First Girl Gone(25)

Lions and Red Wings stalked over to where Gibbs stood, chalking the end of his pool cue. Lions hat crowded closer to Gibbs, saying something low and giving him a rough push.

“Uh, Zoe?” Charlie said. “I think something bad is about to—”

She was cut off by the sound of a fully-grown Michigan-man being hoisted in the air by Leroy Gibbs and slammed onto the pool table like a child, pool balls clacking and rolling about, the Lions hat fluttering to the floor. The small crowd of onlookers all jumped back and groaned collectively.

Leroy Gibbs, having just dispatched one member of the two-man mob, lurched for the other. His hulking figure looked, in this moment, very apelike. Between his oddly animal posture and the unkempt beard crawling so high on his cheeks, Charlie couldn’t help but think of him as a man about halfway through the transition to werewolf.

Zoe’s head jolted toward the commotion.

“Ah, crap,” she said, snapping for the bartender’s attention. “Glenn, we got a situation. Do me a favor and call down to the station for backup.”

Gibbs had his hands on the second man’s throat, and Charlie found herself unable to stop staring at the way his knuckles flexed as he choked his attacker.

From behind, the now hatless Michigan-man rose from the pool table and sucker-punched Gibbs in the left kidney. Gibbs clutched his side instinctively, freeing Red Wings hat as he did. It was two on one now, about to get ugly.

“That’s enough, boys,” Zoe said, stepping into the scrum. “Break it up.”

The hatless man ignored her, rushing Gibbs and swinging on him. But Gibbs sidestepped the blow and gave the man a shove, which sent him careening into Zoe. The two of them crashed into a nearby table, glasses and dishes and silverware clattering to the floor.

Seeing that things were only escalating, Charlie jumped down from her stool, intent on helping her friend, but someone caught her by the arm.

“I wouldn’t,” Will said, gesturing across the bar. “Glenn’s got it handled.”

The lanky bartender came around the bar with a shotgun in hand. He racked it once, the sound somehow rising over the din, and the brawl ceased, almost as if someone had pressed the pause button on the whole thing.

“You three are going to sit quietly until the police come, ya hear?” the bartender said.

While the two Michigan-men nodded with eyes wide, Gibbs said nothing, looking unperturbed.

Will let out a breath from beside her.

“Well, that was quite a show,” he said with a smirk.

Zoe strode over to them, and Charlie noticed a wide gash on her arm oozing bright red blood.

“Zoe, you’re bleeding,” she said, pointing at the wound.

Lifting her arm, Zoe poked at the laceration and winced.

“Balls. That’s deep.” Zoe’s voice was remarkably calm, and Charlie wondered if she was in shock or just that unflappable.

Charlie grabbed a stack of cocktail napkins and handed them to her.

“I should take you to the ER.”

“Nah,” Zoe said, waving her away. “I’ll slap a bandage on it. I’m gonna have to go down to the station anyway to make a statement. If the bleeding hasn’t stopped by then, I’ll go get some stitches.”

“Are you sure?” Charlie said. “It looks bad.”

“This is nothing. Remember the time I biffed a hippie jump on my skateboard and landed on my chin?”

Just the memory of the row of black stitching along Zoe’s jaw made Charlie grimace.

There was a commotion near the front door as four Salem County deputies filed in. Zoe waved them over with the hand not clutching a wad of bloodied napkins, and then her eyes flicked over to Will.

“Hello again, Will.”

“Zoe.”

With a look of mischief in her eyes, Zoe glanced from Will to Charlie, then back to Will.

“Do me a favor, Will?”

“Of course.”

“See that Charlie here gets home in one piece?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

Before Zoe turned to join her comrades in uniform, she winked at Charlie.





Chapter Fourteen





“It’s still early,” Will said. “You want to stay for another drink before we go?”

“Honestly, I don’t know why she’s making a fuss. I’m just down the street. I can walk.”

“Then I’ll walk you. I made a promise to Zoe, and truth be told, she scares me.”

“Zoe scares you?” Charlie repeated.

“Oh yeah. She’s got a wicked sense of vengeance.” He pointed to a small mark on his cheek. “See this scar?”

“Yeah,” Charlie said, then recoiled. “Zoe did that?”

“Hit me in the face with a rock.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, I might have started it. But I was only throwing tiny stones at her. Pebbles, practically. But eventually she got annoyed enough that she picked up this massive, potato-sized rock and let it rip.”

“Ouch,” Charlie said, shuddering. “I don’t know if I can ever remember seeing Zoe mad.”

“We were young. I think I was twelve. Still… I make every effort to stay on her good side these days. In any case, we don’t have to stay for a drink if you’d rather leave now.”