“Who’s next?” Scott asked.
Keith gestured to the other two men to move in. They obeyed. Slowly, they stepped over their fallen colleague.
“Are yer sure yer want tae do this?” Scott said to them smiling.
Neither of them replied. But, they cautiously edged closer.
“Hurry up,” Keith barked.
One of the men turned his head slightly to look at Keith. Scott immediately took advantage. He took one step forward and landed a front kick with the sole of his foot, which plunged deep into the man’s ribcage. He too, crumpled to the ground. Concerned by the speed and power with which the kick landed, the third man backed up. He then turned, and walked away.
“I’m done. You never said anything about this ninja-type crap,” he said to Keith, as he stormed past him.
By now, the other two men timidly rose to their feet and slowly walked back towards the vehicle. Keith was angry, he growled with rage and moved closer to the Scotsman.
Keith started swinging his bat. But, he wasn’t close enough to be able to do any damage. Also, he was out of range for Scott to do anything to him. Scott kept still and looked into Keith’s eyes. He watched him very closely; he was poised to strike if the big man came within striking range. Keith shouted and roared all sorts of things, as he swung his bat, but still never moved any closer.
Scott grew weary of this, and after a few moments, Scott loudly, shouted back at him and faked a rapid movement towards him. He only flinched his body and threw his arm forward a few inches. It worked.
Keith panicked and tried to turn and run. But, he tripped as he turned and ended up sprawled out on the ground. The baseball bat had fallen out of his hands and rolled away from him. He stood up quickly, and made his way back to his SUV. He never bothered to recover his bat. Scott followed close behind him. He never touched the tire iron or the bat and walked past the black vehicle and towards the bar. It was all over in less than a minute. Scott noticed a man approaching him, coming from the bar. He wasn’t sure who it was and it distracted him for a second. Keith started driving his SUV, and was headed straight for Scott.
“Look out,” cried the man, who walked from bar.
Scott turned around and saw the SUV almost on top of him. He dove to the side, just before it could hit him. The vehicle stopped, and then sped away. Scott got up, he had a few scratches on his elbow, but other than that, he was fine.
“Are you okay?” asked the man.
“Aye, I’m fine.”
“Do you know who that was?”
“Nae really. He’s my ex-fiancé’s new boyfriend, or he was. He’s been trying tae pick a fight with me fer some reason.”
“I saw everything, I have his vehicle’s license number, and I’m going to call it in now.”
“Call it in?”
“Yes, I’m a cop. Ashville P.D. I’m off-duty at the moment. But, he is not going to get away with this.”
The man pulled out his cell phone and made a call to the Police Station. He said his name was Officer Maloney. He relayed the license number and made sure an APB was put out on the vehicle.
“I’m nae in trouble, am I?” Scott asked, after the officer finished his call.
“I didn’t see you do anything apart from defend yourself. Plus, those guys over there told me he’s been here and tried to attack you before,” he said, as he gestured to the men who watched from just outside the Sports Bar.
“Aye, he has.”
“Well, he won’t be doing it again. Aggravated Vehicular Assault is a serious offence, not to mention the various other assault charges.”
“Guid. People like him should nae be loose in society.”
“I will need you to come down to the station to make an official statement.”
“That’s fine with me. Can I do it tomorrow? I just want tae go haem.”
“Yes, that will be okay. I’m working tomorrow so we can do it then. Just let me know your name, address and contact details, and you can go.”
“Nae problem. Also, there’s a bat and an iron bar over there that they used. I dinnae know if yer guys can pull fingerprints off that sort of thing, but I did nae touch either of them.”
“Okay, I’ll retrieve them. We can use them as evidence.”
Scott gave the Officer his details and walked home. Things had turned out as well as he could have possibly hoped.
Chapter 11
The following morning Scott made his way down to the Police Department and met with Officer Maloney. He learned that his attackers were apprehended the previous evening, not long after Scott left the bar. They only traveled about ten miles to the north, before they were pulled over by a highway patrol car and arrested. Keith Green was back in prison, and from what he was being charged with, he was going to be staying there a considerable amount of years.
There was no bail to be set this time. He would be held until his court date, which now included various assault charges, as well as the domestic violence charge he already faced. Officer Maloney informed Scott, that Green carried a long list of prior offences, which included drug possession, burglary, robbery and assault, as well as many other misdemeanors. Scott was just relieved that it was over. Although, he was told he may be needed to testify in court.
Later that day, as Scott was cooking his dinner he received a call from Katie. Earlier in the day, he texted Katie that he was to tell her he was fine, and that she shouldn’t worry about Keith bothering her anymore. He didn’t go into details. He never returned any of her texts when she pressed him for information in her replies. So, he fully expected the call.
“Hi Scott, so what happened? Did he bother you?”
“Aye, he came doon tae the bar with three of his friends. But, it was nae a problem. Everything’s sorted oot now.”
“So what happened?”
“They tried tae attack me. But, there was an off-duty officer there who saw everything. So, he got arrested fer assault.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“Nae, I’m fine. Although, he did try tae knock me doon with his SUV, which should land him an extra few years in prison. So, yer should nae have tae worry aboot him fer a while.”
“Oh my god, he’s an idiot. I’m glad you’re okay. I’m so sorry for everything.”
“Aye, I’m fine.”
“I had a call from the Police earlier. They found my ring in a jewelry store in Akron. The owner identified Keith as the man who sold it to him. They even have him on the store’s surveillance cameras. So, I’m going to get my ring back and he’s going to be charged with that too.”
“I cannae say I’m surprised aboot that. It seemed fairly obvious.”
“I know, I am sorry. My Mom and Dad said that too.”
“Well, I have tae go Katie. I have tae eat and get ready tae go tae work. I’m glad yer seem tae be getting yerself back on track. Guid luck with everything.”
“Wait Scott, there’s something else I have to tell you.”
“Okay, go on.”
“I need to tell you, I’m sorry about what I said to you about me being pregnant. I wasn’t.”
“I know,” Scott answered. He had been pretty certain that she lied about it, but it was nice to have that little nagging doubt in the back of his mind taken away.
“You did?”
“Aye, and I know yer were nae really ill either. When yer asked me tae take yer tae the hospital.”
“Okay, I’m sorry about that too. I really messed up.”
“Aye. It was a pretty low thing tae do!”
“Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”
“Aye, yer can get yer life back on track and take care of yer girls properly.”
“I will.”
“And one last thing, I know I made a mistake by taking that security job in Baghdad. I should nae ever have done it. It put a lot of pressure on both of us. If I could go back in time I would nae do it again. I take responsibility fer making that bad decision.”
“Do
you think we could ever get back together, again?”
“Nae Katie, I’ve moved on. We shared some guid times and I wish yer well. But, that is nae going tae happen.”
“Okay, well I hope you change your mind one day. But, I understand your decision. Good luck Scott, bye.”
“Bye Katie.”
He hoped she meant it. She seemed to be handling things a lot better and Scott thought she sounded sincere. He was happy. Everything seemed to be falling in to place. He no longer needed to worry about someone coming to his house and trying to attack him. And what had bothered him the most; the pregnancy issue; was now confirmed as not true. It really turned out to be a good day.
That evening, it got even better. As Scott was driving home from work, Tiffany told him she was going to come out to Ohio for a visit. She would be coming the weekend after next. Only ten days to wait! She planned to confirm her flights with him as it grew closer to the time. He wondered after they finished their chat, if she meant she just hadn’t booked the flights yet, or if she planned to travel in the family’s private jet. It didn’t matter, either way was good.
The next few days seemed to go slowly, as Scott prepared for Tiffany’s visit. She indeed planned to come in on the private jet. They arranged for her to arrive Saturday morning – this meant Scott could teach his normal Friday night class. She was due to land at a small airport, a few miles southwest of Columbus. Over time, Scott had ventured to many places in Ohio, but this was a place he had never been to before. He needed to check the map before her trip, and it looked to be a straight-forward journey. As Tiffany’s visit drew closer, Scott’s excitement increased. It had been a while since he’d had a visitor, and he was looking forward to it.
Scott arrived, just after noon, Saturday, at the airport. It was a small airport and seemed to not be very busy. He sat down and waited for her to arrive. He didn’t have to wait long. Soon, he spotted her walking towards him. She was wearing white tennis shoes, jeans and a plain black t-shirt. Her hair was up in a pony-tail and she carried an overnight bag on her shoulder. She smiled, the closer she got to him.
“Hi Scott, how are you?” she said, as she put her bag down and hugged him.
“I’m guid. How was yer flight?” he replied, as he hugged her back and kissed her gently on the cheek.
“It was good.”
“So were yer the only one on board?” Scott asked, inquisitively. He wasn’t an expert on private jets.
“Yes, it was just me. It was very peaceful.”
“Yer dinnae actually fly it yerself, do yer? Yer do have a pilot!?”
“Yes, there is a pilot. I don’t know how to fly planes, but my Dad does. He flies on his own sometimes,” she replied, laughing.
“That’s cool. So what would yer like tae do today?” Scott asked, as his picked up her bag.
“I don’t mind, you chose.”
They started to walk towards the exit.
“How aboot the zoo? I hear there’s a guid one in Columbus. Or the movies.”
“The zoo sounds like fun. I haven’t been to a zoo for years.”
“Okay, the zoo it is. I’m sure we can spend a few hoors there. Then we can go oot tae dinner. Yer parent’s dinnae own any restaurants aroond here, do they?”
“No, they don’t have any in Ohio,” she said, smiling.
“So how are they doing?”
“They’re good. I’m sure they’re still worrying about Kyle’s trip. But, lately they do seem a little better.”
When they arrived at the car, Scott put her bag in the back. Then, he opened the passenger’s door for her. She seemed a little surprised, but smiled and got in. Scott got in, started the car and slowly began to drive away from the airport.
“I am glad they dinnae seem so worried anymore. I’m sure Kyle will be fine.”
“Yeah I know. I don’t know many details. But, Mom told me you put them in touch with someone who’s going to look after him.”
“Aye, but yer cannae mention that tae Kyle.”
“It’s okay. Mom already told me that. I won’t tell him.”
“So, what did yer parent’s say when yer told them yer wanted their plane tae come tae Ohio?”
“They didn’t mind at all. They like you.”
“Well that’s guid. They seem pretty cool.”
“They are. Do you get along well with your parent’s?”
“My parent’s died a long time ago, in a car accident.”
“I’m so sorry, Scott. I had no idea,” she said, sympathetically.
“It’s okay, yer could nae have known. It was very hard tae deal with, but over time it gets easier.”
“I can’t even imagine how difficult that must have been. Do you have any other family?”
“Nae, it’s just me. Well, I do have a sister back haem in Scotland. But, she has nae talked tae me fer years. Are yer close with yer sister?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Yes, Katy and I talk a lot. We don’t see each other as often as we’d like since she got married and moved up to San Francisco. But, we are close.”
“That’s guid. How aboot Kyle? Do yer get on well with him, too?”
“We used to be really close. But, since he went to college, we don’t talk that much anymore.”
“Okay,” Scott said, as he followed the signs to the zoo.
The zoo was busy. It was a gorgeous summer, Saturday in Columbus and the popular zoo had attracted many families. Scott and Tiffany continued to talk and find out about each other as they casually strolled around, looking at the animals. Later that afternoon Scott saw one of the younger kids that he taught in his kickboxing class. He said ‘hi’ to the child and his family. Tiffany smiled as the big Scotsman bent down and talked to his tiny student, she could tell that the boy really liked Scott. She teased him later about how good he was with kids. He didn’t mind, he liked teaching the kids, especially the really young ones and he was happy that they liked him too.
After they walked around a few hours at the zoo, they left and went to dinner. Scott let Tiffany chose the restaurant. She said she was in the mood for Italian food, so that was where they went. It was still early on the Saturday evening so the restaurant wasn’t very busy. After their meal, which they both thoroughly enjoyed, they returned to the car and headed back towards Ashville.
“So, what do yer think of Ohio, so fer?” Scott asked.
“It’s nice. Columbus seems to be a pretty cool city. But, I do love where I live. The ocean and the mountains make it really special.”
“Aye, I can understand that.”
“I guess I’m just used to the West Coast.”
“Okay. So how are yer feeling? Do yer want tae go oot tae a bar or something or do yer just want tae come back tae my house and watch a movie?”
“I’ve had a long day. So, just going back to your place to relax, sounds great.”
“Okay, I thought yer may be a wee bit tired. We’ll be there in aboot half an hoor.”
Soon they arrived at Scott’s house. He gave Tiffany a tour of the house, which didn’t take long, and then showed her to the guest room. She asked if she could take a shower as she’d traveled a lot that day. Scott told her to take her time, he was going to watch TV and she could join him when she was ready.
About forty-five minutes later Tiffany appeared in the living room. She was wearing a pair of denim shorts and a white top. Her hair was now down, and it was still a little wet.
“I’m sorry. I dinnae have much use fer a hair-dryer or yer could borrow it.”
Tiffany laughed.
“It’s okay, I have one in my bag. I like to let it dry naturally sometimes,” she said, as she ran her fingers through it.
“Make yerself comfortable,” Scott said, as he got up from the couch.
“Thanks,” she replied, as she sat down.
Scott noticed her purple painted toenails as she lifted her feet onto the couch, crossing her ankles and holding her arms around her knees.”
“Are yer col
d?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“I’m going tae open a bottle of wine. Would yer like red or white?”
“Red please.”
Soon, Scott returned with the wine. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her. She snuggled up close to him and they started to watch a movie. They watched it all, sitting happily and relaxed together on the couch. When it finished Tiffany turned to Scott.
“Scott, I know when we talked for the first time a few weeks ago, we both said we weren’t looking to get involved. I know I meant it and I think you did too. Well, to be honest, I find you attractive, you’re smart, you make me laugh, you make me feel safe, you’re a gentleman, you’re good with kids, you’re kind, you’re strong. Do I need to go on?”
“Nae. That just makes things easier because I was going tae do this anyway, and now I know I’m nae going tae get my face slapped,” he replied, as he ran his fingers through her long dark silky hair. He stopped at the back of her neck. His other hand gripped her waist firmly and he gently pulled her close to him. He leaned in towards her and lightly brushed his lips against hers, and just barely touched them. He did this a few times, he sensually teased her, before he kissed her properly. When their lips met he moved both of his hands to the sides of her neck and gently caressed it. She held him tightly, her arms wrapped around his muscular torso. As the kiss continued his hands moved downwards and started to massage her back and shoulders. She gave out little moans of pleasure as his strong hands worked into her muscles.
After a few minutes Scott moved his lips from hers. He kissed the side of her neck, he continued to rub her back. Her hands moved onto his chest and started to explore his body. She then lay back on the couch. She pulled Scott down towards her.
They started to kiss again, her hands rubbed his back. She moved one hand to the back of his head and held it tightly. After a few minutes of kissing and caressing, Scott rose from her and stood up. He leaned down and lifted her up in his arms.
“I’m taking yer somewhere more comfortable,” he said, as he whisked her away to his bedroom.
“I thought I was in the guest room,” she said, smiling as he carried her to his room.
KILTED DESIRE 2 - Russian Roulette Page 10
