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Chapter 35
Dani rushed over to Nayome’s side to make sure she was alright, eyeing Bal cautiously out of the corner of her eye as she began to fuss with Nayome’s hair.
“I’m fine. Dani it’s alright, he didn’t actually manage to do anything,” Nayome said, trying to reassure her friend.
“I can’t believe it. I usually have better creep radar than that, I’m so sorry Nayome—”
“What? Dani, this isn’t your fault.”
“I brought you here, and I was distracted flirting I didn’t notice until it was too late—”
“I didn’t notice either, it came out of nowhere.” Nayome gripped her friend’s slight shoulders, pulling her in for a tight hug. “It’s okay,” she said, pulling back and looking Dani right in the eye so she knew she meant it.
That seemed to satisfy Dani, who turned her attention back to their unfortunate dates for the evening. The bouncer had arrived and was propelling Kevin and Dani’s guy towards the exit. Kevin was barely conscious, being mostly held up by his buddy. Dani sighed audibly from beside Nayome.
“I’m sorry, you really liked him didn’t you?” Nayome asked.
“Not if that’s the kind of taste in friends he has,” Dani said, shaking her head.
Nayome watched as the bouncer shut the door behind the two men, then turned back and started heading for them.
“Are you alright?” He asked, looking at Nayome. He was satisfied with her quick nod.
“You’re going to have to leave as well,” The bouncer said, turning to face Bal. He was at least two heads shorter than Bal, but stocky. He didn’t even look intimidated as he stared up at the taller man. “Personally, I completely approve of you clocking that asswipe, but the bar’s got a zero violence policy.”
“Understood,” Bal said, not arguing. He was rubbing his sore fist with his other hand, looking questioningly at Nayome.
“We’ll all go. This night is officially dead,” Dani said quickly, giving the bouncer a smile of thanks as she collected their bags from the table.
As Nayome slung her purse across her shoulders, she noticed the other man standing with Bal for the first time. He was tall, with a lean build. But even though his button up was loose fitted, Nayome could sense strength. His eyes were dark, behind tortoiseshell square-framed lenses. His skin was a dark coffee color, black hair clipped close to his head. Somehow she knew he was like Bal, likeher.
“Felix,” the man said, a small curious smile on his face as he held out a hand. “Pleasure to finally meet you.”
“Oh, right…the guy that was helping Gabe with….” Nayome trailed off, glancing awkwardly at Dani, not finishing her thought. Dani was looking between Felix and Bal, eyebrows raised expectantly.
“Dani, this is Balfor, and his…friend, Felix. I told you about Bal, from my trip to Scotland.”
“You did. What a nice surprise, that he’s here…did you know he was in town?” Dani was feigning a casual tone, but as they all headed towards the exit, she turned back to look at Nayome, mouthingstalker,eyebrows raised so high they almost disappeared into her hairline.
Nayome laughed a little, helplessly, shaking her head a bit to reassure her friend. If only she knew.
“That was very brave of you, the way you rushed in to protect your friend. You could have been hurt,” Felix said, as he looked down at Dani. That curious smile was still tugging the corner of his mouth up. Nayome was surprised to see Dani flush a little bit, as she glanced up to make eye contact with the taller man.
“It was nothing, anyone would have done the same,” Dani said, breaking eye contact to glance down at her glossy red heels.
“You sell yourself short. Dani, was it?”
“Yes,” Dani said, sounding a bit breathless.
Oh no, Nayome thought. The last thing Dani needed was to be sucked into all this. And who knew what amount of interaction with magic warranted a memory wipe. They dished them out pretty casually from her experience so far.
Nayome watched Dani’s cab take a left and disappear into traffic. It had been difficult to convince her to head home, but in the end, Nayome insisted. Turning to face the two men expectantly, her eyebrows shot downward in a frown and she started to tap her foot in a quick agitated rhythm. “Well?” she said, impatiently.
“Well, I think maybe you two could use some privacy. I’ll head out,” Felix said. Nayome wasn’t surprised, the tension building between her and Bal was palpable, filling the air with electricity as they stared each other down.
“Not so fast,” she said. “You’re the IT guy right? Did you track me here? Why…” Nayome took a deep breath to try to calm herself down before continuing. “Why would you do that?” she finished lamely, not able to put her irritation into words. He had the decency to at least look a little bit uncomfortable.
“It’s my fault,” Bal said, stepping toward Nayome. “Felix owed me a favor.”
