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remained standing, fists raised in front of her. Ready.
    The kick knocked Buck back into the wall. A framed picture of Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty dropped to the floor, and the glass shattered. Buck grunted in pain, touched his chest with his right hand as if making sure nothing was broken, then pushed off the wall and came at her again.
    This time he was more wary. He put up his fists and pulled his chin down to his chest. He’d boxed some, but only with friends. Bekah saw immediately that his stance was too wide, something she would not have known without the martial arts training in the Marines.
    By now the crowd had gotten a taste of the bloodlust. A few of the less raucous patrons headed for the door, but the majority of them remained. A fight was just local entertainment. Callum’s Creek had a lot of UFC and WWE fans.
    Fear thrummed through Bekah as it always did before an encounter, but she controlled it. She’d been in firefights out on the battlefield, had exchanged shots with enemy soldiers,had shot enemy soldiers, but she’d never been face-to-face with any of them during a struggle. Buck was up close and personal, and she grew even more aware of his size.
    He swung at her, and she easily dodged back out of the way. He punched at her again, grinning when she dodged away.
    “What’s the matter? Scared?” Buck licked his lips. “You ain’t begun to get scared yet. Just wait.”
    This time when Buck swung, telegraphing the effort, Bekah blocked the blow, catching his forearm against hers and stepping inside. She didn’t punch for his jaw or his chin or his forehead. Those would be too hard and could break her hand. Instead, she planted her feet, pushed with her knee, swiveled her hip to transfer her weight and strength to the punch, and hit him squarely in the nose. Blood gushed immediately and his head snapped back. Before he could react, she retreated.
    “This doesn’t have to go any farther.” Bekah was breathing easily now, and that surprised her. “I just want to take Connie to the emergency room and get her looked at. Just let us pass.”
    Surprised and hurt, Buck halted his advance and stepped back. He touched his bleeding nose, and his fingers came away stained with crimson. He snarled an oath. “Oh, you’re gonna pay for that, Bekah!” He came at her again, fists flying like a threshing machine.
    Bekah stayed ahead of him, dodging through the chairs and tables, and managed to get to the door. She kept going out into the parking lot, hoping she’d have the chance to get to her pickup truck and get away. She had her keys in herpocket. All she needed was an opening. As long as she could get Connie out of there too. She wasn’t leaving without her.
    Even as she was digging for her keys, though, the other guy with Billy Roy ran over to her pickup and took a position beside the door. The message was clear: she wasn’t leaving till they were ready for her to go.
    Loose gravel covered the parking lot, and potholes still held a small amount of rainwater and gray sludge from the rain yesterday. Fifty yards away, the two-lane highway sat dark and empty. Callum’s Creek lay at the west end of the highway, and the east end led back toward Oklahoma City, an hour away. Thready gray clouds covered the quarter moon.
    “Come back here and take what’s coming to you.” Buck roared like a bull and lumbered after her. Blood had leaked from his nose, down his face and neck, and was soaking into his shirt. “You’re gonna be sorry you ever started this.”
    I didn’t start this. Bekah thought briefly of trying to run to the highway. The first rule of every fight was to survive. But she knew that Buck would only pursue. She’d also be leaving Connie there. And one of Buck’s buddies might even fire up a pickup and follow her. That way even more people risked the chance of getting hurt.
    She stood her ground in the middle of the impromptu battleground. Gravel popped and crunched under her boots. She