Cole was able to make it back to the club before midnight. He shook hands with Jack, thanked him again for the backup and perfect language skills, and then got out of his car. He looked back inside to the lawyer, "Think they'll call me in again?"

 

"Not really," Jack decided after a brief moment, "I can't prove it, but what I saw in their eyes was case closed. They didn't seem motivated in sifting around for a few months in order to pin anything on you and even less motivated in expending effort in looking for Nicole. A runaway call girl isn't high on their priority list, which means they're stupid in this case, but that's the breaks."

 

Cole nodded his head in agreement and thanked him again as he closed the door. Scanning the long parking lot to the side of the bar, as Jack guided his Mustang out and into the light traffic, Cole counted ten men spread out, looking casual while being heavily armed. Across the street, around the small hotel, he picked out five more men with the same attitudes.

 

Gang wars should be avoided, he was told by their last president, Sam, but if you are going to engage, then you hit hard and often. As Cole approached the door, a group of ten more men filed out and every man in sight began heading for their bikes. One of them was Rat, who he waved over.

 

"What's up?" he asked his friend.

 

"Oh, just a little strafing and harassment," Rat told him. "Jim wants to draw first blood before sunrise, so we are going to put a bunch of holes into some choice real estate and then catch the late movie. Want to come?"

 

"What's the movie?"

 

"Not sure which one, but one of those old Clint Eastwood's, I think," Rat said seriously.

 

“Oooh, that is tempting and we get to shoot at houses," Cole smiled. "but, have to pass. I have an extremely attractive woman who is delusional enough to seriously like me who has promised sex of the circus act variety inside. Otherwise…”

 

"Yes, I was given some of the scoop on her, a call girl or something," Rat said, studying Cole's face. When his comment failed to raise an immediate response from Cole, he shrugged and said, "Well, do me the favor and don't trust her too much. She's hot, extremely hot, and over at the end of the bar with Brian, but… still."

 

"Can't promise that one, amigo. I've already gone past what caution would advise," Cole admitted, "Planning to go much further, too."

 

Again Rat shrugged, as if this wasn't an important matter to him, which Cole knew wasn't the way of things, as Rat said, "You're a grown man, so I see nothing to complain about."

 

"Thanks for that, but --"

 

"But, you weren't asking," Rat broke in.

 

"Actually," Cole said thoughtfully, "that's a lot cooler than what I was going to say, so I'll go with that, but when I said it, I sounded more like Clint Eastwood than you just did, which brought up the coolness value several degrees."

 

"I don't think you need to worry much about your coolness value right now," Rat told him. "You're a major topic of discussion, being that you took down Antonio and Davis, together -- in a gun fight, no less. Even I'm close to doing a little hero worship of my own and making sure everyone knows that we are friends and shit. And you know I don't get into that kind of play."

 

"I cheated," Cole told him.

 

"Well, shit, of course you did," Rat said with a tone of voice that suggested he was affronted that Cole didn't believe he figured that out already, "I know that much, because you are still walking around without holes in you or leaking everywhere. But who cares? They are dead and you are not. This is a good thing."

 

"I agree with that," Cole said seriously.

 

Bikes began starting up across the parking lot. Both of them looked in that direction and then back to each other, "Safe wind buddy," Cole said.

 

Rat began moving for his bike, "Call me tomorrow," he yelled back to Cole, "we'll do something maybe. Or bring your new friend over for dinner or something. Angie is making a roast and she likes it when you stop by."

 

"I'll try, but with…" he began to say, but then just shrugged.

 

"Yeah, sure. Well, try harder," Rat advised and then turned, heading quickly for his bike.

 

Cole remained where he was, watching the outriders of the club hitting the road with targets in mind, and very little mercy in their hearts. After Rat's bike thundered by, Cole turned and walked into the club.

 

Scanning the room, he decided that the general mood was much more somber than normal, which he supposed with the news coming down, the mood would then be considered normal. He also decided he needed a beer and perhaps shot, and then some good sex with Nicole. He walked in the direction that Rat said she would be and found her surrounded by Brian and four other men, all smiling and flirtatious.

 

"Having a good time?" he asked, coming up behind her and putting a hand on her shoulder.

 

"It just got a lot better," she said as she turned with a blazing smile and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Everything good?"

 

"Well, except for the possible prison sentence, yeah," he said with a subdued voice.

 

Her smile vanished with such suddenness the room got darker.

 

"Kidding," he explained quickly and kissed her, "Everything is fine. Great, in fact. They are no long interested in me, not interested in you at all it appears, and couldn’t care less if the case were closed tonight. Seems Antonio and Davis were not the kind of community members these detective give a shit about."

 

She slapped his chest lightly with the palm of her hand, "That was not funny. Not at all," she pouted.

 

"Ah," he mused, "I'll try something different next time."

 

"Better be a lot funnier than that or I might stick you with a pin while you are sleeping," she warned.

 

"Maybe we could try that pompoir again tonight," he suggested.

 

"No, not tonight, not after that joke. I don't want you to feel rewarded. It would only encourage you to dabble and dabbling in those areas of amusement is dangerous. So really, it’s for your own good."

 

"Of course," he agreed, cynically.

 

"I could be enticed to explore other areas of pleasure and interest, though," she said with a alluring and very affecting voice while running her hand down to his chest, and exploring in a way that suggested everyone else just left the room.

 

"Hmm, that sounds hopeful," he mused with a grin.

 

She nodded slowly, looking him over with lust-filled eyes, "And I'm quite sure you will maintain those feelings of hope right up to the point where you become graphically and overwhelmingly grateful for the level of fulfillment I plan to bring you to," she told him, returning his grin.

 

"Well, I need a beer and perhaps a shot before I jump into monkey-sex mode. You want another?"

 

"A coke, maybe. I've had several beers already and a handful of shots," she reported.