Danger Close by James Sumner (classic novels for teens txt) 📕

“I work in the city. I’m a stockbroker. Got a strong portfolio now.” He paused to sniff hard, brushing the tip of his nose with his thumb. “Yeah, you remember the guys, right? Riggs, Vincenzo, Freddy… we were all on the football team together.”

Julie took a deep, patient breath. “Yeah, sure.”

“Yeah, well, we all went to the same college, got our qualifications, and walked straight into a job at the same firm. We make serious cheddar nowadays, y’know.”

“Good for you, Bobby.”

She glanced up and saw the barman looking on, smiling to himself. She rolled her eyes.

“What brings you back to town, Fisher?” asked Greaves.

“Oh… just visiting family.”

Greaves took a sip of his drink and edged closer to her. “Hey, the guys are all here. We’re having a full day on it, celebrating a big client coming onboard. You should come join us.”

She smiled apologetically. “Thanks, but I’m good. Just enjoying my drink and watching the news.”

Greaves scoffed. “Watching the… Are you kidding? You’d rather watch the news than come hang out with your old friends? What the hell, Fisher?”

She glanced at him, noting the change in his tone. It was darker. The friendliness had gone.

“Yeah.” She shrugged. “I’d rather watch the news and be alone. Good seeing you, though, Bobby. Say… ah… say hi to your boys for me.”

Greaves frowned. “Come on, Fisher. Drinks are on us. It’ll be great to catch up. The boys would love to see you, I’m sure. We can show you a good time.”

Julie took a deep breath. She was losing patience and wasn’t in the mood to find a fresh supply.

“I said I’m good. Thank you. Enjoy the rest of your day, Bobby.”

She went to take a drink, but he reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her from lifting the bottle.

She looked over at him. “Move it or lose it, asshole.”

She held his gaze until he did.

He laughed to himself. “Y’know what? Screw you. No wonder no one liked you in high school. Julie goddamn Fisher. You always were a frickin’ loser, y’know that? I bet you still haven’t gotten laid either. Just as cold now as you always were, am I right?”

He continued laughing to himself.

She did her best to ignore him, but he shuffled even closer to her, leaning heavily on the bar. He absently brushed at his nose again with his thumb.

“Yeah, look at you. Frigid Fisher. A guy’s just trying to be nice, and you’re rude to him. You know how many women I get? Huh? You should be grateful I’m hitting on you.”

She took a sip of beer. “Yeah, I’m really lucky…”

He slammed his palm down on the bar. The noise seemed even louder in the near silence.

“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?”

She ignored him.

He grabbed her arm again. “Hey, look at me when I’m talking to you, you frigid bitch.”

She didn’t turn to look at him. She just snatched her arm away and sighed.

Greaves continued. “Ah, screw this. You ain’t worth my time. I was just trying to be nice. I bet you’re really just a loose whore with daddy issues, aren’t you?”

Julie turned on her stool to look at him, leaning back slightly. “The fuck did you just say to me?”

Greaves took a step back, shocked at the sudden aggression. He picked up his drink and stood straight. “I… ah… I said you ain’t worth my goddamn time.”

Julie held his gaze. “Listen, you little thunder-nugget. I don’t even remember you. I was trying to be polite. High school was over twenty years ago. Most people move on. You clearly haven’t. You even sound like the arrogant piece of shit who captains a team, gets all the girls, and thinks he’s God’s gift to the world. Which explains why you were so offended when I didn’t want to join you and your asshole friends for a day of drinking and playing at Wolf of Wall Street.” She paused to tap her nose. “You’ve clearly got so much powder up your nose, I could probably ski down your sinuses. Oh, and enjoy that shit while you can. Way I hear it, if President Schultz gets re-elected, legalized drugs will be the first thing to go. Now do yourself a favor and bounce back over to your friends. Forget you ever saw me. This is your only warning.”

She took a deep, soothing breath to calm herself, then spun back around on her stool to face the bar. She picked up her drink and turned her attention back to the TV. President Herrera had taken the stage and was in the middle of delivering his speech.

She looked over at the barman. “Hey, could you turn this up, please?”

He nodded hastily. “Sure thing, lady. Damn.”

Greaves was shellshocked, standing motionless beside her. He placed his drink on the bar, flexed his shoulders, and raised his hand. “Who the hell do you think you—”

Julie’s arm shot out to the side. She grabbed the back of his head and slammed his face into the bar. She heard his nose break under the impact. She lifted his head back up, then thrust her leg out, kicking him hard on the side of his knee, sending him crumpling to the floor.

He lay in a heap at her feet. A low, guttural moan sounded out, like a wounded animal.

She looked down at him. “Do you mind? I’m trying to watch the news.”

The barman moved in front of her. “Jesus, lady! You’d better watch yourself in here. His friends will—never mind. Look alive.” He gestured behind her with a flick of his head. “I’m calling the cops.”

She looked over her shoulder and saw three guys hurriedly approaching her, looks of concern etched on their faces.

“Cops… ambulance… whichever,” she said.

She stood and turned to face the men. They were big guys, but it was a safe bet they had snorted as much cocaine as Greaves, so they were likely to be as effective. She wasn’t fazed. She wasn’t afraid. In fact, she