bar. But knowing her brother and his hair-trigger temper, it could happen.
She was off her chair in an instant, barely noticing her book fall to the floor. Once the door opened, it was like staring into a nightmare.
“I’m helping Cassie,” John said, his voice low and serious. She could hear the razor-thin restraint. “She’s in back. Studying.”
Before Tommy could respond, she stepped out, keeping her distance from John. The situation was too volatile and her goal was to stop things right now. The bar was packed, and Tommy... One look at him told her he’d been drinking. God, she wanted to strangle him. But later. “I’m right here,” she said. “Everything’s fine. Thank you, John, for lending a hand, but we’ve got it covered now.”
His shoulder muscles flinched, as did his jaw, but he never took his eyes off Tommy. John’s arms were loose at his sides, his body ready for anything.
Tommy wasn’t nearly so grounded. His rage made his face a dull, dangerous red. He’d worn his prosthesis, but everything about him was unsteady. Fisted hands were halfway raised, and she could tell he was working himself up. “You goddamned officers think you can do anything you please. Walk into a man’s bar and take over. Thinking you’re better ’an me, better ’an all of us. What the hell are you doing in here anyway? Slumming? I saw that Corvette of yours. Too good to park in the lot, huh? Don’t want anyone mistaking you for one of us. God forbid someone thinks you’re enlisted.”
“Tommy,” Cassie said, as strongly as she’d ever said anything in her life. “Stop it. Now.”
“You think you can get into my sister’s pants by helping her at the bar? You think she’s stupid? You’re so obvious it’s pathetic. Well, I’ve got news for you. She wouldn’t look at you if you were the last man on earth.”
“That’s it,” John said, tossing the towel from his shoulder to the bar. “You want to know what I’m doing here? Picking up your slack, that’s what. You knew Cassie needed to study, but you couldn’t be bothered to come in to your own goddamn bar and give her a break. I’m doing what you should have had the decency to do. She’s got one more test, one more. And you couldn’t even return her phone calls.”
Tommy took a step toward the bar and almost lost his balance, but two of the regulars jumped to grab him. “Let me go,” he said, his voice quavering with anger.
The men didn’t. Thank God. Cassie took her own step closer to John. She touched him, low, her hand covered by the bar. “Please,” she said, keeping her voice down. “Please, just go.”
“Get off me,” Tommy shouted. “You happy now, Cassie? Now you’ve turned my friends against me?”
“John. I can’t do this. You need to go. I’ll be fine.”
When he looked at her, the struggle was so clear, she wanted to comfort him, but this wasn’t the time. Tommy had to calm down. He could seriously hurt himself or someone else. He’d already humiliated himself to the point where it made her sick.
She took hold of John’s hand and squeezed it as she walked him to the end of the bar, letting go as soon as it would have been seen. But she continued on with him until he was at the front door. “Thank you,” she said, as softly as she could. She didn’t touch him at all, but she prayed he understood that she wanted to. Badly. “We’ll talk later. I appreciate everything you’ve done.”
Tommy started ranting behind her, and John looked over, ready to charge in, but she put a hand on his chest. His heart was beating so fast it echoed her own. “Please.”
He sighed. Nodded once. Then walked away.
Cassie forced herself to face her brother. It wasn’t easy. She loved him, she did, but this was...
He stared at her as if she’d betrayed everything he’d ever held dear. As if she were responsible for all the bad things that had happened to him.
He closed his eyes and jerked himself out of the grip of Wayne and Greg. When he turned his back on her, he teetered. Greg went to help, but Tommy slapped his arm away. To utter silence, her brother walked between tables, away from her. He didn’t move his head, and what was worse, the folks sitting down, longtime regulars and newcomers alike, avoided looking at him.