I'm halfway through the final section of floor when the noise starts outside.
Voices. Loud. Angry. Getting closer.
The handful of people still in the warehouse—a few stragglers at the bar, two cleaners, the three Savage Riders on duty, all turn toward the entrance. The heavy metal door rattles. Someone's pounding on it from outside.
"OPEN UP!"
More pounding. More voices joining in.
"WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
One of the Riders, Beast, I think, moves toward the door, hand going to something at his waist. The other two flank him. Rampage appears from somewhere, walking fast, his expression dark.
Danny pushes off from the wall. Every muscle in his body is suddenly coiled tight. Ready.
"COME OUT HERE AND FACE ME LIKE A MAN!"
That voice. I recognize that voice.
Oh no.
"It's that guy from the other night," a random guy says. "The one Bruiser scared off."
The man who'd grabbed me. The one Danny had warned away. He's back. And he's not alone, from the sound of it.
The pounding gets louder. More insistent.
"Open it," Rampage says to Beast.
"There's at least five of them out there. All drunk by the sound of it."
"I don't care. Open it."
“Your choice”
Beast shrugs his shoulders and pulls the door open.
Leather Jacket stumbles in first, followed by four other men. All of them are clearly wasted. Red-faced. Aggressive. Looking for trouble.
"Where is he?" Leather Jacket slurs, scanning the warehouse. "Where's that big fucker who—"
His eyes land on Danny. Standing maybe thirty feet away. Arms crossed. Completely still. Watching.
"There you are!" Leather Jacket points, swaying slightly. "You think you can disrespect me like that? Make me look like a bitch in front of everyone?"
Danny doesn't respond. Doesn't move. Just watches.
"I'm talking to you!" Leather Jacket takes a step forward. His friends follow, emboldened by alcohol and stupidity. "You embarrassed me, man. Made me look weak."
"You embarrassed yourself," Danny says. His voice is low. Calm. But there's something underneath it. Something dangerous. "You put your hands on her when she said no. I just made you leave."
"She's a fucking cleaner! Who cares what she—"
Danny moves so fast I almost miss it. One second, he's standing still. The next his fist connects with Leather Jacket's face with a sickening crack.
Leather Jacket drops like a stone.
Everything explodes into chaos.
