“Let him go. Stop! Please,” I say, all of which seem to fall on deaf ears. The silent giant doesn’t relent. It’s like he’s not even here right now, like he can’t see anything except for the guy in front of him.
I hesitate for a moment before gently reaching my hand out to his face. It’s the equivalent of trying to pet a rabid wolf, but as soon as my fingertips touch his skin, something snaps. His head whips up so fast it actually startles me, sending my stomach plummeting to the floor as his deep brown eyes collide with mine. They are so dark, they’re practically black right now, and for a moment, a chill runs up my spine at the look in them. So vacant, so hollow. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
“Please,” I say again softly.
He blinks hard once before that empty look slowly recedes, allowing that rich brown color to return as he easesoff the limp guy beneath him and goes to stand. The guy’s friends all rush around him, shaking him until he groggily wakes up.
The man doesn’t pay any attention to them, though. Instead, he gives me his hand as I stand up with him. When I go to pull my hand away, his grip tightens for a moment, his thumb running against the back of my knuckles as he looks down at me.
“Are you okay?”
I can’t help but let out a humorless laugh.
“Me?”
He nods seriously. “He touched you.”
Something about the simplicity of his words, the possessiveness, the protection. It gives me far more comfort and not enough fear. I should be running fast and wide from someone who is obviously so out of control. He’s dangerous, clearly, and he’s fixated on me for some reason. I should already be entering witness protection at this point. Instead, something in me is savoring the feeling of his large hand tenderly holding my own, the clean scent of his cologne swirling around the space between us, as the face that could rival a god stares down at me with concern.
“I’m fine, but you should probably get out of here. They look like the kind to call the cops,” I say as I nod down to the guys who are half-tending to their friend and half-watching him like he’s a crazed madman.
“I suppose you’re right. Look after yourself,” he says before dropping a hundred-dollar bill onto the table and releasing my hand at the last possible second as he makes a swift exit out ofthe bar.
“Hey! Wait! Where is he going? The cops are on their way!” one of the guys shouts out with the phone up to his ear.
“Why?” Marty asks from the bar top as he takes a sip of his beer. “Your friend had too much to drink, slipped, and busted his face to shit.”
“What?” another one of the guy’s snaps. “That’s not what happened! He was attacked.”
“Not what I saw,” another customer chimes in. “He sexually assaulted Blake here, and then when he tried to follow after her, he slipped and got all fucked up.”
A collective nod passes through the bar, apart from the group of guys. The reality of the situation around them begins to sink in as they panic. They should have gone downtown for their night out if they wanted justice and all that jazz. We don’t even have a working camera inside the bar. The people around here are kind of like Luxembourg, they govern themselves.
The cops showedup a few minutes later and took reports from the guys as well as a few of the customers and then me.
“Let’s cut the shit, lady,” the cop says to me. “There is no way he slipped and fell. He has bruising around his throat that are clearly fingerprints. Now, who did it, and where did they go?”
“I don’t know what to tell you, officer. I’ve given you thefull story,” I draw out lazily.
Even if I wanted to help them find him, I wouldn’t, because this cop is a grade A asshole. He’s talked down to me ever since he’s gotten here and has either called me girl or lady. Neither name I will be responding to, so instead I just stand here and stare at him.
The cop curses, flipping his notebook shut before grabbing his partner and storming out of the bar. The “victim” and his friends left a while ago when their buddy was toted off in an ambulance. Once all the excitement was over, all of our customers left, until it was just me and the police. Now that they are gone, I can finally get to closing.
It doesn’t take long to get everything put away and shut down for the night. I’m sure I’ll be getting a phone call from Mark first thing in the morning when he hears about all of this. I’ll give him the same story I gave the cops just for cohesiveness, though knowing Mark, he’d probably want to high-five the guy for laying the little shit out.
As soon as I’m done for the night, I lock the back door, pull out my headphones, and begin to slip them on when I see a hooded figure leaning up against the wall. My stomach tightens in anticipation before I fully make out who it is. Letting out a soft, relaxed breath, I tuck my headphones back into my purse as I step up to him.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him.
Those brown eyes swing down to me as he straightens up to his full height. God, giant isn’t much of an exaggeration. I never thought I’d feel so dwarfed by anyone. Instinctually,I take a half-step back just for good measure, and based on the way his eyes track me, he doesn’t miss it. Goddammit, I hate how weak I can be sometimes.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay. Did the cops give you any trouble? They seemed to stick around for a while.”
I shake my head. “They were just assholes. I didn’t tell them anything, none of us did.”
“Wouldn’t matter if you did,” he says.
He’s got a point. Aside from the fact that he likes scotch and is available most nights, I know nothing about this guy. Not where he lives or his job. I don’t even know his name.