Surrounded

Chapter Thirteen

"Eve's Daughter" - Amanda Shires 

     As a group, they all made their way to the door leading back into the bar before the wood splintered and a grown man came flying through it. Laura figured her brain was still fuzzy because Asher was in front of her in an instant, and it looked like the air shimmered around him. She shook her head and noticed that Roland had taken point with Marcus and was leading the small group, with Asher between them an Laura and Arlo directly behind her. It was an odd sensation, Asher's warm shimmers around her front and cold on her back.

     They finally made their way back into the bar only to find it had erupted into absolute pandemonium. It truly looked like a scene from a movie; There were chairs everywhere, tables upturned, and glass breaking. Laura was stunned, this little bar had never been rowdy before. No, people came here to have fun, to unwind after tending their livestock all day. Heck, this was the only date location in the entire town! Before she knew it, she felt her body grow hot, her mind clouding with anger. Who would cause such chaos and how dare they disrespect her small town like this? How dare they disrespect her friends like this?

     Laura made her way between passed-out bodies and grown men continuing to act like toddlers with temper tantrums, weaving her way to the other side of the large room. When she finally came to the bar and began trying to clamber onto the top, she found multiple pairs of hands trying to assist her. Glancing over her shoulder, she found that all four of her men had followed her through the mayhem, forming a shield around her now. Throwing them a genuine smile and a nod, she stood as tall as she could on the bartop and started yelling, trying to get everyone's attention. When it was clear that she was making no progress, Arlo let out an ear-piercing whistle and all heads snapped in their direction. It was actually comical that everyone literally froze in place.

     Taking advantage of the opportunity, Laura drew the attention to herself, crossing her arms, "I don't know what the hell has made y'all think that this is appropriate behavior for grown folks, but you're GOING to cut it out RIGHT NOW!" People snapped to heed her command, bottles crashing against the hardwood floor, bodies being dropped with a thud. With new confidence, she continued, "Now, if you don't work here, sleep here, or sleep with someone that works here, get the hell out!" She scanned the crowd to make sure everyone heard her, meeting the eyes of every single person staring at her to show how serious she was. She was about three-quarters of the way through the room when her blood ran cold. She literally froze, her muscles stiffening and her brain not quite processing what she saw.

     The man from her dream stood in the corner of her safe place. His dark skin and deep eyes were a stark contrast to the small pale woman hanging on his arm. Laura shook her head, trying to clear it. There is no way that the man from her dream was real, much less here. She knew she was going crazy when she started feeling a buzzing feeling at her fingertips, but when he looked at her apologetically before turning to leave, she knew she didn't imagine things.