Free Cade Creek 11 - Race Against Time by Stormy Glenn Page B

“Yes.”
    “I see.” Harvey’s lips twisted with his obvious attempt not to smile. “I’m sorry, Mr. Flannery. It is not against the law for three guys to go out on a date together.”
    “The hell it’s not!” Terrence pulled out his cell phone and began dialing. “If you won’t call the authorities, I will.”
    Vinnie couldn’t wait to hear what Sheriff Riley had to say about this.
    Terrence’s eyes flared as he pinned them on Vinnie. “I want to report an assault and possible kidnapping. Yes,” Terrence said, answering whatever question the dispatcher asked him. “Yes, yes.” He frowned as he looked around. ‘What is the name of this rat trap?”
    Harvey’s eyes narrowed. “The Rusty Nail Bar and Grill.”
    “The Rusty Nail Bar and Grill,” Terrence repeated. “Yes, I’ll be waiting, but you might want to send backup. These guys don’t look like they know the meaning of law-abiding citizen.”
    When Terrence hung up and slid his phone back into his pocket, Vinnie thought his jaw was going to hit his chest. Was this man serious?
    “The authorities are on their way,” Terrence said with an air of self-importance. “They will take care of these…these…these men.”
    Vinnie sputtered as he tried to contain his laughter. “Dude, you’re delusional.”
    “There is no need for name calling, Vinnie,” Harvey said, but Vinnie saw the heavy eye roll the man gave. “Let’s try not to inflame the situation any further. Sheriff Riley will deal with this when he gets here.”
    Vinnie gave a nod, but only because he respected Harvey and this was his establishment. Dismissing Terrence, Vinnie stepped over to check on Race, who was wrapped up in Ari’s arms, which was a good thing. The man looked like he was about to shake apart.
    “How are you doing, passerotto ?”
    “I want to go home,” Race whispered without lifting his head from Ari’s chest.
    “We’ll go home soon. We just have to wait for the sheriff.”
    Race’s face was ashen as he raised it. “I don’t want you or Ari to get into trouble.”
    “Honey,” Ari said, “we didn’t do anything wrong.”
    “But…” Race’s eyes shot to Terrence.
    “We said we would protect you, Race,” Vinnie reminded the frightened man. “And we will.”
    “I’ve had just about enough of this,” Terrence snarled. “I don’t know what you’re saying to him, but I want it to stop. Racine, get away from those men. Come over here.”
    Vinnie didn’t even look at the guy. He just held up his hand and flicked up his middle finger. “ Baci mi culo. ”
    Ari burst out laughing, quickly covering his mouth, but his eyes danced with amusement.
    Race’s lips twitched as he glanced up at Vinnie, “What did you just say?”
    Vinnie chuckled. “I told him to kiss my ass.”
    Race’s eyes began to twinkle. “Can you teach me how to say that?”
    Vinnie winked. “ Sì. ”
    “Enough!”
    Vinnie didn’t know what Terrence threw, but it shattered against the wall right by Vinnie’s head. He turned to give the man a piece of his mind but found Harvey had beat him to it. The big man had a hold of Terrence’s wrist and was all up in his face.
    “I don’t know how things are done where you come from,” Harvey said in a deceptively calm voice, “but in Cade Creek, behavior like yours is extremely frowned upon. If you insist on acting like a two-year-old denied your toy, I will put your ass in time-out.”
    Terrence gasped, his eyes shooting to the two men with him. When Vinnie saw them reaching into their jackets, he tensed. “They have guns, Harvey!”
    People all around them hit the floor. Others took off for the exits. In mere moments, the bar was emptied except for a few stragglers who stayed to watch the show.
    Without missing a beat, Harvey reached out with his other hand and grabbed one of the armed men around the throat, yanking him close. “Are we going to have a problem?”
    The man gulped as his face started to turn purple. “No,