Page 50 of Bazooka
I looked at him in disbelief. “What’s this now?”
“Me marking my territory,” he whispered in my ear, his lips grazing my earlobe. “Officer Vile is a bit dense, so I need to paint her a picture.”
“Luz, do you want Chief Bibb to stop you from coming?” I said, trying to reason with him.
He grinned. “I don’t want anyone to stop me from coming,kochanie.”
I rubbed my forehead. “Jesus.”
“The round is on me,” Luz said, smiling widely as I transferred him to the seat next to me.
Ruby, the waitress, stopped by our table and turned pale.
“Luz,” she said, clamping a hand over her mouth. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. Your poor face.”
Luz forced a smile.
“It’s okay, Rub. I’m fine. Can we get a round of… whatever anyone’s having?”
“Of course. Coming right up.”
After that, a couple more rounds ensued.
“The new guy didn’t want to come?” John Smith asked, sipping his lemonade.
John Smith was a twenty-something guy of a non-descript appearance and non-descript personality. His name fitted him like a glove.
“Which new guy?” Patricia said, frowning. “Oh, Maddox? No, he prefers sulking in the corner.”
“He’s kinda interesting,” John Smith murmured.
Interesting? You could say that. Psychotic? I would bet my life on it.
Then loud laughter reached us, coming from the booth across the room. A group of men sat here, laughing and drinking beer. They weren’t causing trouble, but something about the situation felt wrong. I didn’t know what until I looked at Luz.
He was pale in the face, but his cheeks were unnaturally flushed and damp with perspiration. His gaze was on the floor, his drink untouched. His nails were digging into the leather seat so hard that his knuckles turned white.
“I’m fine,” he whispered without looking at me as a drop of sweat rolled down his forehead. “It’s just that tho-those guys tha-that beat me up… sa-sat in that bo-booth… I can’t breathe…”
Even before he’d finished his sentence, I scooped him up in my arms and carried him outside, ignoring others’ stunned expressions. As soon as we reached the parking lot, he threw up. I held him until he was done and helped him get to the car because he seemed unsteady on his feet.
“Let’s go home, yeah?” I said once in the car, looking at him with worry. “Are you okay? What do you need?”
He smiled weakly without opening his eyes. “Just you, Baz. And maybe a cuddle. Can I get a cuddle when we get home?”
“Yeah, you can get a cuddle,” I said grimly, cursing myself internally for my stupidity. How could I have been so thoughtless? How didn’t I guess that coming to Pete’s would trigger him? It was a question for another day, because right now, I needed to calm him down somehow.
“It will cost you,” I said, turning left at the intersection. “That cuddle, I mean.”
“What will it cost me?”
“Two hours of non-flirting at a minimum.”
Luz chuckled. “You’re a funny guy, Baz.”
I grinned. “You bet your sweet ass that I am.”
“Do you think I have a sweet ass, Baz?”
