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This had to stop.
As if sensing my mood, Noel glanced over. His gaze seemed to see everything inside me, and he started forward just as someone else approached the bar. I could tell by the way his jaw bunched that he gritted his teeth in frustration as he glanced at the middle-aged woman who interrupted us.
“Sorry, ma’am,” he told her. “But we’re closed.”
“That’s okay,” she answered, slowly and methodically setting her hand on the bar. “I didn’t come for a drink.”
Warning bells screamed inside my head as I turned more fully toward her and took all of her in. Something about her, from the neat, precise way she dressed to each and every calculated move she made, reminded me of my mother. This woman was a cobra, and she was coiled tight, ready to strike her next victim. When she turned to look directly at Noel’s coworker behind the bar, I had to turn and look too. Mr. Lowe, who took World Masterpieces from me with his ever-cheerful, energetic girlfriend stood at the cash register, counting the drawer, with his back to us.
As if he sensed eyes on him—or maybe he’d heard the woman’s voice and recognized it—his hands froze in the pile of twenties.
A breath passed before he turned slowly and stared straight at the cobra. Then he locked up tight as if she’d somehow immobilized him and trapped him in her sights. The color drained from his face, and a handful of twenty-dollar bills fluttered from his limp hand, scattering the air as they drifted to the floor.
The look on his face was so familiar to me. I’d seen it too many times in the mirror after I’d been attacked by Zach. Every time I’d wondered to myself, why did this happen to me, why does the world hate me so much, what have I done to deserve this, I’d had that very same expression on my face.
Tossing him a conniving smile, the woman murmured, “Hello, Mason.”
Directly across the counter from me, I could actually feel Noel stiffen. A glance at his face told me he could sense the unease between Mason and the woman just as thickly as I could. His gaze darted between the two and he looked as if he wanted to jump in and defend his friend, but wasn’t sure how...or why.
After taking a large swallow, Mason finally opened his mouth. “Leave,” he said softly, except the steel behind that one word sent shivers through me. If I were the woman, I’d have been gone, see you later, bye-bye now.
But she merely smiled as if his hard command amused her. Then she gave away her tell when she blinked, fluttering her eyelashes rapidly. He’d managed to make her nervous.
“I need to talk to you, darling.”
Mason’s face went from white to green so fast I thought he might vomit all over the floor. “Not interested,” he said and bent down to gather the fallen bills, his hands shaking enough to make him fumble.
Growing impatient with him, the woman leaned over the counter. “Don’t you want to know what I have to say? I came all this way just to see you.”
“I don’t care what you have to say,” he growled, still scrambling to collect all the cash he’d dropped. “I just want you gone. Forever.”
She narrowed her eyes and ground her teeth. She didn’t like being ignored...just like my mother.
Noel bent down and helped Mason pick up the money. I couldn’t hear what he said, but he murmured something, and Mason nodded his head in return. About as soon as he did, Noel bobbed back upright, straightening and spinning to send the woman a pleasant smile.
“So, like I said,” he started again, “the bar’s closed. If you could leave now—”
“I’m not leaving until I talk to Mason.”
Noel’s smile fell and his jaw bulged again. “Well, he doesn’t want to talk to you, so...get lost.”
She glared, a sound of repugnance hissing from her nostrils before she turned back to watch Mason stand and ease the twenties back into the cash drawer.
“He doesn’t know what you are, does he?” she called past Noel’s shoulder. “I doubt anyone in this room knows what you’ve done.” She turned to glance at all the other guys who’d worked ladies’ night. They were the only people left now. She and I were the last two remaining customers. All the boys who’d played waiter and were wandering around the floor, picking up trash and sweeping, paused what they were doing, their attention on her.
Having gained her audience, the evil woman laughed and turned back to Mason. “I bet they’d be very interested to know how you used to make your money.”
Mason slapped the cash register closed, making me jump. He whirled around to glare daggers at his visitor. “What the fuck do you want?”
Pleasure bloomed across her face. In a mellow voice, she murmured, “I told you; I need to talk to you.”
“Then say whatever you’re dying to tell me and go away,” he growled. “And never come back again.”
She glanced at Noel and then me before tactfully licking her lips. “I think you’d rather hear this in private.”
He laughed, hard and short. “So not happening.”
“Fine.” She tossed her hair and gave a brittle smile. “Since you’re forcing me to speak out among your friends, then I will. I’m pregnant. And you’re the father.” She took a step back from the bar and untied the sash on her coat to let it fall open, revealing the bulging waistline under her blouse.
