Page 14 of Burn

Taking a glance in Evan’s direction, he’s white-knuckled, jaw’s clenched and watching this, but he doesn’t react.

I’m not so calm and collected as he is.

Reaching out, I shove the guy away from the bar. “She’s not interested.”

By the way his body jerks back, he felt the sting of my hand hitting his chest.

Our eyes lock, and I give him one last warning to walk away. Let’s hope for his sake he takes it. I get a good look at his face now. He’s a kid with a baby face and arrogance I guarantee his fists can’t back up. Probably just turned twenty-one, out with his friends to party. Maybe he’s friends with the guy from this morning who took a ride up the guy-wires.

“Get lost.” And then I stand there, as if I’m not afraid of anyone, because I’m not.

“Girl likeher, she doesn’t know what she wants until she gets it.” He laughs. “Then she’ll be begging for it.”

My eyebrows raise coolly. “Is that so?”

“Knock it off, Caleb,” Jacey warns, gripping the edge of the bar. She knows where this is going. I’ve been in a few fights in this bar.

The thing is, I can’t knock it off. My body trembles, war I don’t understand raging inside my head.

The guy with the white hat and a too tight Abercrombie shirt eyes me carefully, then Jacey. “This loser your boyfriend?”

“No, he’snot,” Jacey growls, still glaring at me.

I smile, coldly, letting him know I don’t give a shit if I’m not her boyfriend. It has nothing to do with that. My jaw tightens to the point my teeth hurt, and then I shove him again. “Don’t listen to her. I’m talking to you and I told you to walk away.”

I wasn’t going to throw the first punch. In my experience, it’s best to get them to throw the first one. Gets you out of a lot of trouble.

“You should listen to the bitch,” Abercrombie pops off with.

Jacey snorts and slaps the guy with a dirty rag from behind the bar. “Who you callin’ a bitch, asswipe?”

Abercrombie grins and raises his palms to her. “Ah, come on, honey. I didn’t mean it.”

Part of me wants to see what Jacey will do now. She’s started a few bar fights herself. She grew up with the likes of the Ryan boys around her. Girl knows some moves. I’ve seen her bust a beer bottle over a guy’s head before, but I don’t think I’m going to let that happen tonight. Mostly because it wasmyhead she busted the bottle over, but also because this guy pissed me off and he’s going to find out what pissed off me is like. He’s a blast. Just wait.

Instead of shoving the guy again, I take a step in his direction. My chest isn’t touching his, but it’s pretty damn close. “What’d you say? I don’t think I heard you correctly. I think you called her a bitch, am I right?”

“No, actually I was referring to you.” And then he shoves me away from him and my back hits the bar.

Jacey tries to grab onto my shirt and stop me, but she doesn’t have time before I’m back in his face. He’s got balls, I’ll give him that, but I apparently get to him because as soon as I’m in his face again, he takes a swing.

His right jab catches me on the chin and knocks my bottom teeth into my upper lip.

After he hits me, he stares at me, waiting for my reaction and I take that moment to show him just how skilled I am in bar fighting.

Within a minute, I have him up against the bar with a broken beer bottle against his throat.

Remember when I said I’d been in a few bar fights?

I’d learned a few things over the years, but I also know I’m moments away from being thrown out of here. Not that it would upset me because I don’t want to be here anyway.

“Goddamn it, Caleb!” Jacey yells, throwing the dirty towel at me. It hits my shoulder and falls to the ground. “Knock it off!”

I smile at the guy, winking, my busted lip dripping blood. “Now who’s the bitch?”

Someone grabs my shoulder from behind, and I know who it is. “All right, man. That’s enough.”

It’s Owen. He’s always breaking up fights.

---