Fully Automatic (Bullet) Read Free Page A

know he was ready to beat the shit out of someone—and that meant he was risking another night in jail.
    He had no idea how much his friend had had to drink, nor if he’d taken anything else to feed his buzz, but he did know he’d promised Ethan’s mom that he’d try to keep him out of trouble.  He pulled Leah through the crowd, this time not waiting for people to part.  Instead, he shoved his way through.  He knew that meant people would be spilling beer on themselves or the floor when the motion from his jostling made their arms sway, and their tipsiness kept them from being able to balance their cups enough to keep the liquid inside.
    Ethan’s expression was one of both anger and hurt , and he was getting ready to reach inside the closet when Brad got there.  Leah was behind him and wasn’t able to see inside, but Brad was close enough that he could.  Inside the closet, the coats were pushed to one side and Ethan’s girlfriend Heidi stood beside them, a guy leaning back against the wall, Heidi’s hands on his chest.  The guy, who looked to be a year or two older than Ethan and Brad, had a cocky grin on his face, but he was still fully clothed.  Heidi’s skirt was hiked halfway up her thighs, but she too was dressed.  She was almost pouting at Ethan.  “What the fuck are you doing, Heidi?”
    Brad couldn’t hear the girl’s response, but it didn’t matter.  Anything coming out of her mouth would be bullshit.  “Come on, man.  Let’s get out of here.”
    “No fuckin’ way.”  His friend’s green eyes narrowed as he clenched his jaw.  “I’m gonna beat this motherfucker senseless first.”
    Brad placed his open palm on Ethan’s chest.  “Don’t do it, man.  It’s not worth it.”
    “Says you.”
    Heidi’s blue eyes twinkled.  She got off on this sh it.  Ethan was feeding her, making it worse, but the guy didn’t see it.  Ethan reached in the closet and grabbed the guy by the collar, starting to pull him out.  Brad knew he had to intervene or it was going to be a bad night.  He pushed Ethan in the chest while shoving the other guy back, and he wedged himself between them as best he could.  He was up close and personal with Ethan and stared in his eyes.  Man, Ethan wasn’t even there.  How the fuck could he rationalize with him while the guy was in an animal state?
    He had to try.  “Let him go, man.  Just let it go.”  Ethan’s eyes flashed again but something registered.  Brad could see it in his friend’s eyes.  His words were pointed when he said, “She’s not worth it.”  Surely, Ethan knew that.  He’d bitched and moaned for months about how he was pretty sure Heidi was being unfaithful, but instead of ditching the girl, it had made Ethan all the more insecure and clingy.  But Brad thought maybe this time he was getting through to his friend.  Again, he repeated himself.  “She’s just not worth it.”
    Ethan let go of the guy’s collar but then, as though it were a last-ditch effort, he lunged at him .  Brad managed to hold him back nonetheless.  He thought maybe it was a ploy so that Ethan could save face.  Ethan valued his reputation as a scrapper and a bad ass, so he couldn’t just walk away from a potential fight.  Instead, if his friend stopped him from beating the shit out of some guy, he could later say his plan to pummel the dude into the ground had been thwarted.
    Ethan strained against him, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’ t handle.  Brad pushed back, forcing Ethan farther into the living room away from the closet.  He turned his head and yelled.  “Heidi, if you know what’s good for you, you and your lover boy will get the fuck out of here now .”  He turned back to Ethan.  His friend’s eyes didn’t show it, but Brad believed he was getting through to him.  “We’re getting out of here.”  He turned to make sure Leah was with them and he nodded his head toward the front door.  She nodded back and followed as