Chapter 35
THIRTY-FIVE
Davis
I drum my fingers on my desk, shaking my head at my bright-fucking-pink, glittery, fingernails.
Sophia’s been so busy with her cosmo-whatever school that I hadn’t seen her in two weeks, so when she texted yesterday that she needed someone to practice on, I was at her place in minutes.
I didn’t bother to look at what she was painting onto my damn hands, and now they’re pink.
“Look at your pretty, pretty fingers,” Colt taunts, letting himself into the office.
“Hush up, old man,” I tell him. “Sophia didn’t have anyone to practice her shit on.”
“She did Rowan’s nails three days ago,” he says, roaring out a laugh. “Macie’s, too.”
“Great, and this shit won’t wash off.”
“I don’t think it works like that,” he shrugs. “At least you’ll look nice for the staff meeting.”
Meetings are the second most boring thing about this job, following all the goddamn paperwork. At least in a meeting, there are other people around and conversations to have, even if it’s about budgets or developments or the weekly fucking analysis.
Colt does most of the talking in these meetings; he’s more the face of the company than I am. Most people think I’m just some stupid party boy with nothing else to offer, so I like to wait until the end and give ‘em the old razzle dazzle, throwing out the numbers. I’m good with numbers.
After the way-too-damn-long meeting, Rowan slides up next to me with a pad of paper in her hand. “Take your lunch order?”
“Nah, thanks, darlin’,” I tell her. “I’m gonna grab something from that ramen place down the street.”
“Ooo, grab me a spring roll?” She asks. Her eyes drift down to my fingers and she lets out a giggle. “I like the nails, Davis. Pink is so your color.” She lifts her own hand up, showing me her nails. “I went with a nude, myself, but bold works for you.”
“Fuck off.”
I flick the side of her head and head back toward my office to grab my wallet, making my way out of the office and down the street toward the best fucking ramen shop I’ve found in the entire city.
I don’t mind walking there on days like this; it’s getting cooler out, but not enough that you need more than a light jacket to be comfortable, and it’s just a little brighter out during the afternoon than usual.
The trees are going different shades of orange and red, but they haven’t started to lose their leaves just yet.
“Davis!” One of the owners greets me with a wave as I walk in, lifting my sunglasses to rest on my head.
“Hey darlin’,” I say with a smile, nodding toward a picture on the counter in front of her.
“How’s Admiral Neptune holding up?” She loves that fucking cat.
Thing’s like twenty years old and looks like he’s been hung up to dry for the past five.
I thought she was gonna have an aneurysm when she told me he had to have his teeth taken out last month.
“He’s a brand new man, fully recovered,” she tells me. “Thank you again.”
I wave a hand to brush off her thanks. “I’m glad he’s doing better. You let me know if he needs anything, alright?”
With a smile and a pat to her arm, I work my way through the restaurant to grab a bowl of spicy tonkotsu to go, and a couple spring rolls for Rowan.
The walk back to the office is slower than the walk here, just because I want to spend a little more time out here, enjoying the weather.
It’s busier out here, now, with everyone heading out of buildings and trying to get somewhere to grab a quick lunch before they have to get back to their regularly scheduled corporate bullshit, and I can’t shake the feeling that I know the guy walking not more than fifteen feet ahead of me. It’s just the back of his head, but...
I lift my sunglasses, like there’s a chance they’re fucking with my vision, but nope. I studied that stubby little fucker. It’s him, there’s no doubt in my mind about it.
Sophia didn’t have to tell me it was him that night; I’m sure we’ve passed a good handful of Envy’s regular customers when we’ve gone out, and she’s never had that kind of reaction to any other person around us. It was him.
I let go of the bag of food in my hand, letting it drop to the concrete beneath me, and I pull my phone from my pocket to dial a number, bringing the phone to my ear while I follow Lenny’s shiny, silver head.
“This is Colt Fowler,” my best friend’s voice spills from the speaker in his best customer service voice.
“Call Alec and the lawyers,” I tell him. “I’m on Bradview and I’m about to get arrested.”
“Davis, wh—”
I hang up the call, cutting him off, and I slip my phone back into my pocket while I pick up my speed, staying less than four feet behind Lenny. I unbutton my suit jacket, pulling my arms from the sleeves, and I drop it onto the ground while I trail after him.
All I can think about is the way Sophia looked when she saw him sitting there in that restaurant; her usually confident body shrinking down into her chair, the way she picked at her plate and couldn’t look me in the eye.
She tried to laugh it off when she told me about someone at fucking Envy being first, but I saw right through that bullshit display.
I picture his slimy fucking hands touching her skin and the way she probably cringed every time he fucking breathed on her.
She might not be the kind of girl who needed it to be some big special production, but no one’s picking this guy as the first person they fuck.
She didn’t give him something that night; he stole it from her.
I unbutton the cuffs of my shirt, rolling the sleeves up to my elbows for a better range of motion, and my fists ball at my sides.
I wonder if she told him no - probably.
I wonder if he listened – probably not.
I wasn’t there that night or any of the nights after, and he’s lucky for that, but I didn’t need to be there to know the things he must have done to her over the years for her to react to him the way she did.
I’m a creative guy, and she’s not easy to shake.
My blood fires through my veins at warp-fuckin’-speed, red hot, while I get up to just a couple inches behind him.
“Hey, Lenny!” I shout with a kick to the back of his knee that sends him forward.
He stumbles, almost falling over onto his face, but he uses his arms to get his balance back and turns to face me. “What in the— I know you.”
“Sure fuckin’ do.”
My fist connects hard with his jaw, and he’s lights out before he even hits the ground. I kneel over his body, anyway, pounding my fists against his ugly fucking mug with a knee pressed hard against his chest.
Left. Right. Left. Right. Right. Right.
My forty-five is held securely in the holster that rests in the waistband of my slacks, and I could easily just pull it out and blow his brains onto the sidewalk, but I don’t. I want to feel his bones break under my fists.
Hell, I think I need to.
Even unconscious, he lets out a groan every now and again that lets me know he can still feel everything I’m doing to him.
Good.
People start to scream around us as I grab onto the collar of his shirt, lifting him up, and I slam his head backward into the ground.
I hold onto him with my left hand and the fist of my right slips on the blood spilling out of his face, making it splash up onto my own with every punch I land. But I don’t give a shit.
Images of his hands on Sophia’s body flood every corner of my mind; his and every other motherfucker that touched her when she didn’t want them to.
I can hear the sound of her crying when she told me about all the times she wanted to use her fucking safe word, and only in the time since we met, because no one even told her safe words fucking existed before then.
I can barely make out the sound of a voice yelling ‘shit shit shit shit!’ from behind me, seconds before someone tries to shove me off the guy. “Jesus, Davis, shit,” Colt pants, trying to force my arms back. I think he ran here from the office. “You’re going to kill the guy!”
“Yeah. I fucking am.” My fist lands against Lenny’s face again with a crack, sending more of his blood in my direction.
“Stop!” Using his body as a barrier, he shoves mine away from Lenny, who is still unconscious on the ground, bleeding and already swollen enough that his face is damn near unrecognizable. My leg swings out to whack him in the ribs with a booted foot. “You got him, alright? He’s down.”
I smile down at Lenny’s limp body, letting a little chuckle escape between heavy breaths, while Colt holds me in place so I don’t go back in at him.
“Fucker.” I rear back and spit at the ground next to Lenny, then look at my bloodied hands and the bright-fucking-pink nails on my fingers with a laugh as the sounds of approaching sirens flood the street.
·
I bounce the back of my head against the smooth wall with rhythmic thumps, resting my outstretched arms over my knees.
I’m not a stranger to these cells, but there’s usually someone in here to chat with for an hour or two at least. I’ve left here with new friends a couple times before, it’s not unheard of.
It’s surprisingly empty in the middle of the damn day, so all I can do is sit here on the cold cement floor, humming to fill the silence while I wait for Colt and the guys to come through.
My hands are sticky with the mix of Lenny’s blood and my own dried onto them; I must have sliced a knuckle open on one of his teeth or something and not realized it until after the adrenaline wore off.
Lenny’s unfortunately still alive – his face’ll never be the same, though.
Colt did his good-guy thing and called for an ambulance while I was loaded into the back of the cop car, promising me he’ll meet me here with some help.
I’m not worried about it; Alec is still owed his birthday gift for this year, and he’s helped with worse than this before. I’ll be home with enough time to order supper.
It’s another three hours before Colt and Alec walk through the door together, their conversation stopping as they enter. “She told me that she would slash the tires on the Bentley if I didn’t let her come with,” Colt tells me. “I believed her.”
Sophia steps out from behind him with her arms crossed over her chest and wearing a scowl on her face.
It doesn’t last long, though. Her eyes scan over me for a second, taking in the blood that I still haven’t gotten to wash off of my hands or face yet, and the rest of it splattered on my shirt, and her features go soft.
I throw her my best playful wink while I pull myself from the ground to a standing position, leaning against the wall of the cell.
“Can you just get him out of there already?” She barks, shoving Alec forward with every ounce of strength in her little body.
She looks almost panicked.
He fumbles with his keys for a minute before landing on the right one, finally slipping it into the lock and sliding the metal door open.
I wait until the door is fully open before moving from the back of the cell and into the space where my friends are waiting, and Sophia grabs onto my shirt, pulling me close to her.
“Are you okay?” She’s on the tips of her toes, keeping her voice quiet.
“I’m fine, Sugar. Promise.”
She rounds on Alec, slapping a hand down against his chest hard enough that it surprises even me, and Colt meets my eyes with a furrowed brow. “Don’t ever let him get locked in that cage again. I swear to god, I’ll—”
“Not threaten police officers,” I laugh, pulling her into my chest. Her arms wrap so tight around my middle, I think she might be trying to squeeze me to death. I throw Colt a grateful nod, telling him, “Thanks for the rescue, rat bastard.”
“Thanks for calling me first, asshole.”