Adele
I have no other option, I should talk to Alex. Frank is out of town and Alexis can’t help me. I keep thinking back to being at the house and finding the two glasses out of place. I knew someone had been in the house. I also knew that Garth’s drink of choice was in the glass. I tried to convince myself that I was only being paranoid, but I realize that I’m not. He showed up at Deluca’s. I am not naïve enough to think this was a coincidence; I no longer have the luxury. He found me and he will either force me to go home with him or he’ll kill me. He promised that he would kill me if I ever left him and I believe he would. There were plenty of times he had beaten me nearly to death. I can talk to Nick, but he can’t sit at the bar all night either. I should tell Alex, so he can put security on high alert. He asked Garth to leave once, so maybe, just maybe I can trust he’ll keep him out.
Alex questioned who Garth was and let me know that he had security keep him out. I took a chance and I just blurted it out. ‘He’s my husband.’ I could see the surprise in Alex’s eyes as well all the questions in them. I know he is about to ask questions that I ‘ll have to answer.
“I don’t understand,” he says and I try to think of what to tell him, that won’t give him everything. He doesn’t even like me and I don’t trust him enough to share with him.
“It’s when a man and woman stand before a man of God…,” Alex cuts me off.
“Adele! You know what I am talking about,” he practically shouts.
“I left him. He wasn’t happy about it and I was surprised to see him here,” I say and I notice Alex’s eyes narrow again and I can tell he is thinking about what I said.
“That’s not it. You're scared of him. You don’t crawl behind a bar because your husband shows up. You would have just gone over to him and asked him to leave or ignored him. You wouldn’t hide.”
He’s right and he’s looking at me and he knows he’s right. I close my eyes and hold my head down avoiding his gaze. Alex walks closer to me and he put his hand on my chin to lift it and I open my eyes to him.
“Adele, what is going on?”
“He was abusive. He went to work one day and I took a chance and I ran.”
Alex nods his head and walks over to sit on the couch. “How long have you been running?” he asks.
“Three months,” I tell him.
“Where have you been staying?” He manages to ask the one question I am too embarrassed to answer.
“I was sleeping in my car. I parked at the mall on most nights and would clean up in the bathrooms. I would always walk past Alexis’ and Lola’s store and I caught on that they gave away soap samples. Each time I stopped, we’d talk more and we became friends. One-day Alexis asked if I needed a job and I told her I did. Long story short I ended up here.” I didn’t even notice I had started pacing as Alex sat watching me from the couch
“Where are you staying now?” he questions.
“I was staying at Lola’s old place.”
“You were staying there?” he tilts his head.
“I think my ex found out where I’m staying. I found a few things out of place and I know it’s him. I’ll have to move.”
Alex is quiet and doesn’t say anything for a few minutes, which is odd. I would expect him to comment on me staying at Lola’s or call me a user for being friends with Alexis. He does neither of these things. After several minutes, he stands up from the couch and tells me that Garth won’t be coming into the club anymore. He’ll let all the security know that he isn’t allowed in. I feel better knowing that I will be safe at work since I really need this job. I thank him and he tells me that we need to get back to work.
The rest of the night is uneventful. I wait on my tables and I still get good tips. I catch some of the other girls staring at me and Angie even has the courage to ask me why I swan dived for the floor earlier. I just ignore her and walk away. We aren’t friends, so her concern isn’t genuine anyway. I’ve noticed Alex keeps looking at me, but he keeps turning away before he thinks I’ll notice. He has even kept all his rude comments to himself. He has been nice to me since I told him my secret. I have no idea what I’ll do once this night is over. Will Garth be at the house waiting for me? Will he sneak in once I’ve gone to sleep? Is it even safe for me to go back there?
I am waiting for an order when Alex walks up to the bar and glances at me.
“Who is Nick?” he asks with lifted eyebrows.
“He works for Lola’s family. Frank had him helping me when I started working here.”
“What exactly did you need help with?”
“I had car trouble. I had no place to live. Nick was my transportation, he helped me get a bank account, he showed me where I would live.” I look over as the order is being slid across the bar and Alex quickly walks away.
I watch the clock as I take orders from table to table and before long, it’s one hour until closing. The club is still busy and no one appears to be leaving. I walk back up to the bar and I feel someone watching me. I turn and notice that Alex is sitting in one of the booths with two very attractive men. They both are wearing suits and they both have the dark hair and chiseled faces. I would assume they are Italian since most of the customers appear to be. Not to mention the booths are normally reserved for the rich and powerful-looking type. I almost wonder what type of business these ‘booth’ customers consist of, but I have my own problems and don’t need to stick my nose into their shit. I can’t help but notice how Alex has really focused on me tonight. He seems to constantly be watching me. I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t trust me enough to take his eyes off me? Or does he have a small kind bone inside that body of his?
I wish he would stop watching me. It’s really making me feel uncomfortable. Not to mention I think Angie has started to notice and has made rude comments about it. Of course, when she really started to get nasty, Teddy slammed her customer’s order down and advised her it was ready. I thank Teddy and turn my back towards the bar. Once I scan the room I notice the same two men with dark eyes watching me.
“Can you please see me before you leave?” Alex asks and I lift my eyebrows and look back at Teddy. The club has been closed for one hour and we have just finished cleaning up.
As everyone leaves, I head upstairs to the office. I gently knock on the door as Alex calls for me to come in.
“Are you going to fire me?” I ask when I enter the office and I notice his eyebrows lift at my question.
“No…At least not today. I have been thinking all night about you going back to Lola’s when your ex may know where you're staying.”
“I have been thinking about that too. I think I might just stay at a hotel tonight. I’ll get a good night sleep and I’ll decide what to do in the morning.”
“I don’t think that is a good idea either, Adele. If he’s found you this time, he’ll find you again. I have another option for you that you won’t like.”
“What option is that?” I tilt my head to ask.
“You’re coming home with me,” Alex states and my knees go weak.