now. Ewan clenched his jaw, trying not to look as aggravated as he felt.
The four men taking their seats were trouble. He hadnât seen them in well over six years. Well, actually, that wasnât true. Heâd seen the fat fucker on the end just last week. Remy shifted his flabby frame on top of the stool. He was lucky the stool hadnât collapsed under all his weight. Remy looked up and met Ewanâs hard stare and grinned.
But it wasnât Remy that Ewan was worried about.
If he could put his fist through anyoneâs face, heâd start with the man sitting on the closest stoolâKeith Hardy. And after he got finished with Hardy, heâd proceed to the next asshole until all of them were writhing in pain at his feet.
âAh, look who it is, boys. Our good friend Ewan,â Hardy yelled down the bar. âWhere ya been, Ewan? We havenât seen ya in a while.â
Keith Hardy was one of the most ruthless bastards heâd ever met. And what made him ruthless wasnât his cunning or intelligence. Rather it was a lack of intelligence that made him unpredictable and downright unscrupulous. He ran with a crowd just as insane as he was. Apparently he was in some position of authority now, and the asshats sitting beside him likely followed after him like ducklings trailing their mother.
Ewan had no idea why Hardy was gracing them with his presence, but he had no doubt it was in response to Remyâs visit last week. Whatever it was, Ewan wanted none of it.
He walked calmly down the length of the bar and stopped in front of Hardy, looking him in his beady, pinched eyes. âGet out of my pub,â Ewan demanded quietly.
âWe just came in to have a pint or two,â Keith said. âWeâre not causing any trouble.â
âGet out of my pub.â
Only the patrons sitting closest to where they were noticed anything was amiss. Little by little, the immediate area started to clear out.
âCome now, weâll be on our merry way after finishing a pint.â Hardy smirked, glancing toward Sean.
His cousin stood alert beside him. In demeanor, Sean wasnât quite as threatening as Ewan, but he was still tall and sturdy and wasnât the type of guy anyone would want to mess with. In a fair fight, Ewan knew they could easily take on all four. And they would if it came down to it. But any fight had casualties, and most of the time it was the pub that suffered.
âWhatever you came here for, the answer is no.â Ewan put as much steel and malice into his voice as he could without raising it.
Hardy pulled his head back like heâd been slapped. âIs this how you treat all your patrons? Itâs a wonder anyone comes into this place.â
Ewan didnât reply. He just stared back at the fucker.
Hardy let out an exaggerated sigh. âEwan, if you want me to air your dirty laundry here in front of all these fine people, thatâs up to you. I was hoping we might reconnect over a pint and head outside for a quick chat.â
âGet. The. Fuck. Out.â Ewanâs temper was rising, and there wasnât much he could do about it. His heart thundered in his chest and he felt his fingers curl into a fist.
Hardy shook his head as if he were greatly saddened by what he was about to say. âWrong answer, McKenna.â
###
âSo let me get this straight. You just work outside in the garden all day?â
Quinn nodded at Erinâs friend, Lisbeth, as she took a sip of her Merlot.
âYou make it sound like sheâs playing in a mud pit, Lisbeth,â Rory retorted. âSheâs helping my mom, for Christâs sake.â
Lisbeth put her hands up in defense. âIâm not saying thereâs anything wrong with it. I just donât see how you arenât pulling your hair out in boredom.â
âSame reason you donât pull your hair out in boredom when you take two hours to paint your nails with pink unicorns
Kristin Naca
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