Page 16 of Holiday on the Rocks
“Words cannot express how much I don’t care.”
It felt as good as a swift kick to the balls. By the time I reached my table dumbass had returned with a second margarita in hand for Allie who was now clapping her hands. He was loud and clearly a little trashed. He plopped down and stared at her while he downed a drink, and I suddenly didn’t know how this evening wouldn’t end without him going through a wall.
SEVEN
ALLIE
LOSER LEVI
I peeked over my shoulder and pure joy shot through my veins to see Levi sitting with his arms crossed over his chest glaring at me. Serves him right. Yeah buddy, you crushed me back in the day, but look at what you lost.
After a few more chugs I realized he’d lost a lush.
The guy at my table was Toby who was on a ski vacation with friends.
“How about you and me head to the lounge down the hall?”
“Well, I think I need to get going.”
He leaned in close and smelled as if he’d bathed in some bourbon out back.
“I think you’re pretty.” His hand rested on mine. “Come on, just for a little bit.”
I scooted my chair out. “Thanks, but I need to be heading out.”
We both stood. “It was nice meeting you.”
“You too.”
I walked past the bar and into the bathroom. When I finished washing my hands, I jumped when I saw Toby’s refection in the mirror.
“Uh, you can’t be in here.”
He took a step toward me. “I just wanted to say good night.”
I eyed the door and took a quick step left when his hands had my upper arms and he pushed my back against the wall.
“Stop!”
I shoved his chest but he didn’t budge. His fingers dug into my arms before his mouth came down hard on mine. I got an arm free and punched him in the side of the face.
A millisecond later Toby was no longer holding me at all, instead he had flown into the other wall, and Levi was in front of me.
I shuddered at the look in his eyes as he punched Toby who took a swing and got Levi in the jaw. He stumbled back before he went at it.
One after another, not a second’s pause, until Toby was on the ground. A flashback of Levi beating the shit out of a guy who grabbed my rear when we were at the beach. He had grown up on the rough side of town and had that “I will fuck you up if you mess with me” woven into his DNA.
A man shot through the door.
“Stop!”
He grabbed Levi’s arm and pulled him. Levi backed off and stood up.
“What are you?—”
Levi was winded. “He followed her in here.”
The man’s eyes traveled to me and I nodded. He looked back down at Toby who slowly sat up before using the back of his hand to wipe the blood coming from his nose.
