CHAPTER 29
Anderson
“So, what do you want to watch tonight?” I asked, placing the bowl of popcorn on the table.
Joanna sat on the couch with her arms wrapped around her legs. She smiled at me, positively glowing. Although she wasn’t showing yet, pregnancy had already made her even more beautiful than normal.
“I’m in the mood for a comedy,” she said.
“All right. Just don’t laugh so hard that you pee on my couch or anything like that.”
“Ha ha,” Joanna said. “I don’t think I’m quite at that stage of pregnancy yet, if you must know.”
I chuckled and flopped down on the couch beside her, giving her a quick peck on the lips as I reached for the remote to start the movie.
And as I expected, she fell asleep only a half hour in.
I simply sat there for a moment, smiling as I watched her sleep, trying to envision what life would be like in less than a year when there were three of us…
Ever since finding out Joanna was pregnant, I’d been elated—surprised by how exciting the thought of having a family had become for me. It hadn’t ever been something I’d given much thought to before, but now, it felt like everything I’d always wanted.
I was just about to pick Joanna up and put her in bed when my cell phone suddenly buzzed.
I grabbed it instantly, seeing that it was Mike.
“What’s up?” I said, keeping my voice low until I was far enough away to not disturb Joanna.
“Where’s Joanna?” he asked.
“Here with me. Why? What is it? Has Zander been spotted?”
“Yes,” Mike said.
The single word sent my heart pounding into overdrive. My ears prickled, waiting to hear more.
“He’s been spotted at some dive bar near you. More than likely, he plans on paying a visit. But he might be scared off if he knows you’re there.”
I grit my teeth. “The bar two miles down from my place?”
“Yep, that’s the one,” Mike said. “I’m sending some police officers out that way. They won’t come to your door, but they’ll trail the area, watching and waiting to see if he’ll come by. This might be our chance to get him. Do you think you can leave your place for a second? Just to move your car off the premises so that he can think Joanna is there alone? That way, we can get a hold of him to serve him a restraining order.”
I walked back toward the living room, looking at Joanna sleeping peacefully. “Yeah, I can do that,” I said, although different plans were stirring in my head.
“Good. I’ll call you back,” Mike said, and then hung up.
Kissing Joanna softly, “I’ll be right back.” I grabbed my car keys, locked up the apartment, and headed out the door, my mind on Zander. As I got into my car and pulled off, I actually spotted a few of the police cars heading toward my apartment. I quickly turned out of their view, praying that they wouldn’t deduce what I was up to. Losing track of them, I practically began to drive on auto-pilot, my body knowing precisely where to go to find Zander, as if he was a magnet that I was being pulled to.
I got there in what felt like record speed.
I practically spotted him the instant I walked through the bar’s door, despite not having previous knowledge of what he looked like.
He was big, sloppy, and looked like trouble even from a distance as he sat at the bar, chugging down what looked like several shots too many.
My blood coursing angrily through my veins, I approached the bar, and came to a stop right beside him.
“Can I help you, sir?” the bartender said.
I forced a polite smile. “Sure. Scotch, please.”
“Coming right up,” she said.
It took everything within me to not turn around and knock Zander’s lights out. But instead, I glanced sideways and smiled. “What’s up, buddy?” I said, careful to keep my voice light and friendly.
“Nothing much, my man,” he said, his words slurred.
I tilted my head sideways. “You from around here? You don’t look familiar.”
He laughed. “Nope. I’m an out-of-towner. That obvious, huh?”
I nodded. “Yeah. You’ve got an accent that I can’t quite place. Where’re you from?”
He laughed again. “Oh, if I tell you that, I’d have to kill ya!” he said, thumping me a little too heavy-handedly on the back.
“Oh really?” I said. “So what brings you into town?”
He sighed. “I’m here for my girl.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. She thought she could get away from me, but what can I say? I can’t let her go. Gotta make sure she knows it.” He grinned, under the impression that his words sounded romantic. But I could see the sinister stirrings behind his eyes. I could see the cockiness in the way he held his mouth. I could hear the hidden threat beneath his words…
“Women,” I said, just as the bartender returned with my Scotch. I took a sip and then thumped Zander on the back myself. “Hey, step outside with me for a smoke, will ya?”
“Sure thing, partner,” Zander said. “Then I can just head on my way afterwards. Check to see what she’s up to.”
“Cool,” I said, and stood from the bar. I walked a pace ahead of Zander as we made our way through the door. “Let’s go around to the side. You know, these damned buildings got all these regulations on smoking and stuff now.”
“Yeah! The world’s turned into such a wuss! People get all up in arms about a little smoke. It’s bullshit, man!”
The second we had rounded the building, my hand balled into a fist that caught Zander right in the gut.
“Umph!” he groaned, doubling over. He looked up at me, his face full of surprise. “Hey? What the f—”
But before he could say anything more, I punched him again, landing another one in his stomach, and one to the side of his jaw, knocking him clean off his drunken feet.
“Hey, man!” he cried.
I leaned over, grabbing him by the collar. “That woman you speak of, wouldn’t happen to be Joanna Gentry, would it?”
“Hey, how do you—” But his words were cut off by my fist again.
“Listen to me, I’m only going to say this once you sick mother fucker, you come anywhere near her again, you’re dead. I will sue your pathetic ass for everything you’re worth, and then when you think you’re done with me, I will hire the best hitman in the city and kill you. So don’t you dare try me, Zander, so help me God…” I leaned in close to his ear. “And be warned if you somehow land yourself in prison before I can finish you, I know some guys on the inside. They don’t take too kindly to women-bashers. I’ll make sure they know just what a pathetic piece of woman-beating shit you are, and in return, they’ll show you precisely what they think of you. Catch my drift?”
And just to drive home my point, I gave him a square kick in the ribs.
He looked up at me, fearfully. “Who are you?” he asked, blood spilling from his mouth.
“Your worst nightmare, and the wrong guy to be messing with. If you’re smart, you’ll get out of town. You’ll get out of town and never show your face around here again. Because like I said, you come anywhere near Joanna…” I balled my fists once more.
“All right! All right!” Zander cried. “I’m leaving,” he said as he crawled away.
“For good? Never coming back?”
He shook his head. “No. Never.”