Finders Keepers

Josie lunged, and I just barely stopped her. I knew enough about the Masons to know they weren’t there to hurt Josie—that was about the only point I could give them—but that didn’t mean I wanted her within arm’s reach of any of them. She didn’t fight me like I’d expected.

She said, “Those are awfully tough words coming from a guy who studies managerial accounting on the East Coast and orders a Blue Hawaiian in a bar.”

I couldn’t help it—I smiled. Literally seconds away from having five grown men jump me, and all I could do was smile at the firecracker in my arms.

“And those are mighty judgmental words coming from a girl who cheats on a good man with this piece of trash.”

Josie wiggled in my arms. If she didn’t stop fighting me, I would be worn out before I got to the actual fight. “Since your dad basically bribed the county prosecutor to have a DUI dropped from your record, I’m putting it on record that your ideas of what a good man is are a tad skewed.”

The F-named Mason’s face went murderous. When he took a few steps our way, I moved Josie behind me and lifted my hands. “Not another step, Filly. Not another f**king step. I know why you’re all here, and that’s all fine and dandy, but you’d better wait until Josie is out of harm’s way before charging us again. So help me god, I might not be able to hold all five of you off, but I will kick those pretty white teeth straight down your throat if you keep coming at me with Josie right here.”

He slowed, but he didn’t stop. Colt and one of the younger brothers had to block his way. “You call me Filly one more time, and it’s your teeth getting kicked out.”

The testosterone was really starting to zap to life, and I think the moment was catching up with Josie. It felt like she was trying to herd me into her truck with her. “I don’t know your name, big guy, sorry. I’m just keeping with the family tradition of naming one son after a barnyard animal and running with it.” I pointed at one of the brothers still trying to hold Filly off. “Colt,” I stated, moving my finger to the next one. “Horses’s Ass.” And another Mason. “Jackass.” On to the youngest Mason. “Dumbass.” Ending on the oldest Mason—whose face had miraculously managed to get a shade redder. “Filly.”

Yes, I was stirring the hornet’s nest, but that’s what I did. If I was going to get into a fight, I expected my opponent—or in this case, opponents—to hit me like they meant it. No shots just because. There’d better be some intention and hate behind each hit or else that was just an insult to the fight. “By the way, just so we all have our facts straight, Josie didn’t cheat on Colt. It’s hard to cheat on someone when they’re not even your boyfriend.” Another Mason came for me, the one a year or two younger than Colt.

“Harrison, wait,” Colt ordered. “Garth’s right. Not until Josie’s out of here.”

“I’m not going anywhere, so all of you just stop trying to make me!” Josie hollered.

Colt and I both sighed. He said, “You might see things one way, Black, but Josie and I have been together, on and off again, for close to a year now.”

“Emphasis on the ‘off!’” Josie piped in.

I had an urge to kiss her again. Thankfully, I repressed that urge because I don’t think Colt could have taken me kissing the girl he was rather convinced had been his for the past year.

“Fine, you see things your way, and I see things differently, but all of that’s beside the point. You all came here with one thing in mind.” I unsnapped my cuffs and rolled up my sleeves. It looked like another new shirt would be getting ruined. “And we all know it wasn’t to talk this out.”

“There’s nothing to talk about when some trailer trash piece of shit thinks he can take one of our girls.”

All of the Mason boys looked like they’d been drinking, but I could smell the alcohol on Filly’s breath. In a fight, alcohol was a tricky deal. If a man had consumed a few shots, he was more dangerous because he still had full control of his motor skills, but his inhibitions were lowered. However, a man who had consumed a few shots past the point of drunk was an easy target—as I’d proven that night Colt had beaten the shit out of me. No motor coordination and too temporarily brain dead for a logical train of thoughts.

Filly looked to be the only one who fit that drunk-as-a-skunk profile. The rest were all varying degrees of dangerous drunk. I was one tough son of a bitch, but up against five big guys who had everything from a baseball bat to an empty glass bottle, I knew the best outcome I could hope for was to leave the fight standing. I wasn’t walking away the winner, but hopefully I’d still be walking. I would make sure most of the Mason boys woke up tomorrow groaning. Clearing my throat, I stared down Filly. “You got that wrong, big guy. It’s you rich California posers who think your shit doesn’t stink thinking you can take one of our girls.” My girl, I added to myself.

“I can’t wait to rub your face into the gravel with my boot.” Filly tossed his jacket aside.

“Okay, enough comparing dicks here. Time to show what they’re actually capable of.”

One of the older brothers held out his arms. “Ready when you are.”

“Joze”—I glanced over my shoulder—“time for you to leave.”

She shook her head hard. “You boys need to get back in that truck and get the hell out of here. We were minding our business until you came along, so why don’t you go mind your own business and leave us alone.”

A couple of Colt’s brothers chuckled, but Filly, of course, was the one to reply. “You made this our business when you cheated on our brother with this waste of space.”

Before I knew she’d moved, Josie braked to a stop in front of him. “The only thing that’s a waste of space around here is you, Finn.” Josie slapped him hard across his cheek.

And that’s when things started getting ugly.

Finn grabbed the wrist she’d just slapped him with. The second he put his hands on her, I went into action. I rushed toward them and drove my fist into his jaw as soon as I was within reach. That made Finn let go of Josie, but since the first punch had been thrown, the rest of the Masons were closing in. Right as I was about to wrap my arms around Josie and drag her back to her truck, something shattered against the back of my head. It wasn’t the first time I’d had a bottle cracked over my skull, but it was the first time Josie had been around to witness it. She screamed, her eyes widening as I fell to my knees. The bottle had rung my bell, but I wouldn’t stay on my knees long. Especially with Josie still out in the open and five guys getting ready to unleash hell.

“Look who’s the tough guy now.” Finn lunged at me, his fists ready. Just as I was bracing myself for the hit, someone leapt in front of me.

“Josie, no!” I yelled, trying to push her out of the way, but Finn’s fist got to her before my hands did.

The punch hit her across the cheek, sending her flying back into me. I caught her before she fell to the ground. Even though she hadn’t cried out in pain and she looked more pissed than hurt, I felt murderous rage flood my veins. If a gun pointed at Finn had magically appeared in my hand, I wouldn’t have thought twice about pulling the trigger. That’s how blind with rage I was.

“Josie, baby, are you okay?” I ran my hand down the side of her face he’d hit. It was already swelling.

She nodded, her eyes finding mine. “Now that baby was a term of endearment.” She managed a small smile and tried getting up.

“What the hell, Finn?” Colt charged his brother and shoved him hard in the chest.

“She got in the way.” Finn motioned at us, not looking the slightest bit sorry or ashamed. “If she’s going to try to protect this piece of shit, that’s what she deserves.”

The thread I’d been hanging onto had snapped when Finn’s fist connected with Josie. But f**k the thread. I’d snapped. Once I’d scooted Josie up against the wheel of my truck, I formed my hands around her face. “Are. You. Okay?”

“From that little bitch slap? Yeah, I barely felt it.” She lifted her hand to her cheek, glaring at Finn.

I would do a hell of a lot more than glare at him as soon as I made sure she was okay. “Please stay here. Let me handle this.”

She shook her head. “Sorry, Garth. If I liked hanging out on the sidelines, I would have been a cheerleader.”

“Fuck the cheerleaders—”

“You certainly did back in high school.”

I was fighting two battles: one with my fists with the Masons and one with my words with Josie. “I’m not asking you to stay here because I want to keep you on the sidelines forever. I’m begging you to stay here so I can keep you safe.” How was that not clear? Five moderately to severely drunk guys were looking to turn me—and anyone else who got in the way—into their human punching bag.

“We’re waiting, Black. But we’re not going to wait much longer.”

Josie’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Why don’t you go buy a fruity drink and make out with a guy like we all know you want to, Finn?”

A few of the Mason boys’ mouths dropped open, Finn’s mouth clenched closed, and Colt tried not to smile. Me? I laughed. Hard.

Lifting his finger, Finn took a few steps our way. I braced, ready to pounce on him if he came another step closer. “As soon as I’m done teaching this piece of trash some manners, I’m going to hold you down and sew a red A on that cheap farm-girl dress of yours, you ungrateful, cheating little—”

Yep. That was it. My rage containment threshold. Letting out a grunt of outrage, I drove my shoulder into Finn’s stomach and tackled him to the ground.

“Are we finally going to fight?” Finn yelled at me, dodging my first fist. He didn’t dodge the second one quickly enough. He grunted when my fist cracked the same spot he’d hit Josie.

With the reminder he’d laid his hands on Josie, a whole new level of rage bubbled to the surface. Phase two of Garth Black losing his shit. “No, I’m going to fight.” I cracked him in the other cheek. “You’re going to lay there and take it.” Before I could get in a third punch, Finn’s brothers piled on me. A couple grabbed my arms, and the others pulled Finn off of the ground. He was barely up before he came at me, throwing a solid fist into my stomach. And then another. And another. I lost count a few punches later. When I curled over and coughed up a bit of blood, Josie came charging toward us. Well, she came charging for Finn.

The guy had her by a hundred pounds, and she was coming at him with nothing more than sheer determination and gusto. If I wasn’t so terrified of what would happen next, I would have been bursting with pride. Right before she got to Finn, Colt leapt in front of her, stopping her from going any farther. She tried ducking around him, but he dodged in front of her. She tried again, and she almost got by him. Finn was back to turning my insides into gelatin when I sighed.