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The place was a relatively small square, and booths lined the walls, with the equally square four-sided bar in the center The man behind it was about six feet tall, blond, in black leather with tattoos crawling up and down both arms

The booths were mostly occupied by men No, not mostlyBryn realized that she was the only woman in the entire place

And from the bartender’s look, not very welco for the place next door, sweetheart"

"She’s not," Patrick said, and eased onto a barstool in front of the man "I’m here to see Brent"

"Don’t know hiht there, with the curtains closed I want you to walk over and tell him that Patrick is here to see him"

The bartender’s face settled into a scowl "He knows you; you knohere he is Why put me in the middle?"

"Because we both know if sos happen to them," Patrick said His voice was still cal different in his body language "Get your ass over there and introduce me"

The place had gone alerEveryone was looking at theo tense This place--she couldn’t get a good read on it Not at all

"Anything else?" the bartender asked sarcastically Patrick s two tens out of his pocket to lay them on the wood

"I’ll have a scotch, neat Bryn?"

"Tequila," she said "You can skip the liot the bartender to reappraise her, and she saw a flash of hureed, and poured the drinks "Be right back"

The e Then he flipped up the pass-through on the bar, walked to the booth with the closed curtain, and rapped with both hands on the wood on either side Then he slid the curtain over about an inch and

The curtain slid back on its rod with a hiss of ht We’re up," Patrick said, and grabbed his drink "Follow ulp, put the elass down, and trailed him to the booth

Inside, it was even more dim than at the bar, and as Bryn slid into the wooden seat next to Patrick, she tried to get a sense of the h, with a

"Major," Patrick said, and nodded The ht, look especially happy to see theravelly--so much so that it seee at so I want Who’s the bitch?"

"The bitch," Bryn said, "is sitting right here, and she’s someone who could break your kneecaps in about five seconds Sir"

"Name"

"If you called me a bitch, you don’t really care too much"

She surprised a smile out of him, but that wasn’t an improvement, not at all He wascreepy He didn’t respond, just turned his attention back to Patrick "Not going to defend the little lady, McCallister?"

"I don’t need to defend what’s secure," he said "Buy you a drink, sir?"

Thefew seconds, then said, "Bourbon A double"

Patrick gestured at the bartender, but he was already pouring, as if he knew the order, which he probably did Once he’d delivered the glass, Brent, without a word, swept the curtain closed

The space felt claustrophobic with the three of the slow and steady, and her eyes on the ; there was no doubt about that He was arerous

Patrick seemed as relaxed as she’d ever seen him He silently toasted their host--captor?--and took a sip of his scotch Brent picked up his bourbon and drank off half of it in a gulp

"Favor," Brent said then, and turned the glass in a slow circle on the table as if he intended to grind it into the wood "I’m out of that business It’s strictly cash these days"

"Then let’s call it what it is: a debt You owe me And I want pay in here to tell me that The fuck you think you are, you little shit?" The words were aggressive, but oddly, the tone sounded almosttolerant At least as

"I think I’m the man who saved your son, sir," Patrick said "And I think we should just stop posturing before one of us gets carried away"

"You think you scare ht irlfriend," Patrick said, and smiled "So one of us is more confident"