CHAPTER 6
“Where you going?” Romero asked.
Alex didn’t answer. He hurried his step when he saw the menacing way her boyfriend stood over her. As he approached he could hear the guy. He was pretty loud and their argument began to turn heads.
“You think I’m playing? I said I need to talk to you, outside now.”
Was she really involved with this guy? Boyfriend or not he’d be damned if he’d stand there and let him speak to her that way. He didn’t hear her response. Unlike the idiot she tried to keep her voice down.
“Is there a problem?” He asked as soon as he reached them.
They both turned, the guy’s expression enraged, hers startled.
“This doesn’t concern you.” The guy sneered.
Alex turned to Valerie ignoring her boyfriend. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, but before she could answer the guy continued even louder than before. “Of course she’s okay. This is none of your damn business.”
Alex stepped closer to the guy, speaking inches from his face. “I’m making it my business.”
Valerie grabbed Alex’s hand. “No Alex, he’s not worth it.”
Alex glanced back at Valerie, somewhat relieved she hadn’t defended the asshole. “Is this-”
“No!” She shook her head adamantly.
He felt the guys hand on his shoulder. Alex turned slowly, trying not to lose it. He’d made a huge mistake touching Alex. The guy knew it, too. The moment their eyes met, he immediately pulled his hand back.
“Bruce,” Valerie stepped in front of Alex in an attempt to make him step back. Alex didn’t budge, not even when he felt her behind press against his thigh. “I’ve nothing to speak to you about. I’ve made that perfectly clear already.”
Making an even worse mistake, Bruce reached for Valerie’s arm. Alex caught his wrist and with one step, he stood in front of Valerie and Bruce’s wrist was one squeeze away from being broken. Though he felt like tearing him apart, he managed to keep his voice level and spoke in his face again.
“Touch her again, and you’re dead.”
Valerie tugged at his arm. Bruce cracked a very forced smile and pulled his wrist away from Alex. Alex let go, but he wasn’t backing down now. Bruce backed away from him a couple of steps.
“Wow, Valerie, you must really have them lining up.” He cackled and glared at Alex. “Your turn to tap that loose little ass tonight?”
The cannon in Alex went off and with it, his fist. Bruce didn’t even see it coming. Nothing could explain the satisfaction he felt landing that right hook on Bruce’s eye. His body hit the floor with a flop, his head bouncing on the stone tiles.
“Whoa!” Romero jumped in front of him. In seconds he was surrounded by Romero, Eric and the bar’s security staff. Romero waved them off. “I got this, guys. We’re cool.”
Eric, who’d gone down on his knee, immediately tapped Bruce’s cheek with his fingers. He looked up at Romero and Alex. “He’s out.”
Romero frowned but assured the security staff again, that everything was under control. He addressed the main guy personally. “Randy, let me handle this one, okay? Don’t worry.”
Randy nodded. He spoke into his radio, “This is R.D reporting, code red, room one, under control. I repeat code red, room one, under control.” He gave Alex a stern look as he walked by him. Security worked to disperse the crowd that had cheered and laughed when Alex knocked out Bruce.
Alex worked hard to calm the rage he was still feeling over Bruce’s comment. The thought of Valerie sleeping with this guy made him squeeze his fist so hard it shook. He turned to Valerie who stood there staring down at Bruce. Instinctively his fist opened and he slid his hand in hers. She looked up at him. Those dark anxious eyes did things to him he couldn’t even begin to understand.
“You think he’s going to be okay?”
“Do you really care?” Alex clenched his jaw.
“About him? No. but I’d hate for you to be in any kind of trouble.”
Alex forced his eyes away from Valerie long enough to watch Romero and Eric bring a very groggy Bruce to his feet. The guy was so out of it he struggled to focus his eyes. Romero laughed. “You okay, buddy? Need some water?”
Romero glanced at Alex. “You should get back to our pool table, dude, before they ask you to leave.”
Valerie slipped her hand out of his gently. Alex didn’t persist. She’d had enough male forcefulness for one night.
“Who was that?”
“A mistake I made a while back.”
Alex squeezed his hand into a fist again wondering what kind of mistake, but didn’t ask. “What’s he want now?”
“To talk about us going out again.” She sighed. “I guess some guys just can’t take no for an answer.”
Alex wondered if there was anything in that last sentence meant for him. “So, why isn’t your boyfriend here?”
“Oh,” She paused and glanced away. “He’s coming, got caught up with a client. But he’ll be here.”
Alex worked his jaw some more. He’d actually gotten his hopes up, thinking he might be able to talk to her tonight. They made their way through the crowd until they reached the area with the pool table. Isabel and Sofia stood by the entrance.
“Alex, what did you do?” Sofia frowned.
“Took some guy’s lights out!” Romero laughed behind him.
Sofia’s eyes opened wide. “You did?”
Alex attempted to smirk but he still reeled with thoughts of Valerie and the other men in her life now. He glanced at Romero. “So, what happened with him?”
Romero walked around the pool table. The girls sat down at the table, but Alex stayed at the entrance of the room.
“The bartender is going through that guy’s phone. If they can’t get someone to pick him up they’re gonna call him a cab. He almost went out again at the bar. That guy’s gonna have a shiner of all shiners.”
Eric laughed. “What happened? Why’d you clock ‘em?”
Alex shrugged. “He pissed me off.”
“Obviously, but why?”
Alex and Valerie exchanged glances. “Valerie can tell you about it. I gotta get going.”
“What!” Both Romero and Eric asked in unison.
“Yeah, I forgot about some paperwork that needs to be turned in by tonight.”
Romero was looking at him, disgusted. Eric had a more understanding, almost sympathetic expression. Alex finished his goodbyes and waved at the girls, taking one last look at Valerie. Her expression was blank. Probably embarrassed about what Bruce had said.
“You’re leaving?” Sofia asked.
He nodded and walked away without explaining. Just outside the door, his heart feeling heavier than ever, he heard someone call out his name.
He turned to see Valerie walking to him. She stopped in front of him. “I wanted to thank you.”
Alex detected a bit of anguish in her eyes. “Don’t worry about it. You sure you’re okay?”
She nodded putting her hands together in front of her. Alex couldn’t stand it. He had to tell her how he felt. Even if she was with someone else, she had to know. It was killing him.
“Valerie, I…”
Valerie’s eyes looked past him, and she smiled. “Hey, Luke.”
Alex turned around. A guy in a suit, with a huge smile, walked toward them. He nodded at Alex as he reached for Valerie’s hand.
Valerie introduced them and Alex instantly excused himself. He knew it was rude and Luke looked at him funny, but there was no way he could take another moment of her with someone else.
He was fuming by the time he reached his car. The one night he decides to get out and relax a little and it turned into this. The need to have Valerie back in his life was even more implacable now than it had ever been. Great. Fucking great.
*
Alex drove uncharacteristically slow. He was still trying to shake yesterdays blow. He tossed and turned the entire night with images of Luke holding Valerie. It was torture. Even now he couldn’t help wondering how she’d be spending her day. He remembered spending what Valerie called “lazy Sundays.” They’d spend entire day making love, stopping only to eat and nap. He hated to even think it, but she may very well, have done that today.
He banged his steering wheel hard and gnashed his teeth. The visual alone turned his stomach.
Eric called first thing in the morning to ask if he wanted to go work out. He was so exhausted from the lack of sleep and the emotional turmoil, he’d said no. But after slamming a few doors and nearly punching a hole in the wall, he decided a hard work out to let off some steam would do him some good.
Eric was spotting Romero when he got there. “You didn’t tell me this crumb was gonna be here. I wouldn’t have come.”
Romero looked up from the bench. “Two days in row you make it out of the restaurant? What’s the world coming to?” Then Romero frowned. “But I guess last night doesn’t count since you went back.”
Alex rolled his neck around getting the cracks out. “I took care of what I had to.”
He really had gone to the restaurant in hopes of staying busy. After snapping at a couple of employees for no good reason, he decided he was in no mood to be around anyone and headed back to his place. He’d be doing some apologizing later.
“You missed out.” Eric said.
“I did?”
Romero suddenly laughed. “First let me tell him about that guy’s eye!”
Eric brought his fist to his mouth and started laughing himself. “Dude, you should’ve seen that guy you cracked.”
Alex smiled, feeling a tiny bit of satisfaction drown out a little of his turmoil. “What about him?”
“The cab they called him took a while to get there.” Romero continued chuckling. “I saw him still sittin’ at the bar a half hour later. His eye was black and swelled shut. It was too fucking funny!”
Alex laughed, wiggling the fingers on his right hand. With all that had happened last night, he hadn’t even really felt it until he went to bed and even now his hand was a little sore. A lot of the frustration he’d been feeling for weeks had gone into that punch. Besides seeing Valerie again, which was bittersweet, knocking out Bruce had been the only good thing about last night.
“Yeah, well, that prick had it coming.”
Romero and Eric continued chuckling. Alex dropped his keys and his towel on the floor. He took a seat on the bench next to Romero but waited before starting to work out. He had a few questions first.
“So,why were you there with Valerie and Isabel?”
“Yeah, I didn’t know you were seeing Isabel.” Eric added.
“You’re seeing her?” Alex was even more surprised than when he saw her last night. He had a feeling Romero was there with her but he thought maybe it was a one night thing or they were just hanging out. As far as he knew Romero had never been in any kind of serious relationship.
“I told you,” Romero said.
“No you didn’t.”
Romero thought about it. “Oh yeah, that was Angel. Well dude, maybe if you’d come out of your cave more often. Yeah, it’s been a couple weeks.”
“Seeing her. Like seeing her?” Alex still couldn’t believe it.
“Yeah, why not?” Romero frowned.
“I thought you said she wasn’t your type?” Eric stood over him ready to spot him.
“I didn’t know anything about her then, turns out she’s pretty cool.”
“Whatcha do to her?” Alex pinched his eyebrows curiously. “She looked different last night.”
Romero sat up. “What do you mean?”
“She looked hot,” Eric added.
Romero turned and glared at Eric. “You were checking her out?”
“Kind of hard not to notice, Romero,” Alex smirked.
Romero turned back to Alex. “You too?”
Alex laughed. “I’m not the one who said she was hot. I said different.” He threw a towel at Romero. “I just remember her being so damn conservative. That’s all. Don’t get your panties all in a bunch.”
“Well, I didn’t do anything to her, and I don’t remember her looking any different.” Romero scowled at him then at Eric. “I didn’t realize you two were paying so much attention.”
Alex laughed. “Shut up. So,what else did I miss?”
“Valerie’s new man’s a high roller.” Romero seemed to dig that one in. “At least, he was acting like it last night.”
Just like that, Alex jolted out of his laughing mood. He pretended not to be bothered but squeezed the bar on the bench. “Yeah, how?”
“He was buying rounds all night,” Romero continued. “He must think we’re real tight with Val, ‘cause it seemed like he was trying to impress us, even invited us to his place some time. Probably has some big pad he wants to show off. But he’s too…” Romero tried to find the word.
“Too what?” Alex asked. Romero had spiked his interest.
“He tries too hard.” Eric said.
“There you go.” Romero nodded. “Even his jokes felt forced.”
“He had jokes?” Alex rolled his eyes.
“A couple.” Romero said. “He got some pity laughs and even Valerie seemed put off by them. I don’t know if she’s just not that into him or if she was still worked up about that guy you knocked out, but she didn’t really seem to have a good time last night.”
“So,what was up with that?” Eric asked. “Valerie didn’t say much especially after lover boy showed up. He seemed interested when he heard you’d knocked someone out because of her, but she cut the conversation short.”
Alex shrugged, trying to act as indifferent about the use of lover boy to describe her boyfriend as any. “She dumped his ass a while back and the asshole is still harassing her.” Even as he snarled the words out, the reality of Valerie having really moved on dug into him like a razor sharp blade.
“I wonder if he’s the reason she put a pepper spray bottle on her keychain.”
Alex stared at him. “Last night?”
“No, Friday. We stopped by the apartment to pick something up and Valerie was there trying to get the pepper spray on her keychain. She didn’t really wanna say why but admitted to being spooked.”
That didn’t sit well with Alex. He’d thought maybe she’d just run into Bruce at the bar. The idea of that asshole stalking her was a whole other story.
“Has Isabel said anything about it?”
“She seemed worried about it, but then Izzy worries about everything.”
It surprised Alex that Romero already had a pet name for Isabel but he didn’t comment. Instead, his mind went back to Valerie and her possible stalker.
Romero didn’t say much more. After working out for about an hour, Alex went back to his house and showered.
The thought of heading to Valerie’s place crossed his mind as he got in his car. He remembered her warning about him showing up unannounced. Enraged, he gripped the steering wheel and took a deep breath. This was only going to get worse with every passing day. He skidded out of his parking spot and headed back out to the restaurant.