“Look, what happened on your porch won’t happen again,” Rod said, ignoring Leon but shooting a sheepish sideways glance at Sully.
“What happened?” Leon asked.
“None of your business, carrot top,” Rod said.
“Your rudeness never fails, Rod,” Charley said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sully stand up and saunter around the counter. “Either you leave, or I will call the cops and they’ll make you leave, Rod.”
“Which one of these guys is taking my place with you?” Rod asked her and pointed first to Leon. “Not the guy with the broom.” Pointing to Sully, he said, “So, the guy with the gun?”
“She asked you to leave today, like she did the last time I saw you, pal,” Sully said, walking toward them. “Take off and don’t come back.”
“Or what? You’ll pull your gun on me?” Rod asked.
“If that’s what it comes to,” Sully replied, stopping beside Charley.
“A gun?” Leon asked no one in particular.
“This dude has a whole store full of guns. I Googled him,” Rod stated, looking from Leon to Sully. That was news to Charley, and her brows raised in question. “Oh, yeah, Sullivan Custis here owns the Ranchers Gun Club and Shooting Range just outside of Colorado Springs.” Looking at Charley, Rod said, “That’s how he knew about the misfiring of mylittlegun. He’s an expert gunsmith. Just thought you should know that, Charley, since youdetestguns.”
“Rod, you need to leave,” Charley said. “Now.”
“You’re going to be real sorry,” Rod told her.
“Is that a threat?” Charley asked. When Rod didn’t reply, she said, “I do not want to see you again, Rod. If necessary, I will take out a restraining order against you.”
Leon opened the front door as an invitation for Rod to leave. Rod whirled on his heel and shoved Leon. Leon pushed him back. Rod threw a punch and Leon ducked, but in doing so, stumbled backward against a display. Potted plants and silk flowers went flying.
“Stop!” Charley shouted as clay, dirt, and Leon hit the newly scrubbed floor.
Sully waded in between the two men. He grabbed Rod by the back of his shirt and flung him out of the front door. Charley helped Leon to his feet. Rod staggered and fell onto one knee in the middle of the sidewalk. Tearing his pant leg, Rod jumped up and came at Sully but stopped short when Sully placed his hand on the Ruger in his holster.
“Get the hell out of here and do not come back, Vaughn,” Sully growled, striding out of the shop and onto the sidewalk. “Oryouwill be sorry.”
Rod swiped a bead of sweat off his forehead and backed away. With a glare at Charley and pointing at Sully, he said, “You’re making a mistake with him, Charley.”
“Mine to make,” Charley told him, arriving at Sully’s side.
Mouthing curses under his breath, Rod hurried to his Mercedes and jerked it away from the curb into traffic. Horns blared at him as Charley and Sully reentered the shop.
“Thank you both,” she said to Sully and Leon. “Maybe Rod finally got the message.”
“Maybe,” Sully gritted through his clenched jaw, hands on his hips.
Shoulders slumped, Leon stood as if totally defeated near the broken pots of plants and flowers. Sully’s cell phone rang, and Charley shut the front door.
“Are you okay, Leon?” she asked as he grabbed a broom.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry Rod lost his temper with you,” Charley said.
Leon looked past her to Sully and mumbled, “It’s okay.”
Sully slid his phone into his pocket and said, “I need to run out to my ranch, Charley. You want to come with me?”
“No, I’ll stay here and clean up this latest mess. You go ahead.” Charley started for the back counter where she had left her phone. “Then I’ll check on the status of my car.”
“I’ll take you to get it whenever it’s ready,” Sully offered.
