Mal sat at the table, nursing a drink, looking as if he’d been there for hours. Just waiting.

A man shouldered his way through the doors, heading for the bar. “Beer,” he ordered, then leaned back to look around. The barman poured, then nodded, whispering something. The man turned his gaze on Mal. He picked up his beer and ambled over. “Man says you were looking for me.”

“Depends,” Mal said, not looking up, just taking a mouthful of alcohol and letting it burn down his throat.

“On what?”

“I heard tell you know women in this town.”

The man grinned. “I know a few. What kind were you looking for?”

“Something different.”

“Yeah, know a few of them too.” The man pulled out the chair opposite and sat down. “What for did you want one?”

Mal looked up, his blue eyes cold. “What else would a man want a woman for?”

The man laughed, a hungry sound, lustful. “Got that right.”

“Of course,” Mal went on, “I wouldn’t want it to be anyone local. Just in case …”

“I know what you mean,” the man said, winking.

“I'm sure you do.”

“Yeah, there was this one little filly came in, day or two ago. Tall, powerful … just kinda wanted to look at her.” He smiled lasciviously. “Only a‘course that weren't the only thing you wanted to do. Kinda get hold of that short hair, pull her onto ya …”

“Did you?” Mal asked.

The man shrugged. “I went up to her, talked to her. She was friendly enough at first, then sorta froze on me. Don’t know, but bitches like that seem to take against me sometimes.”

“Why? What did you do?”

“Guess I mighta had my hand on her ass. Sure was fine, though. Firm. Wanted to take a bite outta it, you know what I mean?”

“Yeah.”

“She said something about taking it away, only I know she didn’t mean it. Women say one thing, mean another. ‘Specially since I was gettin’ friendly. So I squeezed.”

“And?”

“She hit me.” The man touched his jaw, stroking it. “Put me down on the floor. Poured a beer over me too, told me to cool off.” His face darkened. “Everyone was laughing at me.”

“Were they.”

“She finished her business and walked out. Didn’t know I was waiting for her.”

Mal stirred a little. “Waiting?”

“Yeah. Outside. Dark by then, and she was heading towards the docks, but I knew the way she had to go. Got there first.” He smiled, his teeth shining whitely in the gloom of the bar. “She musta been concentrating on getting back somewhere, ‘cause she didn’t hear me. But I was real quiet anyway. Just swung that two by four at her head and took her down. Still tried to fight me, even then, got in a coupla blows until I hit her.”

“Didya.”

“Kinda saw red then. I had been plannin’ something a little more … fun,” he grinned. “But her hitting me made me angry. Guess I got carried away.” He looked at the weaves on his knuckles and chuckled. “Doubt she looks so good now.”

“No, she doesn’t,” Mal agreed, looking up from his drink.

The man stopped. “What … you seen her?”

“You had to ambush her,” Mal said, pushing his chair back a little. “Because you knew, in a fair fight, she’d have taken you down. She’d already hit you, and that made you angry.”

“What –“

“You broke her jaw, her nose, three ribs, punctured a lung, stamped on her knee … then left her to drown in her own blood.” Mal stood up.

“Now look, mister –“

Mal’s movement, in contrast to his stillness, took the man by surprise. He found himself up against the wall, all of the taller man’s weight on him.

“My wife,” Mal said quietly.

Mal watched as fear filled his eyes then punched him deep in the belly. As he bent forward, trying to grab air into his lungs, Mal brought up his knee, feeling the cartilage in the other man’s nose break satisfactorily. He grabbed the man’s hair, thrusting him back against the wall and shattering the mirror behind. Two swift punches to the ribs followed, with the same to the jaw, and blood and teeth flew across the room. The man slid to the ground, barely conscious.

“My wife,” Mal repeated, ignoring the pain in his hands. “Someone found her, brought her home. Not quite dead. Otherwise you would be.” Mal stood upright, then brought his booted foot down on the other man’s knee. He screamed as the bone shattered.

Mal stepped back, then looked at the barman. “Sorry about the mirror,” he said.

The barkeep shrugged. “He really do that?”

Mal nodded. “He really did.”

“She gonna be okay?”

“Eventually.”

The barman nodded. “Good. And don’t worry about the damage. I’ll take it out of him later.”

“Thanks.”

The rest of the patrons sat silently, watching as the tall man strode out of the bar, not once looking back at the man groaning on the floor.