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“Give me my car!”
“It’s not your car.” He stood up to full height and put his hands on his hips.
Like a child, I scraped up some gravel with my boot and kicked it in his direction. “I need that car! How do you expect me to make it to my P.O.’s office?”
“Call a cab.”
I’d call a cab. I’d call a cab right now to take me straight to The Armstead.
And that’s what I did.
The bar had only one other customer. It was early in the day, too early, except for those who were serious about their imbibements. Unfortunately, Davis was the one tending the bar. I had always avoided the times he had been working, but I couldn’t put a finger on why. Something had been off between us ever since I got back, but I didn’t want to address it.
“Sup, man.” Pulling up a stool in front of him, I wiped my mouth, thirsty for some whiskey. My buzz was slacking off.
Davis put a hand through his perfect hair. “Hey, how’ve you been? Dix said you’ve been coming in after work. Pretty early for you to be here now. Everything okay?”
“Just pour me a fucking whiskey. I don’t need your judgment.”
Davis didn’t say a word, only made a dramatic pour of the liquor into a glass, then slid it to me. “On the house,” he said, narrowing his eyes.
At the first sip, all the tensions of the day vanished, burned up with the sting down my throat. I hated that it had that effect on me.
Davis waved a finger up and down at my body. “You look like shit.”
If he said another word about it, I’d add him to the list of people to get what the wall had coming. “Thanks.”
“A whole lot worse than Essa.”
Rage filled my core and my shoulders hunched up. “What? How would you know?” When he didn’t answer, turning around to dust some bottles on the barback, the fury that had been bubbling up between us since I was released boiled over. “How the fuck would you know that, Davis? Answer me right the fuck now.”
Turning to face me, one shoulder lifted as he smiled broadly, flashing his perfect white teeth. “We’ve been hanging out. I took care of her. She’s needed someone, and you weren’t there.” If I thought I couldn’t get any angrier, I was wrong. Blood splashed in front of my eyes.
“What’sthatsupposed to mean? Took care of herhow?” Spit flew from my mouth as I spoke.
Davis laughed sarcastically, but loudly. “Oh. Oh! You seemjealous. Does it hurt to know she’s wanted me there and not you?”
In one leap, I jumped over the bar, grabbed his waist, and threw him, the fucking pipsqueak. As his thin body slid down the wall, he snorted a laugh. Straightening himself back up, he brushed off his black sweater and tugged down the sleeves.
“Griff, you’re a fucking drunk and an addict with no career and not even a car to your name. Still living with big brother. What do you have to offer her? Not a goddamn thing.”
Clutching his shirt, I reared back to hit him. Narrowing his light eyes, he said, “If you hit me, that’s assault. Guess who’ll be going back in the pen?”
“What the fuck is happening?” Dix came up behind me and tugged on my arm with both of his hands. When it didn’t budge, he put his body between the two of us.
“He’s drunk, as usual,” Davis said. I stepped back. He was right. There was no way I was going back. Reaching over the counter, I grabbed my free drink and downed it as Davis watched me carefully before sliding by me to head to the back room.
Dix pushed my shoulder slightly. “What happened?”
Taking a deep breath, I walked around the bar and sat on my stool. After shoving my empty glass at Dix, he refilled it. The warmth calmed my frazzled nerves, but I remained silent.
“This about Kara?” he asked, spreading his arms across the bar.
I snorted. “No.”
“Griff, I saw you and Kara. I know it wasn’t just a one-time thing. You guys fucked for years.”
Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. “It wasn’tyears. Just a few times.”
