The Glasgow Gray: Spot and Smudge - Book 2

by Robert Udulutch

  Ben nodded, and tried hard to hide his smirk. Spot gave them both a dirty look.

  “Aye,” Hamish said, watching Valerie swaying in front of the beat up jukebox, “But she puts up a good front and is well reared. She’s twice the woman wee Willie could possibly handle. Poor boy would need a helmet and a safety net.” Hamish nudged Ben and asked, “What do you think, lad?”

  Ben spun his stool to watch Valerie. She was bending far forward and singing into an imaginary microphone with the jukebox song, “…Mother told me, yes she told me I'd meet girls like you…she also told me stay away, you'll never know what you'll catch...”

  Ben looked down at the pups, and then turned to Hamish and Tavish and said, “I’d ride that into battle.”

  As Hamish and Tavish’s laughter subsided, the front door opened and a large man in a big fur coat walked in. He stomped when he walked. Initially Ben thought he was stomping off snow but then realized that’s just how the man walked. He crossed the empty front of the tavern and stomped up to the bar next to Hamish.

  “Hamish,” he said, not looking at Hamish.

  “Vic,” Hamish said without looking at Vic.

  Ben gave Vic a quick look. He was a scary looking man. He was just a little shorter than Hamish but even wider. Where Hamish was thick in the chest and arms, Vic was thick all over. He was the same girth all the way down to his knees. He pulled off his fur cap and Ben could see he had a narrow scar that ran down the side of his bald head, in front of his ear, and ended just above his jaw. Vic shot Ben a cold look and he turned back to his plate of fries. So did Spot and Smudge, but they both kept an eye on the big man.

  “Breton,” Vic grumbled to Tavish.

  Tavish had already started to pour a few fingers of the single malt into a glass.

  Vic leaned over Hamish, pushing him some, and took the glass without saying a word. He walked to the farthest table in the corner near the stove and kicked a seat away from the table so he could drop his bulk into it.

  To answer Ben’s look Hamish said quietly, “Victor LeClerc. He runs the ore mine here, and pretty much everything else in town. What’s left of it.”

  “Including this bar,” Tavish said, and then just loud enough for them to hear he added, “The jobby-jabbing bawbag.”

  Hamish smiled into his glass, and nodded.

  Ben noticed his pups were staring at each other and he could tell something was wrong. He reached down to give Smudge a quick pat and felt she was shaking a little.

  “I’m gonna give these guys a pee break,” Ben said as he slid off the stool.

  “You know where the back door is, aye?” Hamish asked.

  Tavish spoke up, “Take them out front, if you don’t mind, Ben.” He looked in Vic’s direction.

  Hamish said, “Right, the boss may not want them tracking through the kitchen.”

  Ben nodded and the pups followed him across the big dark room and out the front door. They went around to the dark side of the building and checked to make sure no one could see them.

  “What’s up?” Ben asked, rubbing his hands together as a cold gust hit him.

  I don’t know, Spot signed, He’s just, wrong, but not something I can put my paw on.

  Agreed, Smudge added, We both felt it. It’s a bad smell, but I can’t zero it either.

  “Well that’s helpful,” Ben said, trying to make light but he knew to trust his pups’ instincts, “So what do you want to do?”

  Let’s find a way to leave, Spot said, and his sister agreed.

  Ben nodded and started to head back to the bar with Spot.

  Smudge stopped them with a yap.

  “What is it girl?” Ben asked as he and Spot turned around.

  Smudge signed, Now I really do have to pee.

  A few moments later, just as they reached the top of the bar’s front stairs, the door swung open and Vic LeClerc stomped out. He almost knocked Ben back down the steps.

  “Watch where the fuck you’re going,” he grumbled as he pushed past them.

  As he passed by Smudge she sunk her nose deep into his fur coat and took a big sniff.

  Vic stopped at the bottom of the stairs and pulled out his cell phone. He turned around and looked at Ben.

  Ben and the pups paused in the doorway for a moment thinking Vic was going to say something more but he just stood there staring at them.

  Ben said, “Sorry,” and hurried the pups into the bar.

  Chapter 32

  “Aye, I’m getting tired too,” Hamish said.

  “Sorry Uncle Hamish,” Ben said.

  “No lad, no bother, Sholto is away for sawdust anyway,” Hamish said as he stood up and stretched, “But you may have to drive.”

  Willie saw him getting up and came over to say goodbye. As they were shaking hands the front door opened and several men walked in.

  Silhouetted in the open doorway Ben could see there were large men.

  They walked across the dark open space, spreading out as they did so.

  Spot poked Ben’s knee with his snout, and Ben nodded and whispered, “Yeah, I see.”

  There was a dog with the men. Calling it a dog didn’t do it justice, it was a big walking furry muscle. The animal was almost as tall as Vuur or Rook, but thicker and with a full coat. Ben had trouble identifying the breed, it wasn’t one he recognized and he thought he’d pretty much studied them all. The animal was long in the legs but also thick necked with a black and gray coat and distinct brown facial markings. Ben understood how he missed it once the dog entered the light of the bar. He realized it wasn’t a breed, it was two breeds. A mix of Rottweiler and wolf.

  The pups immediately thought something was a little off about this dog, in addition to its strange mixed lineage. He had an odd look on his face and was completely disinterested in his surroundings. Spot thought the big dog seemed mentally challenged.

  The men took over the table closest to the pool tables and a short muscular Latino man with huge biceps smacked the Rotty-wolf dog hard on the side of the head. He barely seemed to notice, but walked in a tight circle a few times and plunked down at the man’s feet. The guy Ben assumed to be the leader, a massive First Nations man, came up to the bar and stood next to Hamish.

  Spot and Smudge exchanged dire looks and tried to get Ben’s attention. This guy smelled worse than Vic. Something was wrong with these men, the smell was firing the pups’ radar and they were fighting the urge to grab their family and just run.

  “Yo Tav,” the big man said, “Blues.”

  “Evening Ty,” Tavish said with a nod. He was already pulling six bottles of beer from the cooler.

  Ty summoned the short Latino guy with a wave and he came up to collect the beers. His head was bald except for a small black center strip that was pulled back into a short pony tail. The muscular man had a large jagged number thirteen tattooed across his entire thick neck. His chest was so wide his ballooned arms stuck out when he walked, making it more of a waddle.

  He nodded to Tavish.

  Tavish nodded back, and said, “Jero.”

  Jero looked up to eyeball Hamish as he reached over the bar, and gave him another long slow look as he left.

  “Right,” Hamish said as he reached over the bar to shake Tavish’s hand, “Well look Tavish, you glaikit hoore, it’s been pure magic. I was serious about that invite. Come up to the ranch tomorrow for dinner. We’ve more than enough and would love to have you.”

  Hamish put his hand on Willie’s shoulder and gently pointed him in the direction of his table of tourists. Willie had been staring at Jero.

  “I’ll do just that Hamish, thanks,” Tavish said, “Tomorrow then. ‘Night Ben.”

  Hamish turned to collect Sholto and his jacket.

  The big thug Ty was standing in his way.

  “Hamish?” Ty said, “You’re Hamish? So you’re that wolf fucker who’s got the whole town wrapped around his dick, eh? I heard you were three meters tall. Guess not.”

  Ty was looking Hamish right
in the eye which not a lot of people were tall enough to do. It was pretty clear to Ben that Ty’s insult wasn’t warm ribbing between friends.

  Willie walked back to his table and stood next to Valerie. This was the last shit he needed. It was hard enough to convince tourists to come to unknown Piege instead of the more traditional getaways like Tremblant or Quebec City. He didn’t need some roid-raging local Neanderthal scaring away the money. Still, it could add some flavor to the night if it ended well, and soon.

  Hamish wouldn’t have normally let this big fop get past the first two letters of fucker without providing him with an education, but with Ben and Willie’s group here he couldn’t just haul off and deck the guy. Jean would kill him.

  “Aye, I am he,” Hamish said, looking away from Ty, “And as there’s women and bairn currently in this establishment you and I will have to get to know each other at a later date.”

  Hamish stepped widely around Ty and motioned to Sholto.

  Ben hadn’t noticed but Sholto was already on her feet and alert, and Ben hadn’t ever seen that amount of clarity and purpose on the old dog’s face. He realized, as did the pups, that Hamish’s hand signal to her wasn’t come here, it was stay, and don’t tear this guy’s throat out. Sholto stayed where she was.

  Spot wanted desperately to risk a paw sign to Ben but decided to wait. The smell from these thugs was so bad he was starting to panic a little but he still just couldn’t quite figure it out. It was right there, his mind just couldn’t grab it. He was also worried about his sister, she was looking like she was ready to do something drastic.

  Hamish put his hand on Ben’s shoulder as he took quick stock of the room. Not wanting to walk back past Ty or the table of men he said, “Let’s go lad, head out the back. Take your pups to the truck. I’ll be there in a tick with Sholto, just gotta pay the tab.”

  Ben put on his jacket as he walked to the end of the bar with Spot at his side. They got to Sholto and Ben stopped to pat her as he turned around to wait for Hamish.

  Smudge had hung back. She was standing next to Hamish who was taking his time.

  Smudge was pretty sure she had figured out the smell when she plunged her nose into Vic’s fur coat, and now getting a good whiff from the thugs confirmed it. Not that it helped them any.

  Spot looked at the back hallway, and the back door. He indicated to Smudge briefly what he had planned and she nodded, Yep, got it, of course that’ll probably never work, brother. Let’s hope we don’t need to try it. We just need to leave and if this old lump moves any slower I’m dragging him out of here by his beard.

  Hamish had stopped to down his drink, push in Ben’s bar stool, and leave some money on the bar. He started to walk slowly towards Ben as he put on his tam, and pretended to count the change in his hand. He wished eleven year old boys listened as well as Sholto. Hamish wanted to just grab Ben and go but he was trying to get Willie’s attention first.

  Don’t sit down, Willie, Hamish thought, No don’t sit, please see that it’s time to go.

  Willie sat down. He put his hand on Valerie’s shoulder while he said something quietly to the group, and the whole table laughed.

  Hamish stopped and shook his head. Bugger, he thought, bloody idiot.

  The jukebox wailed, “…For those about to rock…We salute you…Yes we do…”

  Spot read Hamish’s face and saw he was certainly in tune to what was going on. Spot tried to give Ben a nudge towards the back hallway. Ben just shooed him away and continued to pat Sholto as he watched Hamish counting his change.

  Ty called over to Willie, “Something funny over there, you fucking pede?”

  As Tavish picked up Hamish’s money and wiped the bar he said, “Ty, play nice with our visitors.”

  “Oh,” Ty said, seeing Valerie for the first time and licking his lips, “I’ll play real nice with them.”

  The short Latino man, Jero, stood up and rolled his massive shoulders. Smudge noticed that he had unclipped the big Rotty-wolf’s leash from the collar ring and dropped it next to the dog.

  Smudge looked back at Spot, who had noticed it too and motioned, Oh great. Adding a step to the plan, brother.

  Jero waddled over and stood next to Ty. Chairs screeched on the floor as the rest of the thugs at the table stood up. The big dog didn’t move, but for the first time it seemed interested in what was going on.

  Smudge turned away from Hamish and got Sholto’s attention. She gave the big old shepherd a few commands as subtly as she could. Sholto moved closer to Ben, never taking her eyes off of Hamish and Ty.

  Smudge got Sholto’s attention again to make sure she understood. The ex-army sergeant shot her a look and shifted her posture that Smudge read as, I’m old but not stupid, I understood you and I’m ready. I’ve done my part since before your great grandparents were weened so you just worry about yours, and if Hamish gets hurt you two are answering to me. Smudge thought she was maybe reading a little into it but the veteran’s ferocity was clear and the message was easy enough to get the gist of.

  Ty and Jero took a few steps towards Willie.

  Willie came around from the back of his table. He certainly didn’t want to approach the men but couldn’t have the big thugs getting any closer to his paying guests.

  Valerie sat up straighter in her chair with her zipper straining. She licked her lip gloss. She didn’t want to miss any of this.

  Hamish looked at Ben, waved one last time in vain for him to leave, and then walked over to stand at Willie’s side.

  Ty and Jero stopped when Hamish stepped up. They were two steps away from the big Scot and Willie.

  Ty said, “Oh this is rich. A fag and a dog fucker. Jero, I don’t know which is worse.”

  Willie and Jero were about the same height, but Jero’s neck was bigger than both of Willie’s thighs.

  Tavish casually put one foot up on the beer cooler behind the bar, and tossed his towel over his shoulder. He put his other hand on the axe handle hidden just below the counter.

  Hamish said, “Listen boys, no need for unpleasantries here, and no need for our guests to see such nonsense. They may not want to come back to our welcoming little hamlet.”

  Ty eyed Hamish and worked his jaw a few times.

  A big, terrible smile crept across Jero’s face. He had his hands at his side and slowly opened and closed his fists while his cannonball biceps flexed.

  Smudge had walked up slowly between Hamish and Willie. She looked up at Jero’s arms and thought, Not bad ese, but mama has a little surprise for you.

  Ty locked eyes with Hamish and said, “My grandfather hunted out the wolves from southern Quebec so our families could cut trees and dig ore without worrying about their kids or cows or pigs getting fucking slaughtered. Wolves are just rats with bigger teeth. They’re a nuisance and we don’t want them here, Jock. I heard Mr. LeClerc had been pretty clear about that with you, and your circle jerk club of fags out there at the range.”

  Spot had been watching Ty closely. He knew he’d be the one to strike first, and he could tell it was coming soon. He watched the man’s eyes, his breathing, and the way he set his shoulders. Humans were still animals, and they prepared to attack the same way. Just a lot slower.

  When Ty lifted his heel to take the first step Spot was already half way down the back hallway.

  Hamish saw Ty move as well and had already balled his fist. He also reached out to shove Willie out of the way.

  Sholto backed up against Ben.

  Tavish grabbed the ax handle and reached for the far lip of the bar as he pushed off with his foot.

  Smudge crouched, closed her eyes, twisted her head slightly, and recited her internal dialog that let her neck and shoulder muscles expand.

  She leapt as Cu Sith, just as the lights went out.

  Chapter 33

  Spot had crossed the length of the bar’s back hallway in two big bounds, splitting his paws open for added control. He jumped onto a stack of crates and launched himself high, anglin
g into the kitchen. In one fluid motion he had flung open the electrical panel and flicked off the main breaker, plunging the bar into blackness.

  The pellet stove clicked off, but still gave off just a little glow through the grates at the top. Far across the room at the front of the bar some light from the street made it through the small dirty window in the door. For the humans it was pitch black. The dogs could barely see, but it would have to do.

  Sholto knocked Ben down. He fell onto Hamish’s coat and Sholto stood over him, pinning him to the floor as she crouched, ready.

  Spot crashed onto the small dish washing area of the kitchen, spun and struggled to get his footing as pizza pans and dirty dishes clanged to the floor. He pulled himself off the counter with his front paws and launched himself back down the hallway towards the bar.

  Tavish was in mid-air over the top of the bar when the lights went out but he landed like a cat and spun quickly, dodging bar stools as he shot through the dark towards the back room with his hands out in front of him. He was headed for the breaker panel, and whatever had crashed in the kitchen.

  Smudge had closed her eyes an instant before the lights went out and was fully adjusted to the dark as she flew between Hamish and Willie. She gained height and picked her targets. Drawing her feet in, she pulled into a ball and then exploded outward as she hit Ty and Jero. She had reached full muscle mass just as she flexed out, and caught Jero on the chin with her hind feet and Ty in the chest with her spread front paws.

  Spot used the end of the bar to change direction at top speed. He blew past Ben and Sholto, and barely avoided taking out Tavish as they passed each other in the dark.

  Hamish stopped in mid-step when everything went black. He had been loading up to throw a punch across Ty’s jaw but he pulled it and took a few steps backward with Willie safely behind him.

  Valerie screamed, and so did Willie. His was higher pitched.

  Ty and Jero, who had been coming forward with fists raised, were now flying backwards and away from each other. Ty tottered back a few large wobbly steps and bumped into an empty table hard, but held his footing. Jero smacked into two advancing thugs and they all went down in a pile, knocking their table into the remaining thugs.