Chapter 33
33
ASHER
“A long black and a chai latte, please,” I said to Eden as I waited behind the counter at Taste of Destiny on Monday morning.
She grinned. “Funny, that’s Summer’s favorite drink.”
I leveled her with a look. “You’re fishing.”
Her mischievous smile only widened. “Am I catching anything?”
I rolled my eyes. Nosy women would be the death of me. “Yes, I’m taking a coffee to Summer.”
“Good.” She sounded smug.
I paid and stood aside while she passed my order to the barista and greeted the person behind me. The line was out the door this morning, but that was hardly surprising when this was the only place to get a decent hot drink in town. The service station offered coffee, but it was out of a basic machine and even I knew enough to realize it was bad.
The barista passed my two coffees in biodegradable takeout cups, and I took them and headed outside. I shivered as I stepped into the cold hair. It had frosted this morning; I could see my breath fog in the air. The sidewalk was slippery, so I had to be careful as I made my way toward the veterinary clinic.
I was half a block away when a male figure stepped in front of me. I stopped abruptly, almost spilling my drinks to avoid crashing into him.
“James,” I said, startled by his scruffy appearance. He’d never been a snappy dresser, but now his eyes were red-rimmed with dark circles underneath and it didn’t look like he’d washed his jacket in several days, during which time he’d spilled plenty of shit down the front of it.
James pointed his finger at me. “You told Tia I was fucking around on her, didn’t you?”
I straightened my back. The way he was staring me down was obviously intended to intimidate.
“I haven’t seen Tia in weeks,” I said truthfully.
“You called her then,” he said. “Or messaged her. I know it was you. You and Maia are the only ones we told how it happened, and she had the fucking decency to mind her own business.”
I snorted. “Do you really think the other guys there didn’t hear what happened? You know as well as me that gossip spreads like wildfire around here. Besides, you did fuck around on her.”
“You haven’t denied it.” He squared up to me, drawing himself to his full height—perhaps an inch or so taller than I was.
“Listen,” I said quietly, hoping to defuse the situation, “all I did was suggest she look into what happened more closely herself.” I stood by the fact Tia needed to know the truth, but I was beginning to think I might have made the wrong judgement call in contacting her myself.
He jabbed his finger forward again, stabbing me in the chest with the tip. “We would have been fine if she hadn’t questioned what I told her.”
“Would you have?” I asked. “What’s your definition of ‘fine’? Because to me, it seems like if you were ‘fine’, you wouldn’t have stuck your dick into someone else.”
His face reddened dangerously, and his mouth moved, but no sounds came out. For a moment I feared I’d end up having to use my paramedic training to save this douchebag from a heart attack.
“You just want Tia for yourself,” he blustered.
I laughed. Sure, Tia was a lovely woman, but I’d never been the slightest bit interested in her. James didn’t like that though. His eyes narrowed, his fist drew back, and before I had the chance to react, his knuckles smashed into my face.
Pain tore through my nose, and my mouth filled with thick blood, the metallic tang overwhelming my senses. I stumbled backward, dropping the coffees. One of them splashed down my leg, scalding me, and I cursed.
I straightened and blinked at James, just in time to see his fist swinging at me again. I lunged to the side, gasping as his hand skimmed past my cheek.
“Fight back, you coward,” he growled.
I shook my head, wincing when my brain sloshed around inside my skull. Fuck. I might have a concussion. I spat out a mouthful of blood and circled around, trying to keep my distance from him. I could throw a decent punch if needed, but any fight I engaged in would look bad on my permanent record.
Shit. I’d definitely fucked up by spilling the beans to Tia. I was off my game lately.
“I’m walking away now,” I told him, my tongue tripping over the words. “You should do the same.”
I started to back away. People had emerged from Taste of Destiny, and I had to hope their presence would defuse the situation.
“Fuck you.”
He charged at me. He was so big, it was impossible to avoid him, so I pivoted so my shoulder was the only thing he struck as he rocketed past me. He turned around and rushed me again. I was tempted to try to trip him, but if he hit the pavement, he might be injured.
If you don’t do anything, you might get injured.
“Whoa,” a familiar voice exclaimed.
Liam.
James spun toward him. “You,” he sneered. “You’re probably in on it too.”
He lunged at Liam, but Keith and Trev, two of Eugene’s friends, grabbed him by the shoulders and restrained him.
“Calm down,” Keith said.
James tried to jerk free of their hold. “Let me go. These assholes are the reason Tia left me.”
“You did that all by yourself,” I told him coolly.Even if I was having second thoughts about the role I’d played in this drama, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that.
Sirens shrieked down the block and lights flashed as a pair of police cruisers turned onto the street and parked nearby.
“Who called the cops?” James demanded, his expression beginning to pale.
Fuck, this was such a mess.