“Don’t think for a second that I’m gonna let you get away with what you did to her,” he says angrily. One of the bartenders is trying to separate them, but it’s like River doesn’t even know he’s there. He looks like he’s about to snap, and although the target of his anger has this shit-eating grin on his face, he’s not having much luck concealing the fear in his eyes.
“Prove it,” the guy says.
River moves in closer. “The only reason I’m not is because Casey wants to be done with your lousy ass. But I have lawyers on retainer just waiting for her go ahead, and I have enough money to bury you in lawsuits.”
I have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about, but I do recognize barely restrained anger when I see it, and I’m not about to not live up to my end of the bargain and let River get into a bar fight on my watch.
I break through the crowd, and step up despite some of the men trying to hold me back. I take hold of his free hand and run my fingers long his bicep. His muscles relax the second he feels my skin, but his fury doesn’t abate until I say, “Hey. He’s not worth it. C’mon, River.” I tug on his hand. “Let’s go. Let’s get out of here.”
River flexes the hand that’s gripping the guy’s collar once, then gives him another shove and lets him go. I reach up and run my fingers along River’s stubbled jaw, and turn his face toward mine so he can see me. “Let’s go outside, okay?” I twine my fingers with his. “C’mon.”
“Yeah,” the guy laughs. “Go on and let your girlfriend take care of it.”
He’s real bold for someone who was pinned to a wall a second ago. “If you want I can let go of his hand and he can give you the beat down I’m sure you so richly deserve.”
That fear is back in his eyes for a second, but he doesn’t say anything. I don’t know this man or what he’s done, but I’m growing to trust River’s judgment, so if he wants to beat this guy’s ass, I’m sure it’s for good reason.
And I intend to find out.
He’s just shaking with anger, but luckily none of the suits seem to have seen what just went on. I lead him to the doors we walked in through, and hold his hand until we come to a park bench and sit down.
He rests his elbows on his knees and leans forward. I run my hand up and down his spine, hoping it provides some kind of comfort to him.
“You wanna tell me what went on back there?”
He rubs his hand along his face and turns toward me.
“His name is Marcus. He’s a screenwriter whose father used to be a studio head. Casey dated him for a little while about a year and a half ago. I don’t know if I ever told you, but she’s always loved writing.”
“No,” I say, continuing to rub his back because it seems like it’s helping. “You never mentioned that.”
“She moved here to be with me, and also to pursue that. I hired her on to work for me because she’s a good worker and I wanted her close, but also because I didn’t want someone else running her ragged to the point where she wouldn’t have time to write. I also thought that working with me would help her learn the business and make some contacts. Of course one of the contacts she made was with Marcus.”
“What did he do?”
“Casey told him that she had a few treatments she was working on, and he asked her to show them to him.”
Oh no, I can see where this is going. “He got super focused on one. Not one of her better ones, surprisingly, which I’m thankful for. But this one was the most fanciful, the one with the most potential to stand out from a crowd. She trusted him when she shouldn’t have, and they started working on it together. He added a few things here and there, but the bones, the bones were her’s. Anyway, he ditched her one day, stole her screenplay, and he and his production partners sold it. It wasn’t for a huge amount of money, and it’s stuck somewhere in development hell for now, but it would’ve made a difference to her, and just kind of soured her on the whole thing. I could kill him for that more than any of the other stuff.”
“Why don’t you sue him?”
He lets out a sad sigh. “I wanted to. I was ready to, and I told her I’d throw as much money at it as I needed to, but she just wants to be done with him. And she’s headstrong and stubborn and her idea of revenge is writing something bigger and better that no one can say no to.”
I laugh, because she’s a better person than I am. “Sounds like she has the right kind of attitude to make it in this soul-sucking town.” There are dozens of stories like hers, and none of them ever get the recognition that they should. I understand why he’s so angry, especially since she decided to just let it go. Guys like Marcus walk all over people all the time, and they rarely if ever get their comeuppance.
“I see that asshole and his buddies everywhere and they never miss a chance to throw Casey in my face. I wish she’d just let me take them to court.”
I huddle closer to him, till our shoulders are touching. “I think the desire for revenge like that is baked in to a sibling’s DNA. If anyone ever screwed me over like that, my brother would want to beat their asses, too. Although I do
