(Damn it.)

* * *

Ann worked Friday night so I tried to burn through as much of my on-line courses as I could without my brain turning to mush. I even gave up having an NCIS marathon on Netflix, which was very virtuous on my part.

We all agreed to have the guys pick us up at my place on Saturday. Not looking forward to this but I will do anything for Ann. This is one of those things that sisters do for each other. I also thought about my remark to her at Vito’s, when I said I wished she had been with me growing up. I am glad she wasn’t. She is a bright spirited person and I would not have wished my upbringing on anyone. Because of things that happened when I was younger I see things differently than most people do. It has taken me a while to recognize that fact.

Ann has been hurt before too. All the signs are there. I am going to protect her from more hurt the best way I can.

* * *

Predictably the guys were almost an hour late, not a good start. You would not have to tell me they were cousins. The minute I saw them I could tell they were related. Everything from the way they dressed, to the way they walked and the smart ass smirks they both wore. Before Bobby could make the introductions Jeff asked him “Which one is for me tonight?”

Neither Ann nor I cared for that remark.

He was visibly disappointed when he saw that he was with me and not Ann. I kept waiting for him to ask Bobby if he wanted to trade dates for the night. The fact that they had both been drinking may not have seemed to be a good idea to some. However it fit right in with my plans for the evening. I knew I would be sober and was betting on his being stupid. Much can come of this type of situation.

When we got to the club the line to get in had more than a hundred people in it. It stretched from the front doors, where the doormen were, across the length of an adjacent furniture store called ‘The Dump’. The guys were about to leave and change their mind. When Ann said we could just walk in. It seemed to impress them.

That’s when Jeff asked if there were any metal detectors at the door and if we could get him through them. Alarm bells were going off in my head at that question. Ann caught on and we both said “Yes” at the same time. The answer didn’t seem to please him but I think he expected it. When we parked he pulled out a pistol and put it in the glove box. I saw there was already one in there. Guess it belonged to Bobby.

Some people carry guns because they are scared of someone.