Nic felt his phone vibrate with a text message. He pulled it from his green tactical pants and swiped across the screen to unlock the device. The message was from Bristol and read: “Are you okay? I’m at the mayor’s office, and we heard that all hell is breaking loose over there.”

Nic swore under his breath and said, “Something’s happening at the scene. We need to get back there now. Kick this old hunk of scrap metal into high gear, or I’ll knock you out and do it myself! Move!”

He saw Burke’s jaw clench, and his knuckles go white on the wheel. But the young doctor did increase his speed and the aggressiveness of his driving.

“For the record, you insult my car or threaten me again,” Burke said, “and we’re going to have a problem.”

“Is that so? It wouldn’t end well for you. And I wouldn’t let you get in any cheap shots like you did with that idiot back at the bar.”

“What cheap shot?”

“You sucker punched him in the balls. You try that with me, and it will just piss me off.”

“Why? You don’t have balls to kick? And so we’re clear, I had calculated the precise level of force necessary to end the confrontation with the least amount of injury possible for all parties involved.”

“Do you actually listen to the crap that comes out of your mouth?”

Nic felt the speed of the Firebird increase again, and Burke took the next turn at full speed, pulling the emergency brake and drifting around the corner into oncoming traffic. Nic wasn’t expecting the maneuver and banged his head off the passenger-side window. Burke pulled them back to the proper lane at the last second, amid a flurry of honking and swerving cars.

Nic rubbed his head and glared over at Burke, who didn’t take his eyes off the road, but said, “I’m not stupid, and I’m getting real sick of people like you treating me as if I am.”

“I don’t think you’re stupid, kid,” Nic said. “But you sure act like it sometimes. You should remember that I’m a Juliano, and we’re known for our explosive tempers.”

“And I’m a Burke. We’re known for putting arrogant idiots in their place. I don’t like being pushed around, and I wasn’t about to let that troglodyte back at the bar talk to LJ that way. Next time, he’ll think twice.”

“You still don’t realize the world of hurt you would have been in if I hadn’t been there to rescue you and smooth things over, do you?”

Burke’s lip trembled, and his nostrils flared.

“As I said, I had the situation under complete control,” he said. “I saw the bouncer check those three for weapons when they entered. Perhaps because they’ve caused problems before. I also saw the security cameras, and so I knew that the proprietor of the establishment would be monitoring the situation. In the reflection of the bar’s mirror I could see a sawed-off shotgun hanging easily accessible under the bar. I also knew that Joey had a .45-caliber Beretta under his coat and would not allow the situation the escalate. With all of those factors, I was well aware that the first act of aggression would also be the decisive one, and there would be no opportunity for retaliation. If I allowed Wally to make the first move, then there would be a high probability of injury to myself or LJ. By striking first and temporarily immobilizing my opponent, I allowed ample time for one of my three potential backup sources to step in and de-escalate the confrontation. Sometimes the best defense is to go on the offensive.”