“Don’t look,” he whispered for her ears only. “The bastard only got what he deserved.”
Okay, so she wasn’t quite willing to argue with him about it, but his strength made her tremble all the harder, and she wondered if she was going into shock.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire? She had to wonder when the warm night air closed in about her as they left the bar, her escort all but carrying her down the stairs and across the parking lot, the other men with yellow eyes watching their backs.
3
“Where are your car keys?” the man asked.
“In my—my purse! Where’s my purse?”
“Got it right here,” one of the younger men said, producing her small evening clutch. “I figured it was too fancy for the other ladies inside,” he added with a grin as he handed it to her.
“Good call,” someone said.
Mel fumbled with the latch, and finally the older man stepped in to open her purse, pull out her keys, and hand them to the man holding her.
“Where are we going?” she asked weakly, as he used the remote to unlock the door then helped her into the passenger seat.
“I’m taking you home, as soon as you tell me where that is,” he said, reaching for her seatbelt.
“Think we’re gonna have trouble with that crowd?” one of the others asked, and Mel looked up to see the five men staring at the front door of the pub.
“Not too likely,” another said. “It’s not like the guy didn’t have it comin’ to him. Besides, they won’t want the cops crawlin’ all over the place, considerin’ how much illegal gamblin’ they got goin’ on.”
“There’s that,” the older man said. “Let’s back straight out, though,” he added. “No need to give ’em a look at our plates.”
“Got it,” her rescuer said.
“Where do you live, darlin’?” the older man asked, and for a moment Mel wondered how on earth they knew her name until she realized it was just an endearment to the man.
She hesitated. Did she really want these men to know where she lived?
“We’re either takin’ you home or to a hospital, darlin’,” he said. “I gotta figure you’d prefer home.”
Mel took a deep breath. “A little north and east of downtown, in a place called Lockeland Springs.”
“Good choice.”
He turned to her rescuer. “You remember where that is?”
“You bet.”
“Then we’ll follow you. Get the details as we go. I wanna get out of here.”
Her rescuer nodded, and checking to see that her door was clear, he closed it softly and headed for the drivers’ side. The others all piled into the rusty van she had parked beside. For once her car started without a hitch, and he backed slowly toward the road, leaving the headlights off until they hit blacktop. The lights in the van came on behind them, and she wasn’t certain of whether that made her feel better or worse.
“You with me?” the man asked.
“I’m here.”
“Good. I’m still thinkin’ it might be a good idea to get you to a doctor on account of that bump on the head you took.”
“No doctor, please.” She was certain she couldn’t afford the copay on an emergency room visit. “I’ll be fine, I promise. Thanks to you.”
She laid her head back against the seat and turned to watch him. The lights from the dashboard only emphasized his chiseled features. She remembered the stage lights had done the same to him and his brothers. They were a fierce-looking group, their physical similarities echoed by the deepness of their voices. The older man had both looked and sounded much the same, and she was almost certain he must be related, too.
“Mr. Saint…”
“Matt,” he corrected, shooting her a smile with a quick glance.
“All right. Matt.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know quite how to thank you for what you did back there.”
He seemed to consider. “I guess you could start by tellin’ me who you are and what the heck you were doin’ there in the first place.”
“My name is Melinda Darling.”
Matt grinned. “So Uncle Bart was right to call you darlin’?”
She cringed. “I prefer Mel.”
“Okay, Mel. So what were you doin’ in the Irish Town Pub?”
“I was looking for you.”
At his sharp glance, she backtracked. “I was looking for you and your brothers, that is. I heard your performance last night.”
He seemed puzzled for a moment then turned to look at her with a broad smile that reached his eyes.
“You’re that woman at the bar,” he said, as though finally remembering where he had seen her before.
“There were a lot of women at the bar last night.”
“Yeah, but you were the only one I noticed.”
Mel felt herself blush and was thankful for the dim light.
“I find that hard to believe.”
“It’s true, all the same.”