Chapter 3
C hapter T hree
“What are you doing in here again?” Ronny asked the drunk from two days ago. This was Arden’s uncle, and Ronny had to admit that he hated the man on sight. There was something off about him that put Ronny on guard.
“This is a bar, and I want a drink,” he said, his words slurred and his eyes a little unfocused.
“I’m sorry, but you’re already visibly intoxicated, so I can’t serve you.” He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the man. “You can call someone to come get you and take you home.”
“I can walk,” he said before weaving a little on his feet. Ronny wasn’t sure of that, but he held the door and made sure he got out and down the street. There was no way in hell he was going to serve him anything to drink. Not only was it illegal, a fall-down drunk was the last thing he wanted at his bar.
“Was that my uncle?” Arden asked as he hurried from behind the bar.
“Yes, and he could barely walk,” Ronny told him. “He was heading home.”
“Can I make a phone call?” Arden asked.
Ronny nodded, and Arden went in the kitchen while Ronny took his place back behind the bar. He found himself glancing at the kitchen door every few seconds until Arden returned. Then the two of them manned the bar on what turned out to be a very busy evening.
“Is everything okay?” Ronny asked a while later.
“I called my aunt to let her know my uncle was on the way home and that he was drunk again.” He bit his lower lip. “I’m worried about her. But there’s nothing I can do. I know she hates that he’s drinking a lot….”
“Is he abusive?” Ronny asked.
“I’m sure he’s verbally hurtful. You saw him the other night. I’m glad he didn’t fight you tonight, but I thought he might. I’m sure he tears her down when he gets the chance, but I don’t know if he hits her. I have wondered, though.”
Ronny nodded. “It wouldn’t surprise me. He’s definitely the type. There’s so much anger and self-entitlement about him. What right does he have to assume that you should pay his bar tab. Really?” Ronny rolled his eyes and then hurried to the far end of the bar. He had plenty to do, and he really didn’t need to be getting involved in Arden’s personal life. He liked talking to him and all. Arden was a pretty interesting guy, but getting dragged into that kind of personal family stuff was something he knew he needed to step away from.
The bar was hopping for the entire night and well after midnight. And at one in the morning, more people came through the door. He had already closed down part of the seating, so what was open was packed, and his servers were being run off their feet. Arden helped him behind the bar and supported the servers, taking out food whenever he had a chance. By last call, the bar finally began to settle down, and he and Arden provided the final drinks of the night. Ronny settled tabs while Arden cleaned and finished stocking the coolers.
The kitchen had closed an hour ago, and the staff had cleaned up already and were on their way out by the time Ronny locked the door with a sigh. The room was quiet as the last tables were wiped down and the bar made ready for the following day.
“Are you hungry?” Ronny asked Arden. “I noticed that you didn’t get dinner.”
“I was too busy to stop and eat,” Arden said. “So I guess I forgot.”
“I can make him a sandwich,” Ned said. He worked in the kitchen and hadn’t quite left yet. “Give me five minutes.” He went into the back and brought Arden a to-go container. “This should give you something before you crash.” He hurried out, and Ronny finished up his nightly closing, locking all the receipts in the safe before closing up the building and starting toward his car.
“Do you need a ride home?” At some point it had started raining, and it was coming down steadily now. He knew that Arden walked and that he’d be soaked by the time he got home.
“It’s only a few blocks,” Arden said.
Ronny unlocked his car. “Get in before you’re completely soaked,” he said, and once Arden had slipped into the seat, he took off down the rain-slicked alley, heading west.
“I’m over on Chapel,” Arden offered, guiding Ronny to the tiny building on the alley. “That’s me,” he said, and Ronny pulled over to let him out. He watched Arden through the rain as he got out of the car and went through the garden gate. Once the lights came on, he pulled away, slowly. Halfway down the block, he noticed a flashing light in his rearview mirror. He stopped and turned as the light on the outside of Arden’s place flashed on and off and then on again. After a few seconds, it went off and came back on again.
Ronny backed up to Arden’s place and jumped out. He checked for a door outside the back fence, but there wasn’t one. Not sure what to do, he was about to get back in his car when the light flashed on and off once more. Figuring something had to be wrong, he went through the back gate and up to the door.
“I told you no,” Arden said, his voice tinged with worry and maybe a touch of panic. “Keep away from me. What are you doing?”
Ronny knocked on the door and heard scrambling from inside. Arden opened the door, his eyes filling with relief. “You saw, then…?” he said, glancing over to where his uncle stood near the sofa.
Ronny nodded. “Is everything okay?”
Arden shook his head. “My uncle was just leaving.” He turned back, and Ronny glared at him.
“Do I need to remind you that I own this,” his uncle threatened. “I can have you leave whenever I want.” What an asshole.
“So does his aunt… correct? And is he paying anything at all to stay here?” Ronny asked.
“I am.”
“Then you’re a renter, and you have rights. He can’t just throw you out, and he can’t just come in here whenever he wants,” Ronny said to Arden while glaring at his uncle. The whole situation made him wonder about Arden’s uncle’s intentions. “If he tries to just throw you out, I have lawyers and plenty of resources that you can fight him with.”
“And who do you think you are?”
“Someone who can put the word out and make sure you don’t get served at half the bars in town.” Ronny was well aware of the man’s reputation. He was not well thought of. “Now, I suggest you go and sleep off whatever it is you’ve been drinking.” He stepped back to make room.
“This isn’t over,” he slurred as he stepped past.
Ronny rolled his eyes. “Is that a threat? Because if it is, then Arden has a witness. If anything happens to him or you try to do anything to retaliate, I will speak up for him, and believe me, you’ll be the one who pays.” Most of what he said was posturing, but Arden’s uncle was in no position to think very clearly.
He stumbled through the yard and into the back door of the house, closing it much harder than was necessary.
“Are you okay?”
“I am now. I wasn’t sure what to do when I came in and found him waiting for me. The light switch is right inside the door, so I hoped I might be able to get your attention.” He sat down, and Ronny closed the door.
“Did he hurt you?”
Arden shook his head.
“But do you think he would?” Ronny hated the idea of that grubby man getting his hands on Arden.
“I don’t know. You scared him good, that’s for sure. But I don’t know what he thinks. He’s okay usually, but lately he’s been drinking a lot, and when he does that, he gets mean. I’m worried about my aunt, and he’s been making suggestions toward me.” He shivered, and Ronny wanted to take him in his arms, but he didn’t have the right.
“Do you think he’s really interested in you, or is it a power thing?” Ronny asked.
“Uncle Charlie is a bigot. My aunt is a kind lady. Why she married him is a mystery. She deserves someone better than him. As for what he wants, I have no idea. But I don’t want him in here.”
“Has anything been moved or taken?” Ronny asked.
“I don’t think so. He was sitting on the sofa and seemed to be waiting for me. I was so surprised.” He hurried to the coffee table and began putting the bottles in the recycling. “I didn’t have any beer in the house, so he must have brought his own and decided to drink it in my living area.” He shook slightly. “I hate the thought of him in here, but there’s only so much I can do.”
“But your aunt….”
“Is the only reason I’m still here. He would throw me out if he got the chance. He said as much to you. And as much as anyone can say anything to the contrary, I don’t really have a right to be here. I’m just a guest, and it would be hard to prove anything else.”
“So you have to put up with him coming in here whenever he wants and maybe taking advantage of you?” It was more than Ronny wanted to think about.
Arden shrugged. “I’m glad you were here tonight.”
“Okay. I’ll be going as long as you’re sure he isn’t going to cause any more trouble. But if I can make a suggestion. You might want to speak to your aunt and let her know what happened tonight. Let her know that you are in her corner. If she is being hurt in some way, then maybe an ally will help her. Most people in abusive relationships are trapped because they don’t think they have a way out. Let her know that you’ll help her.”
Arden nodded. “I want to try. She doesn’t deserve to be treated the way he does. I don’t think he’s always been this way. At least I hope not. I never liked Uncle Charlie. He was always a jerk. But I didn’t think he’d hurt anyone. Until now….” He shrugged. “Anyway, I appreciate you coming in to help me.”
Ronny knew that was his cue to leave. He said good night and heard Arden lock up from the inside. Then he left through the garden and got into his car. As he pulled away, he watched to make sure the lights outside didn’t flash, and once they stayed steady, he continued on home.
What he really needed was a dog, Ronny thought, and not for the first time, as he went inside the empty and dark house. The neighborhood had gone to bed a long time ago, and he always came home to absolute quiet. It would be great to arrive home to a little excitement. He wasn’t thinking of a big dog, probably a smaller one.
Not that he could actually have one, but it was a nice fantasy. A dog deserved more than someone who was home just to sleep and then went back to work. And it wasn’t like he could take a dog into work. The local health department would have a fit and a half. Though he did allow service dogs in The Gingerbread. It was the one exception allowed. But still, Ronny thought it would be nice to come home and not be alone.
Ronny turned on a single light in the stairwell so he could navigate his house and went right upstairs, turning the light off on the other side of the room. He knew the house like the back of his hand, and once he reached the bathroom, he turned on the hot water, stripped out of his work clothes, and stepped under the spray.
He groaned as the hot water hit him, washing away the smell of food, other people’s cologne, which clung to everything, and beer. He closed his eyes, and within seconds, Arden was with him, those eyes filled with pain and fear. Soon, though, they changed, growing darker and half lidded before Arden kissed him hard, pressing Ronny back against the tile. He was insistent and had so much energy.
Ronny hoped the fantasy lasted and did nothing to impede the image in front of him. He gasped as Arden wrapped his fingers around his straining cock, stroking him. The water bathed him in warmth as his fantasy of Arden added to the heat until Ronny couldn’t take it any longer. He tumbled over the edge into a release that left him panting. Once he opened his eyes, he reached for the soap to continue his shower, finishing quickly before turning off the water. Ronny dried himself and left the bathroom, going to his bedroom and climbing between the sheets. He could almost feel the ghost of Arden touching his skin as he drifted off to sleep, wishing that it hadn’t been only in his mind.
As always, he woke alone, only this time, thankfully, it wasn’t to a phone call. Still, he checked the clock and groaned. It was nearly ten, which meant he needed to get to work to get the place opened by eleven. Jumping out of bed, he hurried through his morning routine and bounded out the door. His yard needed tending, and tomorrow—his day off, thank God—he needed to spend part of it mowing his grass and weeding some of the beds. There was always more that needed to get done than he had time for.
When he arrived downtown, the sun was shining, the rain from the previous day a distant memory. He parked and strode to the main entrance, to find Arden huddled against the door. “What happened?”
“My uncle was outside the door this morning, trying to peer inside. I quietly slipped out of my bedroom window and down the trellis on the alley side of the house.”
Ronny shook his head. “This is getting ridiculous.” He unlocked the door, and Arden hurried inside, placing his bag on one of the bench seats by the door.
“I wasn’t sure where else to go, and I knew you would be coming soon to open up. I know I’m not scheduled until four, but at least I knew I’d be safe here.” He settled in the booth, pulling a book out of his bag. “I’ll stay out of the way. My uncle has to work today, so he should be gone pretty soon, and I’ll leave.”
This was more than a little frightening. Arden was staying away from where he was supposed to be living, waiting for his psycho uncle to go to work. Still, it wasn’t his place to get involved.
Ronny got the bar ready to open and unlocked the door at eleven, then checked on the kitchen staff of one. Melinda was ready as always, and he set up the bar for the first patrons who took their places. He glanced at Arden huddled in the seat, trying to make himself look small from behind his book. He reminded himself that this was none of his business, even though everything about it pinged that this was a dangerous situation that was only escalating. He just wished he knew what it was moving toward. Still, it couldn’t be good for Arden, no matter what.
Ronny got busy, and when he looked up to check on him, Arden and all his things were gone. He wasn’t sure what to think about that but continued working until it was nearly time for Arden to come in again.
“Everything all right?” he asked as Arden joined him behind the bar.
“Yeah. My uncle had left, so I was able to relax for a while. I left everything locked up from the inside, so he isn’t going to be able to get in, not unless he wants to break down his own door.” He grinned. “My aunt knows I’m working.”
Ronny grabbed two glasses to put them in the washer but paused. “I take it you haven’t talked to her.”
Arden shook his head. “I’m not sure what to say to her. I mean… how do I ask that sort of thing? She knew me when I was a baby, and now I’m supposed to sit down with her and ask if her husband is hurting her? How? And what if he isn’t and she doesn’t believe how my uncle is acting?”
Ronny could understand. Arden was in a delicate position. He had already been kicked out by the people who should have loved and supported him most. Now he was afraid it was going to happen again. “You do what you think is best.” The answer might have sounded like a bit of a cop-out, but Arden needed to be the one to make his own decisions, and Ronny needed to keep out of it.
“What sort of evening can we expect?” Arden asked.
“Make sure everything is full. We aren’t going to have the time to restock anything. There’s a game tonight, so the place is likely to be packed.” He checked the coolers and added more beers, filling all the empty spots. “Check the bar in back as well. You are going to be in charge of that one. We usually only open it on weekends because it gets so busy. It has a limited selection, so any orders that are more complicated will be routed up front. But make sure it’s full and ready for the onslaught.”
“I will,” Arden said, and hurried to the back.
Soon, Ronny was too busy to worry anything other than the orders that flooded in along with the people packing through the door. About eleven, he had a chance to check how business was doing and was shocked to find that the back bar had done a little more business than he had, which was strange, very strange. The front bar always did more because it had a wider selection.