36. Chapter 35
Chapter 35
As we made our way back to the hotel from the airport, Scuba shouted, "Who's up for sushi tonight?"
Sushi was one of my favorite foods, and I could use some sake right about now. Besides, going out would prevent me from worrying about Natalie all night long. I said, "I'm in."
I looked at Carter. He'd been missing too many nights out with the fellas since he'd been on the phone with Siobhan. His head was ducked into his phone, so I decided to have a little fun. "Cartes, didn't you say you were paying for dinner tonight?"
"Yeah. Yeah," he said out of instinct. Then his head popped up from his phone and squinted at me. "Wait one damn moment. I never said that."
We all started laughing. While I probably would have let Carter out of not paying for everyone, Scuba had other ideas. "Too late now. We all agreed."
He looked around for anyone to back him up. I was tempted to back up Scuba, but Carter was my best friend. It was already a dick move to volunteer him to buy the meal for almost everyone. Although if he went out, he would at least buy the rookie's meal.
I put my hands up and said, "It's up to him."
"Fine, fine, but if anyone picks up their phone before the check comes, they are the ones buying."
We all chuckled, and then Spencer2.0 said, "That only applies once we get to the table.”
At least now that he was dating some soap star, that rule hadn't gone away.
It didn't take long for us to coordinate the Ubers to take us to that sushi joint that Scuba picked out for us.
Scuba knew a good sushi place. It was on par with a Nobu, but it was just a hole in a wall. Part of me wanted to know how he found this place in Raleigh. Then again, Raleigh never had the same amount of willing puck bunnies as other cities. Maybe he explored the town.
As I ate the last of my sashimi, my phone rang.
Most of the guys probably thought that I was some asshole who didn't silence my phone. But that wasn't the case at all. I wanted to make sure if Eric or Natalie called, I could pick up easily.
As I went to silence the phone, I saw it was Eric. There went a couple hundred dollars, so I dug out my wallet as I answered. "What's going on?"
I threw my credit card on the table and walked away so I could find out what was wrong.
"Mr. Spencer, I'm worried that my dad is going to hurt Miss Natalie or my mom."
I formed a fist. It was one of those tight ones where my fingers dug into my palm. If I wasn't thousands of miles away, I would be dashing in for a fight.
Why did that fucker always want to hurt Natalie and when I was out of town?
Oh right, it was because he was a fucking coward and too afraid to go man-on-man with a real fighter. Instead, he picked on women and children. Although now he'd made a real mistake by threatening someone I loved.
"What do you think he's going to do?"
I just hoped there was time for me to do something.
"I don't know. But he's so angry, and I think he's planning something."
Well, at least the threat wasn't imminent. I had a chance to get back or at least arrange some security.
"Okay. Where is he, and what have you heard?"
"He's busy with my mom. He won't look for me for another twenty minutes, and I'm doing that trick you taught me. I'm being really quiet."
I smiled. While I hated that a kid needed to learn how to be super quiet, teaching him to create his own safe space and using the clothes in his closet to help muffle his voice.
“Is your mom safe right now?”
I could at least call the police if he was beating her.
"Yeah, they are trying to make a baby. He keeps saying he's going to get that bad word, but I don't know what he wants to do. Just that he wants to try to do it."
There was that innocence with Eric that he’d still somehow kept. I admired him since, when I was his age I was already angry and would use the same words as my father.
So it was just threats.
"Thank you for telling me. I'll make sure someone is watching Miss Natalie at all times. If you and your mom need to get out, I'm just a call away. Please be careful."
"I will. I miss you and hockey."
Ever since then, Eric hadn’t been allowed to play hockey.
"I miss you too, bud. Thank you for warning me. But let me make a few calls so I can do something to protect Miss Natalie. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can do anything for your mom unless she's ready to leave."
"I know. She says she's almost ready but not quite."
I cut the line and punched the wall. Afterward, my hand stung from bouncing off the cement, but it was what I needed.
I hated being so damn far from Natalie. There she was, so afraid to be on her own, and now I had to tell her that there was another threat against her.
Before I could call Natalie, Carter came out of the sushi place. He had my credit card in hand. He handed it to me and asked, "Everything okay?"
I shrugged. I stuffed the card into the trifold and looked at the phone. "Eric called."
"I thought you cut off communication with the kid."
"I did, but he still has my number for emergencies. Tonight, he used it."
Carter folded his arms, but his face softened. He leaned against the wall. "That's not good. What are you going to do from here?"
"Call Natalie first, and then, as long as she agrees, hire a bodyguard or two."
That caught his attention, and he said, "Fuck. What is it now?"
"Honestly, I think it's the ravings of an angry man who likes to control women. But you never know. A scared six-year-old who thought to call me to say that he’s afraid his dad will hurt Natalie, and I can’t ignore him completely."