Chapter 14 #2
I grimace and force myself back to work, taking a few steps away from the bar.
It doesn't help much. My eyes keep drifting back to her anyway, watching the way she moves behind the counter like she was made for it.
Fast hands, easy smile, sharp eyes. Graceful in a way that makes the whole club seem to bend around her.
By last call, the bar is packed with the draggy, tired energy of a night winding down. I check my watch and stare at it for a second, surprised it's already two in the morning.
That's when I see him.
The drunk from earlier.
He's walking toward her again.
My whole body goes cold.
She has her back turned, still wiping down the bar, not seeing him close the distance. I'm already moving before my brain catches up, breaking into a sprint.
He reaches for her hair.
His hand fists in it hard, yanking her head back until her face tips toward the ceiling.
"Now, how about th —"
I slam into him at full speed.
We hit the floor in a violent crash, his grip ripping loose as I drive him down. The guy is maybe a hundred pounds lighter than me, easy. He goes down like he was never meant to stand in the first place.
A scream tears out of her.
Before I can even get up, my dad is there.
Of course he is.
He hauls the man up by the front of his shirt and clamps a hand around his throat like he's picking up trash.
He's always good at being exactly where violence is needed. God, where was that when I was a kid and getting shoved around at school?
"I got him, Raul," he says, almost dragging the guy toward the back door.
"Thanks," I mutter, wiping sweat off my face.
My eyes find hers again.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Her voice is shaky but steadying fast.
My dad drags the guy toward the exit, and with one final shove, throws him out the back door hard enough to make it look almost cartoonish.
"Between you and him," she says, pointing to my dad, "that asshole is gonna feel like he got hit by a truck tomorrow."
"He's lucky he gets to wake up tomorrow," I say under my breath.
"I'm Olivia."
My head turns.
She's looking at me now, the anger gone, replaced by something brighter.
"Raul," I say, holding out my hand. "Sorry about earlier."
"Don't be," she says, giving me a mock salute. "You just redeemed yourself, sir."
Fuck.
Why does her calling me sir turn me on?
"Um," she says, clearing her throat. "Would you mind walking me to my car? It might take me a while to clean up, but I don't really want to go out there alone after that. What if he's waiting for me?"
"Yeah, of course."
My inner child is doing cartwheels. The prettiest girl in the club wants me to walk her to her car. I am absolutely winning.
Dad comes over while she heads back to finish closing.
"Who's that?" he asks.
"Just the bartender. She asked me to walk her to her car. That guy assaulted her."
"He what?" Dad says, eyes widening with genuine offense. "Good. I feel less bad about the blood now."
"Blood?" I ask, laughing.
"Just a little. He hit the ground and bounced."
I laugh again, picturing it.
"Good. Fuck that guy."
Dad nods and glances toward the front. "If you're gonna be a while, I'll walk to the car and make a few calls. Plan tomorrow."
"Thanks, Dad."
I give him a quick side hug. We were never big on affection, but lately I've felt the need to hold onto him when I can.
A few minutes later, I hear her voice behind me.
"You ready?"
"Absolutely."
We head toward her car, walking slow through the night air.
"It's up a bit," she says. "I use the free parking as much as I can."
"Same. Plus, no drunks puking or fucking on your car."
"Please tell me that doesn't happen."
"I've seen my fair share of shit."
That gets a quiet laugh out of both of us.
"Thank you again," she says. "Seriously."
"Of course."
Then she looks up at me and asks, "Do you have a phone?"
"Uh, yeah. Who doesn't?"
Her cheeks go pink. "I mean, can I give you my number? Just in case?"
"Y-yeah."
I hand over my phone way too awkwardly, and she types her number in before sending herself a text. Her own phone dings from inside her purse.
"Perfect," she says with a smile.
Those lashes flutter once, and I swear I forget how to breathe.
"What are you doing tomorrow?"
"I don't know yet," I say, thinking of my dad trying to arrange things on the fly.
"If you don't have plans, I'm bartending a private event. I get a plus one. I wouldn't mind it being you after tonight. Just in case."
I nod, trying not to look too excited. "I can see if I can make that happen."
"I'll text you the details."
"Cool."
We stop at the cheesiest yellow Volkswagen Beetle I've ever seen in my life. This car is basically a walking target.
"This is me," she says, unlocking the car and opening the back door to set down her purse.
I reach around and open the driver side door for her.
She blinks up at me. "Oh, what a gentleman."
I smile, hearing that in my mother's voice for a second. I barely remember her saying it when I was little, but the feeling lands anyway.
I close the door softly, wave as she gets settled, and walk back toward the building.
On the way back, I text my dad so he'll be waiting by the door when I return.
What an unexpected twist for the night.
Her name sits in my head like a spark I can't quite extinguish. I'm still grinning to myself by the time I reach the entrance, half from the adrenaline, half from the fact that she actually gave me her number. It feels unreal in the dumbest, most dangerous way.
Olivia.