by Mia Ford
“The voice of reason?” Bobby asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
“Whatever,” I said. “Promise me. Both of you.”
Bobby and Andy looked at each other. “Fine,” Bobby said. “I’ll try not to kill him the next time I see him.”
I looked at Andy, and he sighed and shook his head in frustration. “Fine by me,” he said. “I’ll keep my fists to myself.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Andy looked at me, shook his head again and said, “So what are we eating?”
***
Andy didn’t keep that promise.
We finished lunch, keeping the conversation light. Both Andy and Bobby were trying to get my mind off Dennis, and it worked. Until we paid the check and walked out of the coffee shop.
Dennis was waiting outside, leaning against Bobby’s truck, smoking a cigarette that he snubbed out on the truck hood when he saw us. His smile was far from charming, and for some reason, he looked a lot more confident. As if he were sure that neither Andy nor Bobby would put up much of a fight.
“Now, if I had known this was a family reunion, I would have joined you for lunch,” Dennis said.
Bobby’s hands balled into fists and he took a step forward before I stopped him. If Dennis was feeling confident, I was definitely not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me scared. If there was one thing I knew he hated the most, it was knowing that I wouldn’t cringe under his gaze.
He looked at me, his smiled widening, and winked at me. “Your brother’s suddenly grown a pair, sweetheart,” he chuckled. “Yesterday he was hiding inside the house like a pussy.”
“I’m here now,” Bobby countered, making to move again. I squeezed his arm, urging him to stay put.
People walking past us had begun to hurry up, sensing that something was happening. From inside the coffee shop, I could see some of the guests watching us intently. If a fist fight broke out, I doubted anyone would do more than film the whole debacle and post it on YouTube. I wondered if anyone would have the decency to at least call the police.
“How about we avoid a spectacle, and you just let me take my wife home?” Dennis said, taking a few steps towards us, but still making sure he was far enough to avoid any surprises.
“I don’t think so, asshole,” Andy said, stepping between Dennis and us. “Bobby, take your sister home. He won’t do anything stupid, will you?”
Dennis chuckled and looked past Andy at me. “Is this who you’ve been fucking while I was looking for you? Can’t keep your knees together, can you?”
“Watch it,” Andy warned.
“Fuck you,” Dennis said, his smile fading. “I don’t take lightly to men who go after married women.”
“And I don’t take lightly to men who need to prove themselves by beating their wives,” Andy shot back.
People started to gather, a small crowd mostly of college students, standing behind the parked cars and out of the way. The tension in the air was heavy, and everyone was just waiting for the first punch to be thrown. I prayed to God it didn’t happen.
“Andy, he isn’t worth it,” Bobby said through clenched teeth, not believing a word he was saying. I could tell he was only trying to calm the situation down for my sake. “We’re leaving, Dennis. Go back to Manchester if you know what’s good for you.”
Bobby grabbed my hand and pulled me along, past Andy and towards his truck. Dennis reached out and grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into it so hard that it hurt.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Dennis hissed.
All hell broke loose then.
You could almost hear the whistling of Andy’s arm flying through the air, and the sickening sound of bones cracking as his fist slammed into Dennis’s face. If people were expecting a fight, they definitely hadn’t expected the speed with which Andy would attack. It took Dennis completely by surprise, throwing him back. He let go of me, trying to keep himself from falling over, and Andy quickly followed through with another punch.
“Andy!” I screamed.
Andy wasn’t listening, though, the rage on his face terrifying. He threw a third and fourth punch, and Dennis fell back onto the hood of a parked car, rolling out of the way. He quickly got a hold of himself and threw his entire body against Andy, sending both men down.
“Andy, stop it!” I screamed, but no one was listening to me.
Bobby grabbed me by the arm and hurried me away. “Let’s go!” he shouted. “Andy’s got this!”
I fought back, wanting to rush in between Dennis and Andy to stop the fight. Both men were kicking and punching at each other with such ferocity, I was sure they would end up killing each other if no one stepped in.
Bobby pulled at me again. “Now, Andrea!”
I watched in horror as Andy rolled on top of Dennis and began to frantically throw punches at him, just to find himself being flung to the side and attacked with the same ferocity. It was like watching wild animals tearing at each other.
Bobby pulled me harder, almost throwing me off my feet, and pushed me into the passenger seat of his truck. He slammed the door and rushed around to the driver’s side.
“Help him!” I shouted.
“Trust me,” Bobby said, turning the ignition and pulling out of the parking space with a screech of his tires. “Right now, Dennis is the one who’s going to need help.”
I looked back as we pulled away, the crowd now getting involved and pulling both men away from each other. From this far, I could barely tell who had gotten the worst of the beating, but I could hear Dennis clearly swearing at me, yelling for me to come back, that he’d find me and kill me.
My body shook uncontrollably, and I gasped for air, the panic attack hitting me hard as Bobby sped away.
“Hold on, Andrea,” he was saying, his voice coming from far away. “We’re going to be home soon!”
I slammed my fists against the dashboard, finding it harder and harder to breathe, tears racing down my cheeks.
“We’re going to be fine,” Bobby kept saying.
I didn’t believe him.
Chapter 14: Andy
I spent most of the afternoon in the police station.
The crowd outside the coffee shop had been able to keep me away from Dennis long enough for the bastard to get away, which pissed me off a lot more than the fact that I was the only man standing when the police arrived. A part of me had wanted to kill him, beat at him until his blood filled the gutters and his face was unrecognizable. I had never felt that much rage in my life, and although I was still riding an adrenaline high, it scared me.
Jeremy took my statement, making me promise over and over again that I’d pass by the hospital and get my hand checked. It throbbed, but the pain still hadn’t hit. I constantly flexed and relaxed my fist, making sure nothing was broken. A part of me just wanted the assurance that if I saw Dennis again, I’d still be able to use the hand to finish what I had started.
“Okay, so we’re letting you go with a slap on the wrist,” Jeremy said, slumping into his chair and signing his name at the bottom of the statement I had just given. “Consider yourself lucky.”
“Seriously?” I scoffed. “You do know I’ll probably kill him if I see him again, right?”
“I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear that,” Jeremy scolded, shooting me a frustrated glare. “Don’t say I never did anything for you.”
“You want to do something for me? Find that son of a bitch and arrest him.”
“We’re trying,” Jeremy said.
“Mansfield’s a small town, Jeremy,” I sighed. “How many places could he be hiding in?”
“Have you forgotten what the woods look like?” Jeremy asked, leaning back in his chair. “We used to get lost in there when we were kids, remember? He could park his car anywhere and just disappear for as long as he wants to.”
“This isn’t the fucking rainforest.”
“How about you let us do our job,” Jeremy said, “and stick to what you do best,
okay? No more fights, Andy, I’m serious. For now, we’re sending a cruiser to Bobby’s place to keep an eye out for Dennis. If he shows up anywhere near the place, we’ll take care of him.”
“Whatever,” I sighed. “Can I go?”
Jeremy nodded. I snatched my coat off his desk and stormed out of the station.
The sun had already begun to set, and I had to walk all the way back to the coffee shop where my car was parked. I slid my coat on, zipped it up and braced myself against the wind that had started to pick up. Autumn was coming in, and the weather would start to get colder at night. Which meant if Dennis really was hiding in the woods, he wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long.
The walk cleared my mind, and I began to calm down. My hand began to throb even more, and the pain set in quickly. I contemplated going to the hospital, but quickly dismissed the idea once I had reached my car and was sitting behind the wheel. I took out my phone and dialed Andrea. When she didn’t answer, I tried Bobby.
“Dammit, Andy, I’ve been trying to reach you,” Bobby said when he picked up.
“Yeah, I saw the missed calls,” I replied, turning the key in the ignition and leaning back in the seat, closing my eyes.
“Where are you?”
“At the coffee shop,” I said. “Had a nice chat with the good men in blue.”
“Jeremy?”
“Yeah.”
“He didn’t hit you with a fine, did he?”
“Of course not,” I scoffed. “But they sure as hell are treating this whole thing like it’s nothing.”
“They didn’t get Dennis?”
“No, the bastard skipped before they came,” I said. “Listen, Andrea’s not answering her phone.”
Bobby hesitated before saying, “She’s locked herself in her room. Won’t even talk to me.”
I shifted the car into reverse and pulled out of the parking space. “I’m on my way.”
“No, go home,” Bobby said. “She just needs some time. She’s in shock. By morning she’ll be fine again. I’m thinking of getting her out of Mansfield, maybe driving up to Maine, spend some time with my aunt until we get the divorce process underway.”
I clenched my teeth. The last thing I wanted was for Andrea to leave, but I had little say in the matter. Especially if she agreed with Bobby, which I felt she would after what had happened.
“Andy?”
“I’ll pass by you in the morning,” I said, fighting back the urge to argue with him. If I really did care about Andrea, getting her out of Mansfield was probably the best thing to do. I knew I could convince her to stay, but I couldn’t be selfish and risk her getting hurt. I needed her to be safe.
I hung up, shifted into drive, and made my way home, feeling shittier by the second.
***
I was into my fourth drink when the doorbell rang.
I rushed to the door, fully expecting it to be Andrea and wondering how she had convinced Bobby to drive her here. I opened the door, ready to swoop her into my arms, when I saw Hannah standing there instead.
“What the –”
Hannah quickly raised both hands up, a bottle of Jack Daniels in one and a white handkerchief in the other. She waved the handkerchief lazily. “Truce,” she said. “I’m not here to fight.”
“Then why are you here?”
She dropped her hands and shot me an annoyed glare. “Are you going to leave me out here?”
“Pretty much.”
She sighed. “I ran into Jeremy,” she said. “He told me you were in some kind of fist fight today. I’m just checking on you and brought you a bottle to show that I’m not angry anymore.”
I looked at her for a beat, trying to discern whether she was telling the truth or just playing with me. She smiled and held the bottle up again. I sighed and stepped out of the way, letting her in.
“Thank you,” she said, making straight for the kitchen. “I see you’ve already started without me.”
I closed the door and trudged back to the couch, collapsing onto it with a grunt. I could hear Hannah opening and closing cabinets, the clink of glasses, the sound of the whiskey bottle’s cap being opened. I realized that this was probably the longest time she had spent in my apartment with her clothes still on. I closed my eyes and covered my face with my arm, trying to get my head to stop spinning.
“So, are you going to tell me what happened?” Hannah asked, handing me my glass and sitting in the seat opposite me, folding her leg underneath her as she made herself comfortable.
“What do you care?” I asked.
“Come on, Andy, I called truce,” she said. “I’m trying to be civil here.”
I groaned and sat up, downing my drink quickly and slamming the cup down.
“That bad, huh?” Hannah commented.
“You know, I’m finding it very strange that you’re actually here just to make sure I’m alright,” I said, feeling the words slur in my mouth. “After I kicked you out, and after that little piece of art you left on my door, I have to say, this is quite surprising.”
“Not so crazy after all, huh?”
I looked at her through heavy lids, frowning.
“Yeah, I know what people say about me,” Hannah said, lifting her glass in a toast. “I might be a pervert, Andy, but I’m not crazy. I’m just possessive, and I’m not ashamed of admitting it. What’s mine is mine.”
“I was never yours,” I said.
She looked at me for a few seconds, then shrugged. “We were good together. The best sex I ever had. I guess I just didn’t want to share it.”
“And the whole let’s-not-be-exclusive agreement?”
“I never said I was perfect,” she countered.
I’d say.
I rubbed my hand, trying to stop the throbbing, and only then realized the ripped skin around my knuckles. They were going to leave a nasty scab.
“Is this the point in the story where you tell me I should see the other guy?” Hannah asked, gesturing at my hand with her glass.
I chuckled. “I wish I could remember what he looked like when they pulled me off him,” I said. “I was too angry to take a proper mental photograph.”
“Bottled up frustration?” She smiled. “Is this what you do when you’re not fucking me?”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
She laughed and got up, taking my glass back to the kitchen for a refill.
“At least tell me this wasn’t over some girl,” she said. “Because honestly, that would just be sad.”
“Hannah, seriously, I appreciate the gesture, but I think we’re past the point where you take an interest in my life that is cute and charming.”
She handed me the refill and sat down on the couch beside me. She looked at me, hard and long, and clinked her glass against mine. “Drink up, fire man. I’m just here as a friend, if that’s okay. Nothing more. To be honest, I think I’m over you.”
“That fast?” I asked, gulping down my drink. “What happened to being possessive and all that other crap?”
She shrugged. “We were good, but I can’t force you to stay with me. It’s frustrating, for both of us. And besides, I was starting to really live up to my nickname. I mean, I was actually stalking you.”
“Yeah, that was weird,” I agreed.
The swimming in my head intensified, and I felt a raging headache coming on. It was taking all my energy just to keep my eyes open, and soon enough my vision began to blur.
“I’m getting a little tired,” I said. “Thanks for passing by, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “I could stick around. I have nowhere to be.”
“I’m fine, seriously,” I said. “Thanks.”
“Do you want another drink?”
I frowned at her, then looked at her glass. Through the haze in my head, I noticed that she hadn’t taken a single sip.
“I’m good,” I said. “I’ve had enough for one night.”
The spinning got worse, a
nd I found myself putting in a lot of effort just to keep my eyes open. And for some reason, there was a strange aftertaste in my mouth.
“You know, I heard that Bobby’s sister’s been hanging out here a lot,” Hannah said. “Spent the night actually, right?”
I opened my mouth to ask her how the hell she knew that, but my tongue felt heavy, and all I could was grunt.
“Funny thing, that,” she continued. “I actually thought you were just being nice because she was Bobby’s sister. I didn’t know you actually liked her. Made me kind of jealous.”
I looked at her, unable to focus on her face. But her smile was undeniable.
“What did you -?” The words came out forced, heavy. They echoed in my ears, almost as if someone else was talking.
“I told you, Andy,” she said. “I’m very possessive. And you’re mine. I’m not sharing you with anyone, and especially not with that slut.”
I looked down at my empty glass, quickly putting two and two together as the world around me spun out of control. She drugged me. The bitch put something in my drink.
I grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, but the grip was pathetic, and she easily pushed my hand away. I fell back, my eyes closing quickly until I could see nothing but darkness.
