Charley took a step forward. “Listen, mac, I don’t know what you’re chattering about, but I want five hundred bucks for what you did to my sister, or—”

“Listen yourself, mac. It’s a good story and you put it over well, and she sure looks the part. Only a little common sense tears the whole thing apart. If your kid sister’s as young and as innocent as she looks, where’d she learn to be so good in bed? That ‘teenager’ knows some pretty grownup stunts, let me tell you. And she puts on a pretty sophisticated act in a bar, too. So I’m not swallowing your story. Go tell it to the cops.”

* * *

Charley was absolutely silent. Janey looked at him in surprise. This was the first time anyone had called the bluff. They couldn’t go to the cops, of course. Martin wasn’t guilty of a thing except going to bed with her, and there was no law against that. If he flatly refused to pay, they couldn’t do anything.

Charley said uncertainly, “I want that five hundred bucks, or—”

“Or you’ll go to the cops. So go to the cops, if you want to. Try telling them she’s seventeen, and prove it. You got a birth certificate or something?” Martin laughed. “Suppose you two get the hell out of here, now, before I call the cops and have you both run in for extortion. It’s been very pleasant talking to you, and it was very nice to get an hour in bed with your sister or whoever she is. Now scram.”

Janey saw the anger flare up in Charley. “Why, you lousy—”

He came rumbling forward. He was three or four inches taller than Martin, and maybe thirty pounds heavier. He brought one big fist up, but before he could do anything Martin’s right hand slipped between Charley’s fists and landed a solid blow in the middle. Charley grunted and stopped advancing. Martin came in to attack him.

Charley was cut to ribbons. He had all the weight, but Martin fought with practically professional skill. His fists weaved in and out, round about the confused Charley, landing damaging blows on face, chest, midsection.

Charley’s lip was split and bloody, his eye puffed, his cheek bruised, within a moment. He hadn’t landed as much as one blow himself. Janey stood frozen, unable to do a thing, as Martin mercilessly battered Charley to a pulp and finally grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him, tottering dizzily, out into the hall.

Martin slammed the door. Janey said, “Let me out of here. You hurt him!”

“He asked for it.”

“Let me out. Why are you keeping me here?”

Martin stepped forward and his hand dug into her shoulder. “You’ve got a pretty good racket there, kiddo. It’s too bad Charley picked the wrong customer to deal with. How old are you, really?”