Deck The Halls With Brand New Stories: Ho Ho Holiday Anthology

Little Mattie

"Definitely." She returned the bat to its spot on the hidden shelf and ran to the door.

Opening it, she stepped outside and propped it in place with her leg. The winter wind whipped at her hair, and goosepimples rose up on her exposed arms and legs. An inch of snow had already collected on the black asphalt of the parking lot, and a huge flake landed on her nose and melted. She caught the next one with her tongue.

The man dragged Louie out first by a handful of hair and a belt loop. Louie groaned but offered no resistance as he was deposited on the cold wet ground. Huey and Dewey followed in the same manner, with Dewey leaving a trail of dark red blood in his wake. With the three jerks lined up like matchsticks, the man motioned for Mattie to go back inside.

"We're just going to leave them out here? Shouldn't we call the cops?" she asked.

"Do you want to sit here half the night while they take our statements?"

"Not really."

"Me either." The man took her by the arm and led her back in the bar.

"Lock the door."

She flipped the deadbolt as she studied the men through the porthole pane of glass. Louie was the first to show signs of life. He fought to sit up while he rubbed his chin and took in his new surroundings. Guiltily, she turned off the outside lights and walked away from the door.

The man said, "We're doing them a favor by letting them off with only a beating. They'd be charged for assault with a deadly weapon. That'll get you two to four years at least."

"Really?"

'Yes. It's a felony. Trust me, you're doing the right thing."

"I guess."

The man noticed the credit card lying on the dirty floor, picked it up, and shoved it out the old-fashioned mail slot in the door. A cold gust of air blew in before the metal hinge slapped shut. He said, "I can stick around while you clean up, then walk you out to your car to make sure that they're gone."

"I'd like that." Not caring that Mattie would have to cover the jerk's tab, she cleared the remaining bottles off their table and set them in a tub behind the bar. "Thank you for saving me."

"I wouldn't be much of a man if I sat by and did nothing."

"Still, you beat up three of them without breaking a sweat. Where did you learn how to fight?"

The man shrugged and returned to his corner booth. He slammed down the double shot of whiskey in one gulp. "I've led a rough life."

She bet he had led a rough life, most people that came to this part of town had. She pointed to the empty glass. "Do you want another one while you wait?"

Shaking his head, he said, "No. I'm good."

"It would be on the house."

"No, thank you." From an inside pocket in the natty old red jacket, he pulled out a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill and handed it to her along with his glass. "This should cover my tab and theirs."

She frowned. "You don't need to do that."

"No, I don't. But I am."

He gracefully slid into a chair by the door and watched her count the money in the register. Surprisingly, he didn't pull out a phone and stare into like a zombie, something she was usually guilty of. No, his eyes stayed on her, but not in a creepy way where he focused on her tits and ass, it was fatherly and sweet. It made her feel safe and protected.