manâs fist wound tighter into the fabric of his chefâs coat.
Mel stomped forward. Enough was enough.
âPut him down. Now,â she said. The man looked down at her as if she were no more than a mosquito buzzing in his ear.
She could sense a crowd was forming around them, and she had a flash of annoyance that no one else was stepping up to help them out.
âIs this your girl?â the man asked Oz. âMaybe I should grab her tits and we can call it even.â
âOh, hell no!â Tate and Oz cried together. Then Tate looked at Oz and said, âDo it!â
Oz raised a knee and nailed the man in the junk with it. Mel heard every man in the crowd wince in sympathy. The ogre dropped Oz and with a primal roar, Tate lowered his head and charged the man. The two of them went down with a thump against the pavement.
Just then, Marty came running up. He clapped his hands to his bald head and cried, âWhat the hell is going on here?â
âHe started it!â A buxom redhead, wearing a zombie maidâs outfit complete with cheesy fishnet stockings, pointed at Oz. âHe grabbed my breasts!â
âI did not!â Oz protested. His voice cracked and his face turned bright red, visible even under his thick gray makeup. âI tripped and fell on . . . er . . . you.â
Mel glanced back at Tate and the big man. They were rolling across the ground. Tate had his arms and legs wrapped around the giant man, making it almost impossible for the guy to get a solid punch in. That didnât stop the ogre from rolling until Tate was on the bottom, where the man tried to head butt him.
âA little help here!â Tate yelled as he dodged the cranial smack-down.
Mel, Oz, and Marty moved in to help, when three Scottsdale police officers on bicycles rolled up.
âUh-oh,â Marty said.
Seven
The officers wasted no time in grabbing the big guy off of Tate. The skanky girlfriend immediately got into the officerâs face, pointing at Oz and shrieking about how he had jumped her, and her boyfriend was just protecting her.
Mel recognized one of the officers as being friends with her uncle, Stan Cooper, who was a detective on the Scottsdale PD. She gave him a little wave and he came over.
âMel, I almost didnât recognize you with your brains coming out of your forehead like that,â he said. âNot your best look.â
âNo, I donât suppose it is,â she said. She fingered the latex on her forehead that was beginning to itch. âGood to see you, Henry. How are Jackie and the kids?â
âGood, everyone is good,â he said. They were quiet for a moment and then he gestured to Tate, who was talking to another officer. âFriend of yours?â
âYes, Tate Harper,â she said. âUncle Stan can vouch for him. Heâs a good guy, but that thug accused our employee of trying to feel up his girlfriend, and Tate was forced to intervene.â
âI didnât!â Oz protested.
The officer smiled at Ozâs genuinely alarmed face.
âOfficer Henry Dodge, this is Oscar Ruiz,â Mel introduced them and they shook hands.
âCan you tell me what happened from the beginning?â Henry asked Oz.
Marty stepped forward, looking like he wanted to add to the conversation, but Mel gestured him back. He made a huffy sound but held his silence.
Oz explained how he was going on a break and got jostled in the crowd. He accidently brushed up against the mean girl, and the next thing he knew her crazy boyfriend had him up in the air by the front of his shirt.
âStay put,â the officer said. âIâm going to check in with my partners.â
âYou donât think theyâll arrest me, do you?â Oz asked as Henry walked away.
âNah, you didnât do anything wrong,â Marty said. âAnd look at that guy. I bet he has a rap sheet as long as his