Getting good? Nothing about this was good. She placed a hand over her rapidly-beating heart. She needed to calm down.
“W-what?”
Kiesha nodded over to where O’Ryan stood on the top of the bar, a gun in his hands. No, not a gun, an air rifle. No one was firing bullets.
“Hey, you okay?” Isa asked her. “You look kind of pale.”
“Just not feeling great. Too many pink flamingos.” Right, blame it on the alcohol, not the fact that you nearly had a panic attack at the sound of an air rifle.
“The next person who throws a punch is banned for life,” O’Ryan roared into the suddenly quiet crowd.
r /> There was a lot of grumbling. Obviously, the residents of Wishingbone didn’t like having their brawl stopped.
“What the hell is going on in here!” That yell didn’t come from O’Ryan.
Georgina glanced over towards the doorway and stared into the stern gaze of the sheriff.
Oh. Shit.
Ed stood at the doorway, hands on his hips as he surveyed the fucking carnage inside. What was going on? Sure, he’d answered calls out to the Wishing Well before. There were always going to be idiots who created trouble, especially when alcohol was involved. Then there was that time Loki and his guys decided to do a striptease. That wasn’t something Ed wanted to repeat. He’d seen way more dick that night than he’d ever hoped to see in a lifetime.
But this had nothing on that night.
There were a number of injured people on the dance floor. And Loki had Ronald Pikes in a choke hold, not that he’d be any great loss to society, but shit. The paperwork.
He glanced around, surveying everything. Then his eyes hit on a pair of familiar ones and he froze. She was standing on the top of a table, wearing a conservative white blouse and black pants. Her hair was a mess, though, and her shirt was half-untucked.
He scowled. What the hell was she doing here? He ran his gaze over at the women she was standing with. Kiesha and Isa.
He guessed he’d just answered his own question. Kiesha had a lot to answer for. Thank God the three of them had been nowhere near the fighting. At least he had that to be grateful for.
Because if anyone had touched one of them . . .
“Loki, put Ronald down,” he commanded. “Gary, lower that pool cue right now.” He stepped further into the room. “The rest of you sit down where you are. Now!”
“Got it under control, Ed,” O’Ryan called out. “No need to rush out here.”
“Put that air rifle away, O’Ryan,” Ed ordered. He liked O’Ryan, but the guy tended to take the law into his own hands. He felt someone walk in behind him, and Ed turned to see Jace and Jimmy. Jace looked bored. Jimmy’s eyes were wide. He was Ed’s newest recruit and this was his first bar brawl.
“This doesn’t involve the law,” Loki called out. “This is a matter of honor.”
“Loki, sit your ass down or I’ll arrest you and throw you in a cell,” Ed called back. Loki loved theatrics, but Ed wasn’t in the mood.
“Nobody locks Loki up!”
“All of you sit down!” Ed roared as everyone started to talk. Fuck, any second now someone was going to start off again. “Anyone standing will be arrested.”
There were lots of grumbling, but everyone sat. He half-turned towards Jace. “We need to get Gary’s goons and Loki’s guys separated, then start interviewing people. Did you call in Ranger?”
“Yep, he’s two minutes out, Sheriff.”
And that’s when Loki struck. Ed turned, just in time to see him reach the three women who were, sitting on the table. Reaching out, he grabbed Georgina, throwing her over his wide shoulder. She screeched, trying to fight free. Kiesha made a grab for her and nearly fell off the table.
“Loki, put her down right now!” he yelled. Fuck, what was he doing? Ed rushed towards him.
“Put me down!” Georgina smacked her palms against Loki’s back.
“Spoils of war!” he screamed before taking off towards the back of the bar.