Diego pounded on the front door of Alan’s house. He waited for three minutes and heard no response. He considered sending a text message, but he didn’t want to stack the conversation and point it in any specific direction. He needed to talk to Alan. Diego was already tired of feeling like he was fighting the locals. He wanted to take Alan away and maybe Rhea, too. He bristled at her misplaced ideas about responsibility.

Diego pounded again. He put his ear to the door to listen. Suddenly, a deep bass howl echoed through the house and roared in his ear. It was Boomer. He was home, but Alan was either away or hiding. Diego considered his next move and returned to his car.

He remembered Alan speaking about the bar downtown in Coldbrook Bend. It was the place that Alan met his first friends when he moved to the tiny river town. Diego parked his car across the street and approached the door.

As he reached the door, Diego heard footsteps drawing near. He glanced over his shoulder to see two men. One was broad-shouldered like an American football player, and the other was tall and thin. Diego held the door and ushered them inside saying, “It’s good to have more company on a night like this.”

Diego stood just inside the door for a few moments to allow his eyes to adjust to the dim light. The bar was half-full, and it was too quiet. Something was wrong. The hair on Diego’s forearms began to stand on end.

Alan and Diego spotted each other at the same time. Diego could see Alan’s jaw drop from more than twenty feet away. He walked toward Alan along with the two strangers. They each held cold beers in their hands.

Diego was startled to see Alan stand and then grip his elbow as he approached instead of offering a hug. Alan whispered, “Have a seat here, and you’re going to meet Dak and Brody.”

Looking at the other two men, Diego held out a hand and asked, “The two of you are Dak and Brody? I’m sure you’ve heard of me. I’m Diego. We have this impressive man in common.”

As Alan sat again, he asked, “What are you doing here, Diego?”

“I’m looking for you. Boomer’s baleful howl gave me a clue.”

As Dak shook Diego’s hand, Brody said, “You were right, Alan, and he winked.”

Alan looked beyond his friends toward a small group of men huddled by the bar. He whispered, “Everybody sit down. I’m worried that we’re going to have trouble.”

Dak turned his head. “Oh fuck, it’s Lewis and his goons.”

Alan nodded. Brody turned toward the door as another man entered and quickly joined Lewis’ group at the far end of the bar. Diego asked, “Is this High Noon in little America? What’s going on here?”

“Hey, wait,” said Dak. “That guy who just came in…”

“What about him?” asked Alan.

“It’s Rogers. He worked on the boats with me. He’s not the brightest bulb in the socket, but he’s a good man. His body is muscular like a little bull. That strength often came in handy.”

“And he’s one of Lewis’ friends?” asked Alan. He watched as Dak pulled a cell phone from his pocket and pushed a button.

Dak shoved the phone back into his pocket and shrugged. “He was friends with whoever would have him. Give me a sec.”

Brody gripped Dak’s arm as he turned toward the small group huddled around Lewis, He hissed, “What are you doing? It’s not even a fair fight. There’s five of them and only one of you.”

“Who said I’m going to fight?” asked Dak. He turned and said, “Besides, there’s five of us, too, and that one looks strong as an ox.” He pointed at Ross who suddenly looked like a deer caught in headlights. “Let me go, Brody. I’ll take care of this.”

Brody relinquished his grip, and all four men watched as Dak sauntered across the room. Diego grabbed a chair from a nearby table and sat at Alan’s side.

Dak purposefully spoke loud enough so that everyone could hear his comments. He said, “Hey Rogers, who would have thought I’d see you here. Are you still working the boats?”

The stout, shorter man turned toward Dak and said “Hey! Yeah, I’m still on the river, but I’m in the middle of my two-week leave.”

“And who do you have with you? Is this Lewis’ little posse.”

Lewis turned to face Dak, and even twenty feet away, Diego saw the scowl on Lewis’ face. Rogers said, “Yeah, he said there might be some trouble down here. He said some foreigner’s trying to steal our jobs.”

Dak shook his head. “A Mexican, maybe?”

“Yeah, I think that’s what he said.”

Lewis spoke up and growled, “Dak, just stay out of this.”

Shaking his head once more, Dak said, “I don’t think you get to make that decision.” He gestured across the room and said, “These men are all my friends.”

“All those foreigners should go back home,” mumbled Rogers.

Dak rubbed the red whiskers on his chin. “Umm, Rogers, does that include that pretty little niece of yours. She’s from China, isn’t she?”

Diego grinned when he heard the question, and he saw Lewis’ scowl grow darker. Lewis was attempting to appear menacing. Brody whispered, “Too bad I didn’t bring popcorn.”

“She don’t count, Dak,” said Rogers.

“Why not? And what about Lewis’ mom. He used to be so proud of how she was born in France. He used to tell anyone who was willing to listen about her life in Paris. I suppose he still does when he’s in the right company. She taught him a foreign language when he was just three years old.” Dak leaned forward asking, “Parlez-vous francais, Lewis?”

Another of the men spoke up and asked, “Your Mom’s a foreigner?”

“Don’t listen to what he says,” grumbled Lewis. “He’s just trying to protect the dirty Mexican.”

“She’s not from France?” asked Dak. “You know I’m recording this whole conversation on the phone in my pocket, and I know where your parents live. She always liked me. I’m sure she would be happy to hear her boy…excuse me, her little boy deny her background.”

One of Lewis’ group with a baseball cap pulled low over his face shoved Lewis with both hands planted on his chest. “What the fuck? Maybe you are just a little prick like everyone says.”

Lewis pushed back against the man. He said, “Dak’s just a slimeball. He wants to use my mom against me. I bet he’s bluffing about the recording.”

Rogers spoke up, “Dak’s a good guy. He always tells the truth. He stood up for me when a creep tried to lie about me on the boat.”

Another of the men said, “Yeah, never heard a bad word about Dak.”

Dak smirked and said, “The only way you’ll know if I’m bluffing is if you take the phone away from me.” He crooked a finger in Lewis’ direction. “Come and get it. It’s right here in my jeans pocket.”

Lewis shoved his way past the men and headed for the door. “Where are you going?” asked Rogers.

Lewis didn’t answer. The door slammed behind him, and Diego thought he could feel the entire building breathe a sigh of relief. The tone of Dak’s voice suddenly changed. He said, “The Corner Hitch is a place to be happy. A round for all of you guys on my man Brody over there.”

Brody tilted his head to the side and mumbled, “What the fuck?” before he started to laugh.

As Jake took the orders, Dak said, “You’re all good guys, and I’m glad you saw Lewis for what he is. I feel sorry for him sometimes, but what he really needs is a good six months of therapy.”

“You’re not on the boats anymore, Dak? I’ve not seen you,” said Rogers.

“Nope, I’ve had a bit of a life change. Let me introduce you all to my friend, Diego. In our tough economy around here, he’s making new jobs for truck drivers left and right.” Dak reached out his right arm in a sweeping gesture and encouraged all of his friends to join the group.

As they stood, Ross said to Brody, “Dak’s always so quiet when he stops by Home Pro. He took my breath away. You’re so damn lucky.”

“And you will be someday too, Ross. It’s not a matter of if. It’s only a matter of when.”