Chapter 1 #2
“I’m not the one who was begging for fresh meat,” I said, leaning against the table to enjoy the full effect of the slow flush of fury darkening his face. “You got what you asked for. Not my fault you can’t handle the result.”
“I want a rematch!”
“Pass!”
And to emphasize that point, I stalked back over to the rack and returned the cue before scanning the bar for an empty seat.
That fried calamari still seemed like a damned good idea.
Oh good, there was one clear on the other side of the room from the pool tables.
His forehead was furrowed, and his lips were peeled back in a sneer.
If it were possible for people to have steam come out of their ears, that’s exactly what would have happened; he was so pissed, and me being me, I winked at him as I strode past.
No way he was dumb enough to grab my arm, yet there were his fingers, squeezing tight and digging in. Growling, I reversed the hold, just to make him ease up on the pressure. Too bad he didn’t let go. Now we were just standing here like morons holding on to one another.
Fuck.
This was so not what I needed tonight.
“I’m a jellyfish, you idiot!” I growled.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
…first he screamed, then he tugged his arm free, blisters already forming on his skin as he groaned and doubled over, clutching his belly, on his way to a rapid meeting with the floor.
I took two steps back to avoid being kicked as he writhed and was glad I did when he ripped a fart and the back of his jeans began to darken.
I backed up more when the stench hit, and it started trickling down the leg of his jeans as a few people gasped, and some even covered their noses and started to move.
Uhhh…cleanup on aisle 3?
I could practically feel everyone’s eyes on me, and for once, that might actually be a good thing.
The pair in the booth to my left had seen him grab me, and a bunch of other people had too.
I hadn’t taken steps to defend myself and barely put in the effort to try and make him let go, though I could have.
My sweaty skin had done the job for me, thanks to the humidity in the room, and transferred my body's natural toxins to him.
Joy.
I hoped the EMTs were familiar with jellyfish stings because Nuno seemed to be particularly sensitive to them.
“What did you do to him?” one of the guys he’d come in with asked.
“Did you see me do anything to him?”
“No, but…” He gestured to his friend, then moved the hell away from him when Nuno let out another squelching fart.
“That should henceforth be viewed as a lesson in consent,” I declared.
“Specifically the part about not touching someone without their permission. Had he asked, I’d have warned him that it wouldn’t be a wise move.
I’m a jellyfish, so um, it might be a good idea for you to call an ambulance for your friend.
The thought of having to explain this to the authorities when they arrived suddenly made me feel queasy, or maybe it was just the stench.
Either way, I started to look around for a place to sit, along with others who were rapidly vacating the area, when one of the men who’d been watching me from their booth approached, hands held up in a sign that they weren’t intending to touch me.
“You look a bit unsteady,” he said. “Is it okay if I help you find someplace to sit down?”
“Did you not see what happened to the last person who touched me?” I asked, taking a slow, shambling step sideways to keep space between us.
“I did,” he replied, “but I’m a leatherback turtle, so I’m immune. Will you let me help you?”
I considered saying no until the room lurched and started going gray around the edges. Yeah, I really needed to sit down.
“I think you’d better,” I croaked, trying to fight through the panic that was threatening to overwhelm me.
Let’s just say that I didn’t have the best relationship with authority.
He didn’t tug when he took my arm; he just held me steady while I focused on breathing and working out the mechanics of putting one foot in front of the other.
The man who’d been with him waved from a corner booth.
He had to have been lucky or fast to snag it, so I headed that way with a lot of support from the man who walked beside me.
“Does it, umm, drain your energy when you poison someone that way?” my rescuer’s companion asked as I eased onto the bench seat across from him.
“No, but the impending encounter with the cops kind of dropped the floor out from under me.”
“In all fairness,” my rescuer declared as he slid in next to his friend, “he poisoned himself.”
“Thanks for that. I hope the cops agree,” I muttered as the bartender who’d served me earlier suddenly appeared beside the booth with a glass of water.
“You don’t have to worry about the authorities giving you grief over Nuno Bourassa,” the bartender said.
“He makes trouble every time he comes in. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve begged the owner to ban his ass for life, but for some reason he won’t do it.
I saw him grab you. Everyone did. When they get here, I’ll tell the cops exactly what happened, including the part about him badgering you into playing a game of pool with him in the first place.
They’ll probably laugh their asses off when they see what’s happened to him. ”
“He’s not wrong,” my rescuer said, grinning across the table at me. “It’s nice seeing karma smack a little reality into people. Him going out on a gurney is a rather befitting state for that asshole.”
“Have you had run-ins with him too?” I asked after a few slow, careful sips.
Hearing about Nuno’s reputation wasn’t shocking, and it did ease my concerns some, but nothing would erase them completely besides the cops telling me there would be no charges against me.
“Just about everyone here has,” my rescuer’s companion said. “Even the ones acting like his friends right now. I’m Lani, by the way, and this is Nyx.”
“Nice to meet you both, and thanks for letting me join you while I wait to see if I’ve earned a trip to the gallows.”
“Pretty sure those haven’t been used since 1947,” Lani said.
We were chuckling when the EMTs arrived, flanked by two stern-looking policewomen with their hair wrapped in intricately braided buns at the napes of their necks. They took one look at Nuno and locked gazes, the one on the left raising an eyebrow.
“Did anyone see what happened here?” the one on the right asked.
“Yeah,” the bartender said. “Nuno grabbed a jellyfish and got stung in the process.”
“Dropped like a ton of bricks,” another man said.
“Shit himself too,” a woman called from across the room. “Can you guys get him out of here? He’s stinking up the place.”
I could see the officers having to fight to maintain their composure as they gazed around the room.
“He got upset after I beat him in a game of pool,” I explained, leaning out of my seat and waving sheepishly so we could just get this over with. “He wanted a rematch and grabbed my arm when I declined. It’s warm in here, so I was a little sweaty when he touched me.”
“And poisoned himself in the process,” the one on the left said. “People really do need to learn how to keep their hands to themselves.”
“Thank you!” A lady in a red crop top called from the bar.
With Nuno still groaning, writhing, and clutching his belly, the EMTs were having a difficult time getting him loaded, especially with the mess he’d made in his pants.
I felt bad for whoever had to clean that gurney once they’d dropped him off.
It would probably take them awhile to get the stench out of the ambulance too.
Still, I doubted he’d think twice about grabbing someone else the way he had me.
Dickheads like that rarely learned. Was it wrong to hope he wouldn’t be at the jobsite on Monday?
“So, you haven’t given us your name,” Lani pointed out.
“Shit, sorry, it’s Kekoa.”
“Good to meet you, Kekoa,” Nyx said. “We overheard you say your folks were military. Which branch did they serve in?”
“Navy. Mom was at NAVCAMS, and Dad was at VQ-1.”
“My old man was at VQ-1, too,” Nyx said.
“Was this his last duty station?” I asked.
“No, second to last,” Nyx explained. “But my folks loved it so much here that as soon as my old man retired, they came back and bought a home. Been here ever since.”
“This was the first and last duty station for my folks,” Lani said. “My mom was a master-at-arms, and my old man was an aviator. They met here early in their careers and were fortunate enough to be transferred back before they retired. Guam is home to me.”
“My folks always intended to move back,” I explained. “But they passed away before they could. I jumped at the first opportunity I had to live out that dream for them since all of my earliest memories are of our lives here.”
“Ohh, so is this a permanent relocation sort of situation?” Nyx asked.
“Yup, got here three weeks ago, and I have to say that tonight has been one hell of a welcome home party.”
“We’ll have to throw you a better one,” Lani offered. “If you’re interested in bumming around the beach with a couple sea turtles.”
It only took me a few seconds to think about it. “I can’t think of a better way to spend my weekend.”
“The party starts at sunrise,” Lani said. “So you’d better catch some Zs tonight if you want to keep up.”
“Maybe I’ll just show up slow and sluggish and hope you’ll take me for a ride,” I blurted, blatantly flirting and enjoying every minute of it.
Lani leveled a challenging gaze across the table, lust blooming in his eyes, bright even beneath the dim light of the chandelier above our booth.
“Now that,” Lani growled, running the tip of his tongue over his upper lip, “can be arranged.”