"One hell of a day it's been, eh, Ang?"

Angus didn't hear him. He twiddled his thumbs instead.

"Angus?" he asked again. "Angus!"

"Huh?"

Malcolm took the cigarette out of his mouth and set his cards down. "It's your turn. You feelin' alright?"

What could he say? No, he wasn't feeling alright. His head hurt, his mind was racing, and his cards were terrible. Not that he was paying much attention to the game anyway. He set his own cards down and ran his fingers through his hair. It was wet, as it started raining on his meditative walk. With Sherrie making a racket as she packed up her belongings and Malcolm not back yet, he needed a place to think to himself. And as soothing as the rain was, he'd have preferred to shower in the bathroom. "Mmmm."

"You're not sick, are you?" Angus shook his head, barely catching the concern in his brother's voice. Receiving a negative, Malcolm laughed off the worry. "Good, I'm done playin' if you're gonna chunder on me."

"No, Mal, I-" Slamming his hands on the table he stood up, and walked to the kitchen, leaving his brother at the table behind him.

"Don't go hulk on me now, I ain't cheated or anything."

"It's not the bloody cards, Mal!"

Malcolm set his cigarette on the ashtray and reached for his glass. His fourth glass of water, readying itself to be fifth. Angus made a comment about being glad it was Malcolm's own bathroom he was using the hell out of, that is, before his mood got the best of him. Malcolm grimaced, the water turning quite warm. "Ang, I can't help if you if you don't calm yourself down and get a proper sentence out."

"What a bloody fuckin' day it has been, Mal! An' it's still goin'! Just our luck, yeah? An'-an' God knows what the night'll bring us, maybe-maybe we'll just set this whole building on fire! Yeah! We'll just have a few more smokes an' forget to put 'em out-maybe one of the boys will quit. Phil's lookin' pretty bored with us, you think he'll quit on us, Mal? Do you?"

Malcolm backed away from Angus, whose face had come really close. "Angus, you're fuckin' nuts!" He backed away himself, staring at the other man, then putting his hands in his pockets and turning around again. "I'm sorry I've been gone today, what the hell happened?"

With a sigh Angus returned to the table, lit another cigarette and picked up his cards again. "I'd much rather hear about your day, Mal. Come on, what'd you do today?"

"I'm not gonna-"

"Come on, what'd you do, I want to know." Angus scooted his chair closer and took his turn. "Get my mind off things, will ya', Mal?"

Taking a drag, Malcolm shrugged. "I uh-" He cleared his throat. "I slept in...a bit later than I had hoped an' uh, decided to take a little walk to clear my head."

"Slept in..." Angus repeated, mumbling over his cigarette and his next play. "I'll bet, with a headache like that."

"Nah, that didn't happen till later." He bit his lip, eyeing Angus, who gave him a look. "Not-not a big one though, not enough to hinder my walk or nothin'."

"What'd you do on your walk?"

"Walked."

"Fascinating."

Malcolm laid down a hand. "Saw the park again."

"With the pond?"

"And the ducks."

"Huh. What'd you do there?"

"Sat by the fountain. Met a friend."

"Oh?"

"Guess Hannah needed to clear her head too."

For the second time in his life, Angus choked on the smoke surrounding him. Malcolm patted his shoulder. "Fuck, you okay?"

"Yeah," he coughed, fanning the smoke away with his cards. He set his cigarette down and straightened up. Clearing his throat, he scratched the back of his neck. "So, you talk to her at all?"

"Yeah, we sat by the fountain an' chewed the fat a while. Well, she's still rather quiet, as usual. Not a problem for me, then I can run off my big fat piehole." Angus pretended to laugh.

"You..." He swallowed. "...talk about anything...important?"

"Nah," Malcolm shook his head. "Well, yes, actually. But nothin' you'd care to hear."

"Why, what did you say?" Angus couldn't restrain any eagerness. Malcolm gave him a smile.

"Angus? I've made a new sister today."

He sat back in his chair. All eagerness had left him, and he wondered where on Earth it had come from anyway. "Oh," he said.

Malcolm raised an eyebrow.

"Oh," he said again.

"Somethin' wrong?"

"No, no. I just-" Angus coughed a few more times and Malcolm offered him the last few drops of the fourth glass of water. Malcolm took it back and stood up to refill it in the sink. "Mal?" He shut the faucet off. "Did-she mention...Travis at all?"

"Not a pinch." Angus released a breath he had no reason to be holding. "I brought him up once or twice, she shut it down." He took a drink. "I don't think she was dyin' to anyway."

"Who would?" Angus agreed.

"Gettin' jealous again, Ang?" Malcolm asked, sitting back at the table with a smile he knew Angus would despise. Angus decided not to punch his brother that day. Instead, he mustered a grin in return.

"Heh, not a bit, Mal."

"Then what's with your attitude earlier?" he asked. "Almost had to call animal control on ya'."

His head started to hurt again. His mind started to race again, Travis' words kept coming back, each time more sinister than before. The way he threatened to press charges, the way he didn't give a damn about hurting Hannah, the way he had the balls to call her sweetheart...

Malcolm's fingers snapped in his face. Angus shook his head. Telling Malcolm would be the smartest thing he could do. They'd call the police on Travis, show the proof, have him be rid of once and for all, and take Hannah away. Away...where? She had no other home. Maybe...if Sherrie really was moving back with her parents...

But Hannah could never forgive him for sending her relative to prison. Of course she would want nothing to do with Travis, she surely wanted him gone just as much as they did. But sending off her relative to prison...that's more complicated than it seems. And what about her promise? Not that her mother kept any contact with her only daughter, but Hannah was a woman of her word, she never took that ring off. This didn't just concern Travis anymore, this concerned her mother, and their relationship. Perhaps...if Hannah didn't mention it to Malcolm, maybe he shouldn't...

Those scars...

There were so many. He'd lose track if he tried to count them all, and he was sure they hurt. After all, she pulled away whenever he touched her there. No part of his heart wanted this to go unnoticed. No part of him wanted to sweep this under the rug. But with the threat of both him and his friend getting into trouble and a whole family torn apart, what could he do?

"Got in a fight with Sherrie," he answered out of thin air. Malcolm's eyes widened.

"Really." Angus nodded. "When did this happen?"

"'Bout this afternoon. When you were gone."

Malcolm crossed his arms, a small smile he couldn't hide forming. "Well, I'll be. I'll sure smoke to that." Angus watched him take a long drag, then set it down again.

"She left, Mal."

The smile disappeared. "What?"

"She left me. She's packin' up her stuff right now."

She's-she's leavin'...you. You?" he asked making sure. "I'm-I'm real sorry, I shouldn't have made such a joke of it-"

"No, you're fine. I ain't too sad about it myself."

"Really," Malcolm said again. Angus glanced up at him, with a tiny smile of his own. "Well put up your cig, Ang, this calls for double smoke."

The man in the blue suit smirked as all the money was pulled to his side of the table. He blew out the smoke from his cigar into the man across from him's face, a frown seemingly permanently etched. The man in the blue suit spread his hands and shrugged. "I always did tell you that you were bad at cards, T."

"It's Travis," he answered through gritted teeth. Throwing his hand down, he watched the commotion around him. One short barmaid was running this way and that from cleaning her work space to making the circle of men another round. She never received one thank you all night. "It's just this atmosphere, it's too distracting."

"Yeah. The atmosphere." The man in the black suit laughed at him. The man in the blue suit shuffled the cards again. "Alright. Who's up for another game?" Travis stood up and grabbed his coat from his chair. "Travis? You up for another?"

"No, I gotta get home before Hannah runs off again."

"There you go, on with that Hannah chick," the man with the white shirt said. "Look at this, guys, Travis can't stay, he's got to go home to see his little cousin!" The men around the table laughed. "What, she can't take care of herself? You don't have the guts to keep her in her place? I'll bet she walks all over you."

"I'll have you know she respects me," Travis said. "I keep her in her place, but she doesn't always listen."

"I think gentlemen..." The man in the blue suit said. "I think, he knows he's gonna lose again."

Travis dropped his coat on the floor, scratched it up pulling the chair out, and sat down. "Deal 'em out."

Cards were passed around the table as the man in the blue suit laughed. "Feelin' lucky, Travis?"

"Not by your standards."

"Well then. By your standards it is. Everyone? Go real easy on poor Travis here."

Travis raised his hand. The man in the blue suit waved him off. "It's alright, I've got enough money for us all." Travis frowned. "Lady! Put the washcloth down and get us another round over here!" The woman behind the counter gave the man a harsh glare, one he only laughed at. "Don't give us any of that cheap stuff, I'll know if you do. And you'll be out of a job."

"Have we been winning the big ones, or what?" the man in the white shirt asked.

"I got five hundred just last week. Found three tracks that race greyhounds and got third in two of them."

"How about you, Travis?" The man played his turn and looked toward the bar, watching for their drinks.

A man with a red tie who hardly spoke all night, finally did. "Got myself a blue ribbon last month with my two hogs," he said. "Wife bought herself a new necklace and told me to win another blue ribbon."

"Did you?"

He smiled. "Won a red one instead."

"She throw you out on the street?" The men laughed.

The man with the red tie smiled again. "No, she just settled for a new pair of earrings instead."

The man in the blue suit looked at Travis. "How about you, T?" he asked. "Win any ribbons lately?"

Travis looked toward the bar again.

"Hannah buy herself anything new?"

"Look, Hannah doesn't need to buy herself anything, she's a spoiled brat already and gets mad at me when I don't give her everything she asks for. She's used to being spoiled by that-that-those boys," he said, spitting the word out.

"Oh, she still seeing them?" the man in the white shirt asked.

"Frequently," Travis said. "Just saw the older one this evening."

"I've heard of those boys," the man in the blue suit said. "They're in a band."

"Must not be very good if they're not on tour." The circle of men laughed, and each accepted their drink when the barmaid returned. Taking a swing at a few of the men who hit on her, she nearly threw Travis' down on the table in front of him.

"Thank you," he muttered. She gave him a second look and carried her tray back to the counter to be washed and stacked away. Travis took a few drinks of his beer and gagged. It was nothing that he was used to, nothing fancy enough for him. "Shame we couldn't get a real bottle of wine here, eh?"

"You'll want to go to a dinner party for that kind of drink."

"Yeah, lucky for you we're having one next week." Travis wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "You'll be pulling bottles off the walls all night long."

"Dinner party?" More cards were exchanged for better ones, more money collected to be gambled. Travis shifted in his seat, his pockets having been empty for hours. "What...what are we having one of those for?"

The circle of men went quiet. The man in the blue suit folded his hands together, and leaned in, lowering his voice to any wandering ears. "A friend of mine just received a whole litter of champions," he whispered. "Real blue ribbons, real thousand dollar winners. And we're gonna race 'em."

The table was still silent. Travis looked around at the men, wondering what his reaction should look like. It was left undecided. "When?"

"Does it look like I know?" the man who seemed to be the leader said. "I don't know how fast dogs grow. I only care about how fast dogs run. And how much money they make." He put his cigar in his mouth and took his cards again. "I'll start off. A hundred."

Travis nearly had a heart attack. No matter how good his cards were he'd never win against the man who had been kicking his pants since they were in primary. With shaky hands, he set his cards down. "I...I fold."

"Ha! So, the big man Travis is out of the game!" Travis crossed his arms and took another drink while he pouted.

"Is it still the atmosphere, T?" the man in the black suit taunted.

"No, it's the thought of those troublesome boys that's getting to me." A look was shared around the table, as was the bounty in the center. The man in the white shirt now with a beer stain wagged a finger.

"What was his name again?"

"Which one?"

"The older one Hannah talked to that pissed you off so much. That drinker you talk so much about."

"Oh, Malcolm. He's bad, but he's not nearly as bad as his younger brother, Angus. Both think they're so entitled to her when she's clearly busy, or so obviously wants nothing to do with them." Travis smiled at the thought of Hannah closing the door on Angus that morning. He cocked his head. "I'd very much like to do away with both of them if I could."

"You know, I think we could help you with that," the man in the blue suit said, rolling up his cuffs. Travis was skeptical.

"How so?"

"For a small fee, of course."

"Okay, you know I haven't got money."

"It's not money we want," the man in the blue suit said. "We can get that any day. Of course, all of us, except you." The circle of men laughed, while Travis' face turned red. He stood up again, the chair scraping against the floor.

"Look, if what you want is to make jokes about me then I don't want any part of your business!"

The leader raised his hand. "Now slow down now, T. As with money, we can make fun of you whenever we want. No, what we want, is Hannah."

Travis could have sworn they were kidding. That they were lying. "Surely you're..." he started. "I mean you must be..."

"Nope. It's either Hannah, or no deal."

"But...but you're all married, all of you!"

"We don't want her for any of that, she's much too scrawny for any of us."

"Some of us like a little meat for the meal, Travis," the man in the black suit said.

"No. We want her to come with us on our little trips to the track. Maybe she could get us a few beers while we're there."

"Clean after the hogs." The men laughed again. Travis however, didn't. Instead, he fiddled with his shirt collar.

"Hannah has enough to do at home, she doesn't need to come along with me for all that," he said.

"You'd rather her run off to play with those-boys you hate so much?" the man in the white shirt said. "You'd rather her run off with Angus leaving you to pay for the bills you don't have the money for?" Having quite enough of the men laughing at him, Travis sat down again and leaned in.

"You're saying...if I bring Hannah to our bets for you, you'll get rid of Angus and Malcolm?"

"Now you know how hit men work, T." The man in the blue suit chuckled and grabbed the deck of cards again. "Now. Who's up for another game?"