Kara

 

“You can’t do this,” said Kara the next morning.

 

She was seated at her cheap kitchen table, a bathrobe wrapped around her body, a cup of hot coffee in front of her, and Furball on her lap. The little kitten had hardly left her side since that morning, and Kara wondered if he was actually warming up to her, or if it was something else.

 

Maybe he’s got a sixth sense for trouble, thought Kara.

 

“I can’t?” asked Ryder from the other side of the table. “Who the hell asked if this was all right with you?”

 

“I know I don’t have a say in this, but you’re seriously going to go off and fight this guy to the death? Are you serious? What is this, the Old West?”

 

Ryder shook his head.

 

“If only you knew the kind of world that exists under this middle-class life of yours,” he said. “You ever wonder what it takes to get drugs on the streets and guns in the hands of gangs? Trust me—you don’t want to know.”

 

“But it’s your choice to say no to going out and getting into a damn street fight.”

 

“You’re right—it was my choice. And I made it last night when I stabbed that asshole and told him to tell Franco to get ready for me.”

 

“This is insane,” said Kara, shaking her head. “Totally insane.”

 

Ryder leaned in and gazed hard at Kara.

 

“I told you I’d keep you safe, and this is how I’m going to do it. I’m going to kill Franco, and this will all be over. Isn’t that what you want?”

 

Kara took in a slow breath and looked down into her coffee.

 

“Yes, but … ”

 

“But what?”

 

Not if it means putting your own life at risk, she thought.

 

“I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

 

“There’s that mommying shit again,” said Ryder, a smirk forming on his face.

 

“This isn’t a joking matter,” she said. “You might die.”

 

“There’s a reason I can crack jokes about something like this,” Ryder said. “And it’s because this is the kind of life I lead. You think this is the first time I’ve put my life on the line? Hell, no! And it sure as shit won’t be the last.”

 

Before Kara could say another word, Furball looked up at her and let out a plaintive “meow.”

 

“How’s the little beast?” asked Ryder.

 

“He’s fine, I think,” said Kara. “I changed his bandages and he seems to be doing okay. The wound doesn’t look too bad.”

 

“Maybe I can bring him to the fight,” said Ryder. “I’ve heard that cats are the ultimate killing machines.”

 

“I know you think all of this is oh-so-funny, but it’s not to me,” said Kara, her eyes narrowing.

 

Before Ryder could toss off another smart-ass response, the buzzer to the apartment sounded. Ryder and Kara looked at each other quizzically.

 

“What the hell?” asked Ryder, getting up out of his chair, his body tensing for a fight. “You expecting company?”

 

“No … ” said Kara, setting down Furball and standing up. “But I doubt anyone who wants to do anything bad would be using the apartment buzzer.”

 

“Then press the intercom and see who it is.”

 

Kara nodded and did just that.

 

“Hello?” she asked.

 

“Kara—you in there?”

 

It was a man’s voice that Kara recognized right away—it was Leon, her ex-husband. Relief washed over her as she realized that it wasn’t someone there to kill either her or both of them. But then when the reality of Leon being outside of her apartment dawned on her, a new feeling of tension formed in her gut.

 

“What do you want, Leon?”

 

She turned to Ryder and mouthed “that’s my ex!” Ryder got it and nodded.

 

“You know what I’m here for,” he said. “I’ve been leaving you voicemails all goddamn week.”

 

“I actually have no idea,” said Kara. “Who the hell checks their voicemail?”

 

Leon let out a sigh and spoke.

 

“I’m here for the ring,” he said. “I want it back.”

 

“Are you serious?” asked Kara. “You cheated on me and now you want the engagement ring back?”

 

“That’s right!” he said. “We’re not getting married, so there’s no reason that you should be keeping it. Just give it to me and I’ll leave.”

 

Then Kara heard a slight commotion, followed by Leon saying “excuse me” to someone. Kara realized that someone in the building had opened the door and that Leon was coming in. Moments later, she heard a knocking on the front door.

 

“Fuck!” she hissed.

 

“This asshole cheated on you and now he wants the engagement ring back?” asked Ryder. “What a fucking prick.”

 

“Who is that in there?” asked Leon. “You’d better give that ring back now or there’s gonna be trouble!”

 

“Fuck, fuck!”

 

“You want me to tell him to take a hike?” asked Ryder.

 

“No,” said Kara. “Just … stay back.”

 

Taking a deep breath, she opened the front door a crack, revealing Leon’s slim, bird-like face, his sandy-blond hair hanging loosely over his tall forehead.

 

“There you are,” said Leon. “Now would you please give the ring back?”

 

“Why the hell should I?” asked Kara. “I consider it an asshole tax for the shit that you put me through.”

 

“Because … I need to sell it. I need the money.”

 

“For what?”

 

“Me and Maddie are going on a vacation, and I kind of maxed out the credit cards paying for it.”

 

“You mean big-tittied blonde Maddie?”

 

“No, this is a different girl.”

 

Kara scoffed.

 

“What the hell’s the matter with you? You come to my apartment unannounced and demand that I give you the ring back so you can pay off your fucking Mastercard? Are you insane?”

 

She watched as Leon closed his eyes in frustration and clenched his hands.

 

“I swear to you, Kara—if you don’t give it back now, I’m not gonna stop. I’ll take you to court if I have to.”

 

“Fuck you,” said Kara, her voice stern.

 

Out of the corner of her eye, Kara could see Ryder watching the unfolding carefully. She watched as his body tensed up, his hands clenched into fists, and his eyes narrowed.

 

“Real nice, Kara,” said Leon, trying to shove his face through the crack in the door. “Now open up!”

 

Kara pulled the door shut hard, a bang sounding through the apartment. Kara turned around and pressed her back against the door, her heart pounding and her hair hanging wildly over her face.

 

“Just say the word,” said Ryder.

 

“No,” hissed Kara. “I don’t need you putting my fiancé in the goddamn hospital. I mean, ex-fiancé.”

 

“You want me to just stand here while he threatens you like that?” asked Ryder. “You fucking kidding me?”

 

“It’s none of your business!” said Kara.

 

“Who the fuck is that in there?” shouted Leon through the door.

 

“No one!” responded Kara.

 

“Just … ” she started, her voice low, “just hide in the bedroom. I’ll get this taken care of. But I don’t need it getting any worse with him seeing some guy here.”

 

Ryder narrowed his eyes, clearly skeptical about the plan.

 

“Fine,” he said. “But there’s a limit to how I’ll let someone talk to a woman.”

 

Kara gestured, wild-eyed and impatient, towards the bedroom door. Ryder shook his head and took off towards the bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind him.

 

“Kara!” shouted Leon. “I’m not gonna let this go; you open the door or this is just getting started!”

 

Kara took a deep breath and turned around. One by one, she unlocked the bolts on the door and slowly pulled it open. On the other side stood Leon, his chest rising and falling as he took in deep breath after deep breath.

 

“Fucking finally,” he said. “Now, you gonna let me in?”

 

“Yes, but if you make a scene, so help me.”

 

Leon strode into the apartment with erratic confidence. Furball watched him skeptically as he entered the room, the kitten licking his paw as its eyes remained fixed on him.

 

“You got a cat, huh?” asked Leon, squatting down and sticking out his finger towards Furball.

 

But the cat only hissed in response and took off across the room, hiding behind the trashcan in the kitchen.

 

“I see you’ve already taught it your good manners,” said Leon.

 

“I’m not giving you the ring back,” said Kara, crossing her arms over her breasts.

 

Leon stood up and narrowed his eyes.

 

“And why the fuck not?” he asked. “I paid good money for that thing, and I want it back.”

 

“You’re unbelievable,” said Kara. “You cheat on me and then you have the fucking gall to ask me to give back the engagement ring.”

 

Leon shook his head and put his hands on his hips.

 

“I know what I did was … inconsiderate, but that’s all in the past. You and I both need to put all of this ugly business behind us so we both can move on with our lives. Holding onto that ring just shows me that you’re not ready to let all of this go. Kind of sad, really.”

 

Kara could’ve sworn that she could see red creep in from the corners of her eyes.

 

“That’s your take on this?” she shot out. “You really think that this is about me not being able to let all of this go?”

 

“That’s what it looks like from where I’m standing.”

 

“How about this, asshole: I had nothing after I had to leave you. I could barely afford this apartment, and I had to get a job for the first time in five years. But I’m still eating through my savings, and I’ve been counting on selling that ring just to be able to make ends meet until I can get back on my feet. That sound like I’m just being fucking sentimental to you?”

 

Leon took in the information.

 

“It sounds like a likely excuse to me.”

 

It took all of the restraint she had not to grab the nearest heavy object and launch it at Leon’s head.

 

“Really, though,” he said. “At the end of the day, I don’t really care about what your situation is. One of us is moving on, at least, and I need that fucking ring back. So just give it to me now or we’re gonna start a really messy process that I’m sure you don’t want to be a part of.”

 

“No,” said Kara, her voice tight and edged with anger. “The only thing that’s happening now is you getting the fuck out of my apartment.”

 

“Not a chance,” said Leon, now stepping slowly towards Kara. “Give it back now. This is your last warning.”

 

“Leave now,” said Kara, summoning up a strength that she didn’t know she had in her.

 

Leon was now close enough to Kara that she could watch his jaw work under his cheeks. His eyes were slits, and Kara found herself wondering if he was on the verge of doing something that he was going to regret.

 

“Listen here, you little cunt. If you don’t g—”

 

He didn’t even have a chance to finish the sentence.

 

“And that’s about all of that bullshit I’m gonna listen to,” Ryder said, storming across the living room and grabbing Leon by the throat.

 

“What the f—” shot out Leon before his voice was cut off by Ryder’s hand on his throat.

 

His eyes now looking on the verge of bugging out of his skull, Leon struggled to break free from Ryder grip. But Ryder was too strong for him; he held up Leon effortlessly, his expression both calm and severe.

 

“Ryder!” shot out Kara as she realized that this already tense situation was now teetering on the verge of becoming much worse.

 

“I may be a rougher kind of dude, but my mom taught me how to talk to women. And we don’t call them that word. Easy stuff, right?”

 

“Who … who the fuck is this?” shot out Leon, barely able to say the words.

 

“Ryder, put him down!” shouted Kara.

 

Leon’s face turned a deeper shade of red by the second.

 

“I’ll put him down when he says he’s sorry,” said Ryder, his voice still cool and calm.

 

“Oh my God,” said Kara, shaking her head.

 

“F … fuck you!” shouted Leon.

 

“That didn’t sound like a sorry to me,” said Ryder. “Let’s try this again.”

 

“Leon, just fucking say it!” exclaimed Kara.

 

Leon’s eyes shot wildly around the room, as though looking for something, anything he could do to avoid what he was being commanded to say. About at the moment, his face turned as red as a ripe tomato, he stammered the words.

 

“I’m … sorry.”

 

“You’re not apologizing to me,” said Ryder. “Say it to her.”

 

Ryder then turned Leon until he was facing Kara.

 

“I’m … sorry! Okay! I’m fucking sorry!”

 

“There, was that so hard?”

 

With that, Ryder tossed Leon back onto the couch, where he landed with a soft thud. He began gasping for breath right away, a red hand mark bright on his throat.

 

“Fuck!” he shouted. “Who is this asshole?”

 

“Friend of Kara’s,” he said, stepping in front of Leon and standing astride over him. “And that’s all you need to know.”

 

Then he placed his hands on his hips.

 

“Now, here’s the deal, asshole. You cheated on this woman, right? No lying, please—I hate liars.”

 

“Y-yeah,” said Leon, fear gripping him.

 

Ryder shook his head.

 

“Part of me wants to figure out just why the hell you would treat a fine woman like this that way, but I’m not really in the mood for a fuckin’ chat at the moment. All you need to know is that you’re gonna leave here, and if you come back to bother Kara about the ring, or anything else, you’ll be getting a little visit from me. And I promise I won’t be this polite the next time. Got it?”

 

“This is bullshit!” shouted Leon. “This piece of biker trash your fucking bodyguard or something?”

 

“Leon!” shouted Kara, disbelieving that he would say something so stupid.

 

Ryder leaned forward until his face was only a foot from Leon’s.

 

“That didn’t sound like a ‘got it’ to me. Want to try that again, prick?”

 

“G … got it,” he said, his voice trailing off.

 

“Awesome!” shouted Ryder as he stood up straight. “Now, there’s the door. Go on and get the fuck out.”

 

Leon glowered one last time at Kara. Then he shot to his feet and rushed out the front door. As he crossed the threshold, Furball meowed at him one last time, as if telling Leon to stay out in his one way.

 

“What a fucking prick,” said Ryder as he shut the front door. “You were engaged to marry that asshole?”

 

Kara didn’t speak for a moment as anger boiled inside of her.

 

“What the fuck was that?” she finally shot out, her finger pointed toward the front door.

 

“Just men settling business like men,” said Ryder.

 

“Are you fucking serious?” asked Kara. “You basically just threatened his life! You think that he’s not going to go to the cops or something?”

 

“Trust me,” said Ryder. “I’ve dealt with enough big-talking pricks like him in my life to know that once you put the fear of God in ’em, they aren’t gonna do shit. He’s gonna run home, change his underwear, and try to figure out what his next step is now that ‘operation: sell the engagement ring’ is off the table.”

 

Kara was still mad, but she couldn’t help but feel a cool wave of relief wash over her. In spite of herself, she was happy that Ryder had done what he had. But she wasn’t about to let him know that.

 

“That was my business,” said Kara. “And you just stepped in like it was yours.”

 

“When a man’s threatening a woman like that, I can’t help but make it my fuckin’ business. Sorry if I stepped on your damn toes keeping you safe—the whole reason I’m fuckin’ here, by the way.”

 

“You’re here to keep me safe from the men after you, not my ex.”

 

“Happy to expand my repertoire.”

 

Before either of them had a chance to say anything else, Ryder’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out an answered.

 

“Yo, Crunch. What’s up?”

 

As he spoke, Kara paced back and forth in the living room. A blend of confusing emotions stirred within her. Part of her wanted to tell Ryder to take a hike, to take his violent bullshit and leave for good. But another part of her, a deeper aspect, was happy that he was there for her. It felt good knowing that a man like him was looking out for her, keeping her safe.

 

“See you in a bit,” said Ryder.

 

“Wait, you’re leaving?” asked Kara.

 

Ryder snorted, a smirk on his face.

 

“Would’ve thought you’d be happy about that,” he said.

 

“I mean, you’re supposed to be here looking out for me.”

 

Ryder nodded.

 

“And I’m gonna be. But the boys just let me know that they got word that Franco’s planning something big, and I need to be there to get our next move figured out. I’ll be there for the afternoon, then back tonight. Won’t be gone long.”

 

“Oh, okay,” said Kara.

 

Ryder grabbed his coat and keys.

 

“Just keep the doors and windows locked, and let me know if you even get a fuckin’ whiff of some kind of trouble. Got it?”

 

“Got it.”

 

With that, he left. Moments after he headed out, Kara heard his motorcycle roar to life and take off, the sound reducing by the second as he sped away. And once he was gone, Kara couldn’t help but feel not simply less safe, but lonelier.

 

What the hell is wrong with me? she thought. I can’t possibly be … missing him, can I?

 

But the more she thought about it, the more she knew that “missing” was the only word that fit.