“I’ll get your money.” She forced herself not to look at Tank. So far, Cougar hadn’t seen him.
“We’ve got time for that, sweet cheeks. We’re gonna have some fun first.” A cruel smile twisted his lips.
In her peripheral, she saw Tank, gun in hand, creep toward him as quietly as a leopard stalking its prey. Raising his arm, he swung the gun at the back of Cougar’s head. Blood spurted out, spraying minute droplets over the glass cases.
“Fuck!” Cougar cried out.
As Tank was poised to deliver another blow, Lena saw Cougar’s accomplice and two other mean-looking men rush.
“Tank!” she screamed as one of the men punched him from behind, the blow forcing him to his knees.
The man kicked the gun out of Tank’s hand, and it slid under one of the cases.
“You fuckin’ traitor!” Cougar growled, stumbling to his feet. “I had a feeling you’d be here to help your whore.”
That’s why he brought men with him. How is Tank going to fight them all? I can’t call for help because the damn sheriff’s in on this. Her mind raced a mile a minute, trying to come up with a plan to help him.
“You know what we do to traitors, asshole,” one of the men hissed as he rolled his hands into fists.
Cougar was leaning against the wall, barely able to stand up. Maybe it would be enough to keep him out of the fight.
Tank grabbed the leg of one of them and yanked hard, bringing him down, then pushed up to his feet.
“Watch his fuckin’ legs!” Cougar roared.
While Tank fended off the other two bikers, another one took out a heavy-duty chain from his pocket and swung it at Tank’s legs. When the metal snake wrapped around them, the biker yanked it back, pulling Tank’s feet out from under him.
Rolling over, Tank pushed himself up and bent down low, delivering a punch to the man’s stomach.
“Tank, behind you!” she screeched.
Cougar glared at her. “Shut the fuck up! When we get done with this turncoat, you’re gonna beg for a quick death, bitch!”
When the bastard turned his attention back to the fight, Lena dropped to her knees, searching for Tank’s gun.
“Fuck!” Tank yelled.
Jumping up, she found him on his knees again, but now blood was running along the back of his neck. The biker with the chain was down on the ground, and the other was in front of Tank with his hands around his neck. Cougar had sunk down to the floor, his head in his hands.
Lena ran back to the kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife and the heaviest rolling pin she could find. When she came back out, two of the bikers were hovering over Tank. They’re going to kill him! Without hesitation, she charged them, plunging the knife into one of the men’s back. He cried out, and before the second one could react, she mustered all her strength and clobbered him in the head with the rolling pin. Stumbling the from the blow, he fell back, blood running down the side of his face.
“Fuckin’ bitch!”
Running on pure adrenaline, she held the pin tight in her hands, ready to strike again. She shot a quick look at Tank, who threw her a crooked smile before slipping his hand into his boot and pulling out another gun. The biker she’d clobbered came toward her, glowering. Just as she raised the rolling pin, she heard the echo of a gunshot fill the room. The biker went down on one knee, shock spreading across his face.
“Get the fuck outta here, now!” Tank yelled, jerking his head toward the door.
“You’re dead!” Cougar shouted.
“We’re gonna enjoy torturing you, you fuckin’ traitor!” The biker shot in the leg spit on the floor. “You’re worse than scum, you motherfucker!”
“And Raptor’s not gonna save your pussy ass. He’s gonna be sorry he ever gave you the patch, you asshole. When Hammer hears about this, it’s your death!” Cougar thundered, spit flying from his mouth..
Tank waved the gun, aiming it at each of them. “I said to get the fuck out of here, and if you don’t, I’ll start shooting. Only this time, I’ll shoot to kill.”
Lena could see the blood streaming down his back, soaking his black T-shirt, and him gripping the edge of the counter with one hand. A huge sigh of relief escaped her lips when two of the men helped Cougar to his feet and walked him out of the restaurant, leaving the biker Tank had shot in the leg to limp behind them. Before he went out the door, he turned and glared at Tank.
“You’re fuckin’ dead,” he said in a calm, matter-of-fact tone that made her shudder.
Once he stepped out the door, Lena ran over and locked it before pulling down the shades. She heard a crash behind her and spun around, just as Tank collapsed to the floor.
“Tank!” Dropping to her knees, she bent over his bloody body and felt his forehead. It was clammy and hot, and his face had a grayish pallor to it.
“Do you hear me, Tank?” She stroked his skin with her hand. “Sweetie, you’re going to be okay.” You have to be. She swallowed down the lump in her throat as panic seized her. You can’t give up now.
She looked back at the door. What if they come back with others to kill him? Their threats—no promises—still rang in her ears. Stop thinking about the what-ifs and do something. Getting her bearings, she searched through his jean pockets until she found his phone. Scrolling through the names in his directory, she called the first weird name she saw—Maniac.
“What’s up?”
“Hi. You don’t know me, but I got your number from Tank’s phone. He’s hurt real bad.”
“Is he at the restaurant?”
“Yes. Cougar and the others came and… he’s hurt. I don’t know what to do. I’d call the police but—”
“Don’t call the fuckin’ badges. I’ll take care of it. Sit tight.”
Then the connection went dead.
Lena jumped up and went to the kitchen to get some towels and the first aid kit. When she came back into the restaurant, she knelt beside him and placed a few towels under his head to help stop the bleeding. Gently wiping his face with a warm washcloth, she cleaned off the dried blood, then addressed the cuts on his face and arms. Seeing his swollen eyes and bruised face made her heart ache.
“I’m sorry you’re hurt, sweetie. You were trying to protect me.” Lowering her head, she kissed his lips. “I’ve missed you. You have to hang on—your friends are coming.”
In the distance, she heard the wail of sirens and cursed under her breath. Who the hell called the sheriff? Just then, a loud rumble rattled the windows. Rushing over to the door, she peeked through the shades and gasped at the sight of the motorcycles lining the street, and the ten tough-looking bikers in leather vests walking toward the bistro’s door. The pounding of her heart filled her ears. They’ve come back to kill him. Shit! What am I going to do? She thought quickly. The gun! She started to run back over to Tank’s crumpled body when a loud knock on the door made her scream.
“It’s Maniac.”
Slowly unlocking and opening the door, he looked past her to Tank’s crumpled body. He quickly brushed past her, and the other men followed suit until they were all hovering around Tank.
“He’s got a severe wound on the back of his head. I tried to stop the bleeding.” she told him.