by E. Earle
I brushed my hair from my face as the door opened. Two tall strangers walked in. The sound from the pub was sucked dry.
Beer split onto my boots, as I realised Jessica was gripping onto the Carlsberg lever.
I raised my chin. They were both dark haired and unerringly alike to Rino from the cold cruelty in their eyes. I watched them take in their surroundings in one glance.
I could feel my jaw locking.
Get out.
“Hello,” I said, inclining my head slightly. “What can I get for you?”
They looked at me only once and then ignored me. They were staring at the old man at the bar.
They looked no more than thirty. Dark hair combed back. Tall. Wide shoulders. I didn’t like it, and I very much doubted that Jess and I could take them. I swallowed.
“Is that him?” The taller one said to the other, his voice gravelly.
He nodded.
The old man continued to mumble under his breath to Ben, oblivious to the atomic bomb that had just walked in.
Of course they would ignore me. I was soft, pliant, pathetic blood and bones to them. Why would they ever take notice of a mere little barmaid?
But I wasn’t just a barmaid. I was owner to this place. Jessica jolted me out of my annoyance by dropping a glass.
I narrowed my eyes and grabbed a broom to start cleaning it up, hushing at her not to worry. My movements jumpstarted her into motion, and suddenly Georgie and Helen had moved further down the bar.
“Just chill,” I said to Jessica, grabbing her elbow. “Where’s Jack?”
Her mouth worked and she looked around panicky as if she could find him. I remembered then that he had finished his chef’s shift an hour ago and he had probably gone home to his caravan.
“Don’t worry- I’ll sort this out,” I told her.
“You,” the taller thug said to Old Marley. “You’re coming with us.”
My drunk made no acknowledgement, his shaking old hand constantly stroking Ben.
I watched the thugs exchange glances.
The shorter one grabbed Old Marley’s shoulder and pulled him off his chair in one easy motion, Ben hissing and spitting as he fell to the floor.
“Hey!” I shouted, not noticing the volume of my voice until my throat started to burn. “Get off him!”
They froze. Everyone froze. My breath dragged through my lungs sharply. They turned to stare at me, their cruel eyes burning through my skin, as if searching for the source of madness that caused me to speak out against them.
“This is none of your concern, sweetheart,” the taller smiled snidely.
The word sweetheart had been said many times to me, and usually it had a positive effect. Not this time.
“Get out,” I said through my teeth, sure that the broom would shatter under my grip.
The taller one raised an eyebrow. “With pleasure.” He hauled Old Marley up from the floor, his toes skimming the surface. The old man made a panicked cry as they started to drag him with ease towards the door.
“You’re not taking him anywhere,” I growled, coming from around the bar, shoving the broom at Jessica.
Some insanity raged through me like a disease, poisoning sense out of my body. They stared at me, as if summing up whether I was really serious or not. They dropped the man into a crumpled heap at their shiny black shoes, and took a step towards my way.
Ben jumped in front of me, a low rumbling meow curdling from his lungs at the two men.
They laughed and kicked him.
I drew in a breath, and brought the broom down with such force against one that it snapped. I didn’t know where it fell, but I aimed somewhere that would definitely need to work if he wanted children, and the next thing I knew, Brynn was holding me back.
Thug#1 was on his knees grasping his junk in one hand, his eyes rolling back in agony. Old Marley was back in the other’s grip, both looking as bewildered as each other at what I had done.
Ben hissed again behind me, so I knew he was ok, but it didn’t matter. Brynn’s arm was iron around my waist and soon I was shoved behind him.
Old Marley suddenly was making the sounds of a wounded animal, hands frozen protectively over his face.
It gave me the fire I needed.
“You’re barred,” I shouted from behind Brynn’s shoulder. “Now, piss off!”
“Your missus forgot her place, O’Connell?” Thug#2 growled, shaking Old Marley in fury, making the old man whimper all the more.
“I know what my place is,” I snarled, picking up a disgruntled Ben. He wasn’t hurt, but his pride was. “It’s right here, telling you to jog on!”
Brynn pushed me further behind him and took a step forward. “I thought I told you never to come here,” he growled, the threat undeniable in his voice. I had never heard him so angry, his entire demeanour making me blink.
Thug#1 finally managed to get to his feet, pulling his coat back over him in an attempt to regain his composure. They looked from each other and then scanned the crowd around us. Whatever disease had sprouted within me to stand against these two hooligans had seemed to spread.
People were getting restless, their eyes glaring, teeth showing.
A couple of men doing construction at a nearby Premier Inn stood up.
“I think you should do as the lady asks,” the bald headed leader said, his bright yellow jacket glowing as if of a symbol of his leadership.
“Let him go,” Brynn said, his voice low and commanding.
For the first time, I saw the look of hesitation in their eyes. Thug#1 suddenly threw Old Marley to the floor again.
“Ellena!” Jessica breathed, jumping at the loud thump of the old man reverberating in all our ears.
I went to jump forward but Brynn pushed me back again. Scowling, I looked up to see the hooligans smiling.
“Ellena is it?” the taller of the two said, as if tasting the word in his mouth. “This is something you’ll regret.”
My eyes narrowed. “I doubt it.”
They left without a backwards glance, the blackness outside engulfing them.
I remembered to breathe.
“I need a drink,” I said turning back to the bar.
The punters all congratulated themselves on protecting the Old Marley, and excited conversation buzzed around, confidence growing.
“Bloody imbeciles,” someone muttered.
“Think they own everything.”
“Well not tonight,” another laughed.
I sliced a lemon, keeping my back to the customers’ stares. Jessica had praised me for dealing with the situation, however gravely. She looked worried. Brynn had picked up Old Marley immediately and sat him by the fire. Ben jumped onto his lap instantly, and the old drunk seemed to forget his troubles. His happiness was doubled when I soon returned his Stephen King book and gave him the cheese toastie I had been saving for my own lunch.
I couldn’t stop a shiver creep up my back as I started to cut up a lime. No one spoke back to thugs like that nowadays. Maybe there was a reason, I snidely mused. I was afraid of the consequences, and for once hoped that they would think I was nothing- a speck at the bottom of their shoe- something not worth bothering with. Someone not worth dealing punishment out to.
In my gut I knew I hadn’t heard the last of this.
“Who were they?” I growled to Brynn when he returned from the old man. Brynn’s face was hard and serious, his eyes dark and troubled. He shook his head.
“Bad people. If they ever come here again, you call me, ok?”
Again, that ‘obey me’ tone. I supressed a scowl, not knowing why I had such a problem. “Yeah ok, but who were they?”
“You just call me, all right?” he growled.
Now my scowl really did come, out as I watched him walk away, allowing the profanities to spill out with my breath.
“Vodka?” Jessica said brightly behind me, holding up a glass.
Unsmiling, I nodded.
Two doubles later and a shot
of tequila, we were getting ready to call last orders. Jack had returned, mortified that he had missed all the action and had brought us over a couple of pizzas. Food inside me seemed to calm any previous anxieties.
I turned around and realised that Old Marley had gone. I didn’t know where and I wasn’t sure at what time he had gone, but it made me feel pretty rubbish that I hadn’t kept a closer eye on him.
I took another deep breath and called last orders.
It took us twenty minutes to clean up the bar. We called time after ten and had another shot of tequila. Tequila reminded me of more enjoyable days for some reason. It was my drink of choice when we were all getting a bit tired when we went out dancing. It was the only thing that made me bounce back. I stared into my empty glass, sloshing around a speck of gold liquid and allowed it to spill onto the bar. I didn’t care.
Ben was rolling around on the floor with his catnip toy. It was a fresh one and more potent than the others, else I didn’t think he would make such a display of himself. I watched him bat it between his paws and then pounce on it with a sensation around my cheeks that told me I was smiling. A drink was pushed into my hands and I gave Jessica the thumbs up, drinking it quickly because apparently we were leaving.
Charlotte joined us outside with Helen and Georgie. I pulled on my hoody and zipped it up to my chin as the chill sank into my skin.
“Where’s Brynn?” I shivered, shoving my hands into my pockets. It was strange how it got freezing around here at night time, even though it was Summer and boiling in the day.
“Dunno,” Jessica said, buttoning up a pink blazer. “He just said he had some errands to do. Went in a bit of a rush.”
“Brilliant.”
I hated that he did that, would just leave without telling us where he was going. It irritated me. He had been pacing around the pub when the two thugs had left, making me feel anxious- one of the reasons why downing shots seemed like such a good idea. He had told me to stay in the building, but like I was going to do what I was told?
“You never guess what Ellena did tonight,” Jessica to Charlotte.
I rolled my eyes.
We walked down the hill towards a pub I had been into only once before whilst I was doing my “market research”. Ben joined us on the walk, and I fell back a bit so I could talk with him.
“You ok?” I hissed to him.
“Nothing some catnip won’t fix,” he meowed forlornly. “I can’t believe he kicked me! I’m getting slow…”
“You need to stop eating bacon,” I told him bluntly.
“Hmm,” Ben said thoughtfully. “Maybe you’re right. Do you mind if I go for a bit of midnight hunting whilst you’re out? I feel the need to reaffirm I’m not losing my touch.”
I laughed and bent down to stroke him. “You do that. I’ll meet you back at the shack.”
He meowed at me and was off.
Delayneys was practically a hop, skip and a jump away- an Irish bar that never played Irish music, which I thought was a shame, personally. I loved a good old jig to a fiddle and a drunkard singing- which was probably why I liked the Pogues so much.
We sat down at a back table, prepared to grudgingly enjoy the 80’s music that was playing.
It was a shame that they didn’t have a local band on, and I wondered if Jack would do a set for the weekend coming up. When I complained about the music, Jessica reminded me it was Monday, and I immediately felt foolish. But as I looked around I could see that the pub was pretty full. People had started to trickle in on their holidays. Pubs never did too badly in Devon around festival season.
I explained about the incident to Charlotte and Jack in more detail seeing as Jack wanted to hear it again and Charlotte hadn’t been around.
“So, you told them to piss off?” Jack asked disbelievingly.
I shrugged and took a swig of my rum and coke. “Maybe.” I left out the bit about hitting one in the goolies, but Jessica was kind enough to bring it up. I had turfed out two thugs that Brynn had even admitted were “bad”, and was now very much aware of some impending doom.
Georgie and Helen drank a bit too fast so made their excuses pretty quickly. I stared at them as they exchanged kisses and wondered what it would be like to have someone who felt that way about me. I sighed then, remembering Calloway. He had felt that way. Now we had been pulled away.
Jack leaned over. “Well, I’ve got something to cheer you up.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Cheering up? I’m perfectly happy.”
“You don’t look happy.”
“It’s just my face,” I mumbled into my drink.
He grinned, showing us all his perfect white teeth. “I won on the horses today so the next round’s on me.”
I wondered why the thugs wanted Old Marley in the first place as Jack bought us all a round of Jäger Bombs. I shook it out of my mind. It had been a hard night, and I was determined to at least enjoy the rest of it.
The Jäger Bombs were sweet as they ran down my throat and as I banged my fist on the table with the rest of the team, I decided that I liked them very much.
We stopped off for a quick pint at a pub called the Wild Man where we decided we liked the music very much. It was an ecliptic mix of country and rock. I smiled as Sea Sick Steve came on and we started to tap on table to the beat- until the bar staff told us to pipe down.
I stared into my pint of cider, unable to drink as quickly as the others. I ignored their goading, remembering the cruel eyes that stared into mine.
Sweetheart.
The name trembled within me, causing a rush of heat to run through my tired muscles. I hated that they had turned my favourite pet name into an insult.
“What’s up, Ellena?” Jack asked, taking a swig from his pint.
I looked down and shrugged.
“She’s worried about those two idiots,” Jessica answered, reading my face easily. “Don’t worry, Ellie. Just chill and enjoy yourself.”
“I am,” I protested. “Look-” I took my pint and swiftly downed it. “See? I’m having fun fun fun.”
A burp escaped from Jessica’s chest as she stood, giggling.
“You getting them in?”
Her face fell, as if she had been hoping I had forgotten.
“Never mind.” I passed her a tenner, suppressing a yawn. “Get us both a drink. And a shot of tequila,” I added as an afterthought.
The drinks came and went. We danced downstairs then went upstairs so Charlotte could smoke. Upstairs was basically an outside area that would have been hell on earth, if it wasn’t from the outside heaters. I was once again surprised how cold it could get in July, and then admitted to myself that it was a pretty crumby summer we were having so far. Red light spilled onto us as I ordered a drink at the outside bar.
A blond girl pushed in front of me. I scowled immediately.
“Err excuse me,” I said, “I was here first.”
She looked at me from head to foot. Her straightened blond hair and short blue dress combo with stilettos made her far more appealing for a barman to serve first, but my temper as it was and flat boots were more than adequate to do some damage. Tonight was not the night to push my buttons.
She must have seen something in my expression as she quickly stepped back.
Wondering why the hell anyone would bother wearing high heels on a Monday night, I shook my head and pushed back past her.
“Unbelievable,” I muttered. I didn’t care if I looked like a mess. My dark blonde hair highlighted by the summer was a mass of messy waves down my back after I had taken down my braid. I hadn’t bothered with much makeup- a bit of mascara and lipstick was fine for me.
I sighed, waiting for the barman to realise I was waiting.
A man was standing with his drink to my left, the light form the red outside heaters casting him in eerie shadows. I ignored him.
“Hi- can I have two vodka and lemonades, please?” I said once the barman had seen me.
I could feel the girl in the blue dre
ss behind me, itching to be served. She brushed past me again to my left near the man.
I turned and glared at her and then decided she was probably just wasted and to lay off. Hey, we’d all been there. She was leaning towards the lone drinker, trying to get his eyes to lie on her breasts.
I raised my eyebrows at her tactics and then shook my head. Probably trying to get him to get her a drink. Original.
“Hey, do you mind if I stand here?” I heard her say huskily. “My friends have left me and now I need some company...”
To buy me a drink, I finished for her.
“Thanks,” I said to the barman, passing him the money and taking the two drinks.
She reached to put an arm around his shoulder, digging her elbow into my side. My drinks spilt.
“Jesus!” I growled, “Watch where you’re going!”
I looked up and saw the man staring at me. I froze. Dark eyes stared into mine, evaluating and locking me into place. My mind went into overdrive.
“I’ve been wondering where you are,” Brynn said, not looking amused at all.
Chapter Five
Whatever Brynn had said to my mother, he had taken pretty seriously. He didn’t expect to come back and find me and the rest of the team gone. I shuffled my foot guiltily, not knowing why.
“Donny was still there to keep an eye on things,” I mumbled sulkily.
“I don’t care,” he growled suddenly. “You don’t need attracting attention to yourself, right now, Ellena-”
“What was I supposed to do?” I snapped, furious with him suddenly. “I did the right thing telling those guys to jog on and I don’t regret it.”
He clenched his jaw, as if taking his time to build up his patience. “I understand that,” he said finally. “It’s just unfortunate. You were supposed to stay back at Craggys.”
I glared at him; both of us determined that we were right. “I had to blow off some steam,” I said through gritted teeth.
