Chapter 5 Chapter 5

Angel laid her head in the crock of Marty’s neck. Hugging her rabbit, she closed her eyes.

Zeus just watched his daughter settle in and he had to shake his head. He still couldn’t believe she was holding onto this woman so tight. She didn’t even know her. And the fact that she looked a lot like Sam made it even harder to understand. Angel would never get close to Sam as Sam had made it clear she didn’t want the child near her.

One of the women brought over a tray with a coffee carafe and a single cup. She set it on the table in front of Zeus.

Zeus just stared at her.

Instead of calling her out on her rudeness, Marty just reached inside her long coat and brought out a bottle of water. She unscrewed the lip and took a swig. Before she redid the lid, she offered the little girl on her lap a drink.

Angel grabbed the bottle and drank from it. When she was done, she handed the bottle to Marty and smiled.

Marty put the lid back on the bottle and placed it into her coat.

In the meantime, the men began to gather around the table while continuing to glare at her.

Just then, the doors opened and the missing men joined them. Memphis, Grave Digger and Diabolus were among the men that came in. The three of them came to stand near Zeus and they all stared at Marty.

Memphis tossed a backpack onto the table. “The men found this near the tree across the alley when things died down. We think the explosion knocked it out of the tree.” He turned to Marty and snarled. “Does it belong to you?”

Marty nodded, noting the slight burn marks on the pack. “Yes, it’s mine.”

“Care to open it and show us what’s inside?” Memphis snarled.

“No, I don’t think I care to,” Marty told him. “What’s in that bag is my business, not yours.”

Memphis looked at his brother and at Zeus’s slight nod, he grabbed the bag and tore the clasps off. Then he dumped the contents out onto the table.

The men around the table gasped at what was discovered there.

Zeus stared down at it.

 A not so small banded stack of cash and several legal papers along with a map and a notebook sat on the table. There was also another handgun in a holster, and a knife inside a leather sheath.

Grave Digger reached out for the knife then paused and looked at Marty. “May I?”

Marty didn’t look happy but she nodded her head slightly.

Grave Digger picked up the knife reverently. He pulled it from the sheath and gasped.

The room went quiet at his reaction to the knife.

The workmanship was outstanding as the blade was engraved elaborately. Grave Digger juggled the blade in his hand and he knew it was balanced to a T.

“Where did a girl like you get such a blade?” Diabolus snarled. “That’s got to be worth a helluva lot of money.”

Marty didn’t say a word.

Grave Digger tipped the knife over and studied the handle for a moment. Then he looked at her and asked, “Is this what you’re doing these days?”

Marty shrugged slightly.

Grave Digger looked over at Zeus.

Zeus shook his head at him.

Grave Digger gathered her things up again and put them back in the bag. Then he handed her the pack.

Marty reached out and took it from him. “Thank you.”

Zeus looked over at her and finally asked, “So what happened tonight? Why were you out in that alley and what did you have to do with the biker and saving my Angel?”

Marty shook her head. “First of all, what I was doing in the alley had nothing to do with Angel or you guys. I wasn’t looking for trouble but as usual, trouble found me.” She sighed and without looking at anyone she told them, “I just got to town and found your tavern. I decided to wait until closing time to see if Sam was there. About twenty minutes after I got there, the back door opened just enough for someone to push this little girl outside in the cold. She was alone and scared. She was crying but she didn’t make any sound. I was waiting for the door to open again, you know? For someone to come looking for her, when I heard a bike roaring down the alleyway. He was coming up fast and he didn’t look like he was joyriding either. So I scooped her up and the next thing I know he’s reaching for a blade. He was going to run her down, possibly stab her, so I reached for my weapon. I tried to kick him out of the way but he swerved. I didn’t even feel the cut he gave me when he passed. So when he was at the end of the alley, I got a shot off. The next thing I know you and your posse burst out of the tavern and we all were at a Mexican standoff.”

“Wait a minute,” Memphis snarled, “Back that up a bit, you saw someone push Angel out into the alley?”

Marty shrugged. “I saw the door open and a woman’s arm pushed her outside. She was wearing a lot of bracelets and they jangled kinda loud.”

Zeus reached out for his daughter.

Angel flinched at the gesture.

Zeus pulled his hand back as his fingers tightened into a fist. He looked around the room. “Did anyone find Donna?”

The men all shook their heads.

 ”Fucking hell,” Zeus swore. “What the fuck?”

Grave Digger nodded. “I checked the biker she said she shot at.” Then he snorted. “I’m a little surprised he made it three blocks. Her bullet hit its mark and went right through his neck. The shot was true.”

Diabolus snorted. “How could anyone hit a moving target on a bike?” He shook his head and said, “Damn, she got off a lucky shot.”

Marty and Grave Digger locked eyes.

She shrugged her slim shoulders. “Ok, you’re right, I got off a lucky shot.”

Zeus looked over at Marty and frowned when she downplayed her skills. Then he noticed Angel was asleep in her lap. He shook his head and stood from the table. “That’s enough for now. Angel needs to get some rest and we can ask more questions after we’ve all had a chance to cool off.”

Marty stood with the sleeping child in her arms. She grabbed her pack then followed him down the hall and into a bedroom made for a child. She walked over to the bed and carefully laid the little girl down on the mattress.

Angel woke up enough to panic.

Marty sat down on the bed and held her on her lap again.

Zeus sighed. “Are you ok to stay here with her tonight?”

Marty shrugged. “I’m ok with it if you are.”

Zeus snorted. “I don’t have a choice. I don’t think you do either. She doesn’t seem to want to let you leave.” 

“I’m ok.” Marty nodded.