He shook his head. “It’s okay. Sometimes I don’t mind being rescued.” He tucked his hand into mine and mouthed, “Thank you.”
“Always, darling.”
“You’re disgusting, you know that?” Number two blockhead found his voice. “Fucking ugly paedo.”
I snorted, although the ugly tag stung. I knew I wasn’t the latter so that didn’t bother me. Sadly, I was no oil painting. “James is twenty-three. He’s had more experience than you babies have had hot dinners. Stop tantrumming in public because you’re still in trainer pants and can’t get your dicks wet for trying while he’s living his best life.” I went in for the kill. “We both are, with our drop-dead-gorgeous model boyfriend over there.” I sighed internally. Not so ‘over there’ anymore. Edwin was heading our way.
Every head in the group turned as Edwin fake-coughed behind them. “Are you hassling my boyfriends?” His tone was pure ice and I could tell he was having trouble keeping his eyes from doing their vampire thing.
The leader pulled himself up to his full height and sneered. “Fucking ’ell, here’s the other one. Don’t you bloody touch me, you sicko.”
“I wouldn’t touch you if you were the last man on Earth, poppet. Couldn’t be sure I wouldn’t catch something nasty. Well, nastier than your deviant mind, which might be a stretch.” He levelled a grin at James and me. “You all right, babes?”
James clutched me tighter and nodded. He definitely wasn’t okay, but he had backup now and he would be fine, even if I had to burn the pub down.
Arsehole number one reared back as if he’d been shot. “The fuck d’you call me?” he slurred. Edwin graciously repeated himself, his eyes like chips of blue ice. The guy’s face turned red, then purple. “I’m going to fucking end you, you poncy knob…” He pulled out a blade.
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
Someone behind the bar rang the bell. “Time, please, everyone.” It wasn’t anywhere near eleven, but they didn’t want shit kicking off inside.
Nobody stirred. Fucking wonderful, a pub full of nosy bastards who wanted to witness a fight. The bell clanged again, the landlord sounding pained.
James whimpered. I slid our joined hands behind his back until he relinquished my hold, then I pulled him tightly against me by his waist. “I gotcha.”
“I’m not worried aboutme,”he scoffed, his eyes bright with fear, or was that also a tinge of amusement? “But they won’t be too happy if Eddie hurts them.”
My lips involuntarily twitched upwards. I bent down once more. “I do love the way you think.”
He leaned further into my side and slipped his arm around me. He didn’t speak, but I felt the warmth of his non-words in his touch.
Edwin sighed loudly enough to be heard. He stuck his hands on his hips. “Really, you snot-nosed little punk? I could take you with one hand tied behind my—And there we go,” he finished,having feinted to avoid the knife coming his way and somehow, faster than even my eyes could process, having disarmed the culprit and wrapped both of his wrists in one of Edwin’s hands. The guy now had his back to Edwin and was facing his friends. I could almost taste the rank fear-sweat pouring off him.
“So,” Edwin said coolly. “Anyone else want to kick off, or is everyone going to pack up and fuck off into the night like the good landlord asked you to?” The amount of thrall in his voice hadmetrying to move, until James pinched me, hard.
“Ow! What the fuc—Oh.Thank you, baby.” I shook my head, fighting the compulsion to leave. We stood back as the small group of would-be gangsters began shuffling towards the door, their eyes blank and their shoulders slumped. Edwin waited until he caught the eyes of some of the other patrons, then gave a head nod to encourage them to do likewise. The place was half empty within moments.
He loosed his death grip on knife boy and about-turned him so they were face to face. “I’ll keep this.” He waved the blade under the lad’s nose. “You’re evidently not old enough to play with big boy toys. My boyfriend here can put it to good use pruning his fruit trees.” The guy blanched. I smirked. It was a fancy knife, far too good for an arsey prick like him.
“Now normally, I’d take you outside and give you the kicking you so soundly deserve, but I’m on a hot date with these two and I don’t want to dirty my good shoes,” Edwin continued. The bloke gulped loudly. “So,” and he lowered his voice. I knew he was using thrall again. The guy whimpered a bit, nodded a lot, then shot across the empty saloon bar like the hounds of Hell were after him. Edwin straightened up and jerked his chin at the bar staff. “Just going to wash my hands. Sorry about the fracas.”
The wide-eyed landlord remained glued to the counter until Edwin’s return. The rest of the staff crept quietly about, gathering abandoned glasses and filling the dishwasher. Edwinreturned and pulled out his wallet. “You’ll be down a fair bit on takings. I don’t carry a lot of cash these days. Would a ton take the sting out a bit?”
“I can’t take your money! He pulled a knife on you.”
“He’s a sad little weasel with halitosis and delusions of grandeur. And he pissed his pants. I don’t think he’ll be back.”
The landlord’s eyebrows rose sharply. “We think they’ve been dealing in here, but we’ve never caught them. I’d like nothing more than to see the back of them...”
Edwin pulled out his phone. “Put your details in here. I’ll get some people to keep an eye out for a week or two. I’m sure we can sort your…infestation problem.”
Even wider eyes greeted this pronouncement. “I don’t want a protection racket either,” the poor man whispered, but his body language suggested he didn’t think he had a choice.
Edwin grinned. “Fuck no, mate. No strings. Just a few favours called in. We only wanted a couple of quiet drinks. I’d like to think we’d be welcome back?” He phrased it as a question with just a hint of thrall. The landlord swallowed, then dipped his head, vowing we’d all be very welcome at any time.
Outside, it was quiet, the punters having melted into the shadows or hopefully taken themselves straight home. Edwin sighed, then elbow-nudged me. “That didn’t go quite the way I’d hoped.”
“Wasn’t the quiet drink I’d imagined either,” I countered. I caressed James’ neck, making him keen softly and lift his eyes to mine. “You all right, lovely boy?”
