34. Kali
34
KALI
W e were leaving the bathroom.
Shane took the sign down, putting it back in the closet right next to the bathroom. And as we turned, his hand to my back, we stopped right away. Brandon was coming through from the back section, holding Aly’s hand right behind him. “Oh.”
He stopped.
I stopped.
I felt Shane’s hand press harder on my back and he moved up right behind me.
Aly looked around Brandon, her eyes going big. “Hey, um–” She began to try to move around Brandon, but he held her back. His gaze was steadily on Shane.
“Why don’t we let the friends have the night?” Shane spoke first, his tone sounding casual, but I could feel the tension inside of him. “You and me can maybe come to an understanding? Outside?”
Aly’s mouth dropped. “What? No–”
“Sure.” Brandon cut her off, turning and looking down at Aly. “We got this. Okay?”
She closed her mouth with a snap, her eyes finding mine and I saw the plea there.
A part of me hurt even more because I knew what she was afraid of. She’d gone through so much hell already, had her heart shattered and now she found a guy she could see herself having babies with. She didn’t want someone to come in and take that away. I was pulled in two separate ways because she thought the person who’d take that away was a guy who’d taken away my pain.
I moved ahead, linking my elbow through Aly’s. “Come on.” I gently bumped my hip to hers. “Let’s go and grill Harper about Justin.” She was so stiff, but went with me. I glanced back, taking in both Brandon and Shane’s gazes. Shane’s was locked right on me, his expression unreadable. Brandon was watching Shane, and his was very readable. He looked like he wanted to murder him.
We headed to the table where Harper was. At our presence and at Shane’s absence, his guys each took a sip of their beer before sliding right off their stools and heading where we’d just come from.
Aly saw them go. “Wha–no!”
I stopped her, getting in front of her. “They won’t do anything. They’ll just go and have his back if Brandon swings on him.”
She squeaked, her eyes bulging. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
“Will Brandon swing for no reason? He didn’t strike me as that type of guy.”
“What? No. He’d never do that, but if he’s provoked, he’s got friends here.”
“Exactly. Brandon’s not alone. He’s surrounded by people who will have his back. Let Shane have a few too. We’re on Brandon’s territory, remember.”
Aly frowned, taking a step back and reassessing me. “I have to say I’m not a big fan right now. Where’s my friend gone? Feel like I’m just seeing a biker bi–”
“Okay.” Harper was between us, wedging his way in there. “Stop. Both of you on either side of that table. Now.” He pointed at our previously emptied one. He reached back, grabbed his drink and rounded up the rest of the guys’ beers. He brought all of them over to the table and pointed to a stool on one side, then the other. “Sit. Now.”
I went to the one facing the back door.
Aly went across from me, her stool facing the door to the other end of Manny’s.
Harper hesitated a second before taking the stool next to Aly.
Justin moved in and took the empty one by me.
“Hey.” It took a second for his presence to register. I melted. “Hi! Oh my God, Justin.” I reached over, giving him a big hug.
He hugged me back, cupping the back of my head. “Hey there. How are you doing?” He said it only for me to hear and we kept hugging, holding each other, because Justin was that kind of guy. He wanted to know, real quick before we got to business, how I really was doing. That’s how he spoke, how he handled himself. He truly cared about people. He was loving. Gentle. Patient. And Harper was terrified of losing him, so of course he pushed him away. I was suddenly so angry at my best friend.
I hugged Justin a little bit longer, harder. “I am mending.”
Justin leaned back, looking at me, his hands still around me lightly. “Well, that sounds healing.” He smiled, raising an eyebrow in an inquisitive way.
I smiled back, answering the unspoken question. “And you?”
Some of his smile faded and his hands fell away. “You’ll see that part.” He raised his voice, turning to include the table. “Because we’re going to hash out things between me and Harper tonight too.”
“What? There’s nothing to hash out.” Harper sat upright, doing the best impersonation of a rod being stuck down his back.
“Yes, there is because I’m tired. I’m going back and I’m moving on.”
“What?”
I reached over, touching Justin’s knee for comfort. He was so tense and at my touch, a breath wooshed out of him. He gave me a sad smile before responding to Harper again. “It’s time, babe. If you really don’t want me, I’m going to go. I have a lot of love and I know there’ll be a guy out there who’ll appreciate me. I’ve been waiting for Kali to come back, help here, and if you still say you don’t want me, a guy can only take so much you know? I gotta go then. I can’t keep harassing you.”
“But,” Harper heaved a deep sigh. “You’re not harassing me, Justin. You never could do that. I’m the harasser.”
“I know, but you’ve not been harassing me. You’ve been avoiding me.”
“I didn’t last night.”
Aly and I shared a look. Last night?!
“One night doesn’t mean you’ve changed your mind. If anything, it just opens the wounds again. Gives me hope.”
Harper looked away, his mouth pressed up and looking like he was having a hard time swallowing. “Man. I–” He took us all in before closing his eyes, hanging his head. “Put me on the spot here.”
“We can go outside? Talk privately, but I want the girls to know that I’m done waiting.” He covered my hand with his on his knee, patting it gently. “It was good to see you. I can see that you’re almost glowing.”
I felt like crying. “Justin, don’t go.”
He tilted his head to the side, that sad smile moving so he had sad eyes. “I can’t take much more. Harper’s made his decision loud and clear. I have to listen at some point.”
I knew, but I wanted to argue. Harper was wrong. Knew him all my life to know he was wrong, and he knew he was wrong too. I glanced at him, saw he was fighting with himself.
We all got off our stools for the hugs.
Justin hugged me. Hugged Aly.
Harper looked defeated so he got a hug and I knew he’d need more of those by the end of the night so no matter what happened he’d be getting all the hugs from us. Aly and Harper hugged, so I got one last hug from Justin.
He squeezed me hard, saying into my ear, “Don’t let him become like his mom.”
I hugged him back just as hard. “I won’t. I swear.”
He pulled back, taking me in before giving a final and firm nod. His eyes were set, determined. As he led the way outside, there was a resolved look to both of them. Their shoulders were hunched forward and down.
“Why do I feel like we’re breaking up with Justin?” Aly moved next to me.
I sighed because damn. That was the case. But no. No way. I knew Justin would do what he’d have to do. He’d move on, which meant he’d move away but Justin was amazing so he’d get snatched up so quick. He’d find a great guy, and all of those guys’ friends would fall in love with Justin. There’d be some visits every now and then, maybe a couple emails, texts, but those would dwindle because Justin would become loyal to his new guy. At some point, he would have to cut ties with Aly and me.
I shook my head. That wasn’t going to happen. “We need to stop Harper from destroying Harper.”
Aly asked, “We need to protect him from himself?”
I looked sideways at her, seeing she was giving me the same look right back.
She added, “You thinking what I think you’re thinking?”
“Chances are high.”
A whole different resolution came over her. She lowered her head. Her eyes got serious. Her mouth went firm. “Let’s do this, whatever this is that we have to do.”
I finished, “We’re doing it.”
“Got it.”
She started forward, but I touched her arm. “Hold up.” We had four drinks still left untouched on the table. I took mine and drank it, handing Aly the rest of hers.
When ours were done, we eyed Justin and Harper’s.
“Normally I’m not about drinking what someone else started, but …”
I reached for Justin’s, giving Aly Harper’s. Both of theirs were basically untouched.
I said, “Booze is booze. It’s a cardinal rule in our group not to let good booze go to waste.”
“Exactly.”
After I drank Justin’s, Aly was back to eyeing me. She informed me, “Justin had them do two long islands together so…”
“What?!” Oh–no. Oh boy. No, no, no. That meant I just had like eight shots all mixed together. I forgot he could seriously drink. He had a tolerance level that I’d never witnessed before.
She started laughing. “You are going to be so drunk and soon.”
“Shit.” I covered my face. I had no idea how to handle this, what to do.
Aly started laughing, and I heard the snort at the end.
I groaned. Once the snort-Aly-laugh started, we’d both be rolling because that laugh of hers was infectious. Really infectious. She’d soon be sounding like a chuckling donkey. And soon enough, the haha got longer, louder and I was smiling, chuckling alongside her because the he-ahhhaaa-eee-haaa was emanating out of her body.
Goddamn.
“He-ahhhaaa-eee-haaa!”
I was laughing, and that made Aly get worse, louder. It was now “HA-AHHHHAAA-EEE-HAAA,” and the people around us were joining in.
“Oh my God!” Aly gasped between laughs, holding her stomach. “I can’t breathe HA-AHHHHAAA-EEEE-HAA!”
“I’ve never heard someone laugh like that,” a woman said, shaking her head as she went to her table, but she was smiling and as Aly kept doing her thing, her whole table was joining in.
She hit my hand, half bent over as she was still laughing and motioned for the door. “WE have to go–that way–” Another laugh came from her.
It was a whole out-of-body experience when these happened.
“Ha-ahhhhaaaa–eeee-haaa–HA-AHHHHAAAA–EEE–HAA!”
I was laughing too, but mine was more contained. I moved ahead of her, grabbing her hand. Our fingers laced as I dragged her behind me, and out the door where I assumed Justin and Harper would’ve gone. We got out, but the guys weren’t here. I’d taken her out the back door. People were at tables in the front and on the north side of the bar. They had a whole setup up there for everyone. I walked to the south side. That house was set back a little bit, with gravel traveling up the side of Manny’s and connecting to the parking lot. Spotting Corvette, I didn’t think Justin and Harper would’ve gone by them. I was on a mission before the booze really hit me and wading into whatever was going on between Shane and Aly’s new man wasn’t it.
“There.” Aly had settled down, her laughs more normal by now.
I looked where she was pointing. There was a driveway on the other side of that house, that was attached to a whole different road. I frowned, but saw two guys over there. They looked in an embrace.
“Wait. Maybe they made up?”
Aly’s hand squeezed mine. “Or doing way more than that?”
That didn’t seem like them, though. Justin looked heartbroken in the bar earlier. Those guys were hugging or something more. I doubted Justin and Harper would be at the hugging goodbye stage so soon.
I shared a look with her. “You think we should go make sure it’s in a good way or leave ’em alone?”
“Are you kidding me?” She gave me a dark look while still chuckling. “It’s Harper. We have to do this for him.”
I gave a nod right back to her. “You’re right. It’s Harper.”
We didn’t need to hold hands going over there, but I didn’t pull away and neither did she. Either the alcohol was kicking in or I was feeling some sentimentality about Aly. I was scared about what would happen after this mission was done? A part of me was trying to reassure myself that nothing would happen to Aly and me. Our friendship was solid. Had always been strong. But…
Yeah.
I didn’t want to think about it anymore.
We eased up, seeing the two guys move around the side of a shed.
Aly started forward, but I pulled her back. Frowning.
“What is it?”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure, Harper is shorter than Justin. Those two guys were equal height.”
“Oh, yeah. I noticed that too, but thought Justin was leaning down or something.”
This was dumb. There were bikers just on the other side of Manny’s. Nothing was going to happen with Shane so close by.
I led the way, saying, “Harper? You and Justin out–”
I took two steps, rounded the shed, and woosh! It went dark. Something was shoved over my head. “Hey–” A hand covered my mouth and before I could register what was happening and sink my teeth into that hand, it was replaced. I got half of a scream out before something was shoved into my mouth, and then I felt tape going around my entire head.
I began fighting, harder once my brain caught up to me.
I could see a little through whatever had been shoved over my head, but it was so dark.
Two guys were there, and just as I tried running, two arms wrapped around me and I was lifted off my feet. I was struggling, kicking and wiggling around.
“Jesus. Shit!”
“Shut up!”
“Get their phones.”
Hands were pushing into my pocket, searching. They pulled back out, and I heard a smashing sound soon after.
I didn’t recognize either voice, but they were males and I was being carried quickly into a vehicle. I registered what it was just as I was thrown inside. They had covered up the back lights and a second later, I felt a body land next to me. Aly’s groan identified her and I tried to reach out, grabbing her hand. I couldn’t find her hand, but her head was pressed into my chest. I rolled around, able to get the covering off of my head. I kept scooting around just in time to see two other guys had jumped out from the back of a van. One guy disappeared. The other reached for the door.
I was trying to roll my way out, but he saw me coming and laughed. He shook his head before slamming the door shut.
That’s when I realized they had tied my hands together too, and behind me.
Funny. I hadn’t even noticed that part.