“Fuck you,” I shoot back and we both laugh. A couple of other guys join us, and we shoot the shit as Sam’s girl racks the balls. We flip for a break and I go first, sinking two low balls. I miss my third shot. No surprise considering I’m still shaken up over the incident at Rachel’s.
I step back and give Sam the table. Jericho moves in beside me and I take a long pull from my bottle. He nudges me with his shoulder. “How did you manage to get out tonight?”
“In-laws have Cassie.”
“Back from their trip?”
I nod and watch Sam sink two high balls. His girl presses her breasts to him and gives him a kiss with the promise of so much more to come. “Yeah.”
He nods, a slow easy movement of his head, a good indication that he’s got something other than Cassie and my in-laws on his mind. “Cassie’s good?”
I smile. “Yeah, she’s great.”
“No news from Sarah.”
“Not in a year.” Not since I hired a private detective to find her, and had her served. She’d called me and threatened to take Cassie away if I went through with the divorce proceedings, but it was the only way I could move forward with my life—not that I’ve been doing a great job of that. I begged her to get clean and come home for her child’s sake. Having Sarah in our lives again might not be the best for me, but I thought seeing her daughter again—seeing she is everything—would be enough to help her get clean.
“Then what’s got you so fucking twisted up?”
Shit. Leave it to Jericho to see right through me. “Nothing,” I say but I know him well enough to know he’s not going to let it go.
He takes a drink from his bottle, holds it between his fingers and dangles it by his legs. “Okay, who is she, then?”
I angle my head slowly, and take in Jericho’s concerned look. He really is one of the good guys and always had my back growing up. We go way back, which is why he can read me so well. Deciding there is no sense in trying to hide anything from him I shake my head and ask, “That obvious, huh?”
“We haven’t seen you in a month, and you show up here looking like you want to kill someone.”
“That’s because I do.”
He cracks his knuckles. “Point the way.”
I scoff, and put my hand on my friend’s shoulder. “Those days are behind me. No good can come from me fighting. The in-laws would use that against me, and I can’t risk losing Cassie. She’s everything.”
“And the girl who’s got you fucked up?”
“Neighbor. Fixing her car. Some college douche-bag tried to assault her tonight.”
“Fuck, man, and you didn’t kill him.”
“Wanted to.” I grab the chalk and run it over the end of my cue.
“You serious about her.”
“No. It’s nothing. Just a one-night thing.”
“You’re not acting like it’s nothing.”
“Well it is,” I shoot back.
“K, then.” He rubs the dark scruff on his chin, and I glance at his tattooed knuckles as he calls over a hot brunette in daisy dukes. “Wanda is just the girl to help you get your mind off things.”
“Not interested.”
Fuck, man. Any other time I’d have taken him up on the offer and banged Wanda in the back room. Rachel has gotten under my skin more than I care to admit.
Jericho deep rumble of laughter reverberates through me. He pats me on the back. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
Motherfucker.
7
Rachel
Rachel
Another Saturday, another nasty customer.
Honest to God I need to quit this job. Then again, it’s not like I can blame the customer for being pissed off. They waited forever for their pizza, only for me to screw the order up. They asked for no olives and I gave them an all-olive pizza. Well done, Rachel, well done. Goddammit, if I don’t get my head in the game, I’m going to lose this job. Not that the pay or hours are stellar, but it comes with a steady paycheck and I need that. I’ll quit when I find a new job—not that I have the time to look for one. So, for now this is it, and I need to get my shit together.
I avoid my boss as I untie my apron, and shove it into my backpack. He yelled at me twice tonight already and from the look on his face, I’d say he wants to go for a hat trick. I clock out, grab the pepperoni pizza I’d made and just paid for, and dart outside, desperate to breathe in the warm night air. I stand still for one moment to think about my past, my present and my future. A seed of worry moves through me and when the hair on my arms tingle, like I’m being watched, I wrap one arm around myself and hug. No way can Dylan know where I am, right? Then again, it could be the creepy customer who hits on me every chance he gets. I do another quick scan of the streets only to find them empty of anyone threatening.
Everything will be fine, Rachel.
After quickly lecturing myself, I hurry home, and hear the music long before I take the corner and see my house lit up. Once again my mind races to Jaxon, and the way he came to my rescue. I cringe inwardly. I might have been scared when that asshole was mauling me, but the anger on Jaxon’s face not only frightened me, it took me back to a violent place I never want to go again. In that moment, all I could see was images of Dylan holding a baseball bat over his head and threatening to kill me if I left him.
But all Jaxon was doing was trying to protect me, right? His
