asked, dumbfounded.
“Somewhere in Tennessee, along with Brother Jack,” Rick put in helpfully.
“Alyssa, how much did you drink?” Xavier looked shocked.
“Doesn’t matter,” Alyssa said, waving her hand in dismissal. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I just said, you know?”
“What?”
“What I just said,” Alyssa repeated, as though she was dealing with the stupidest man on Earth. “That you betrayed me. That it was your fault. It wasn’t. It was my fault.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I should’ve realized you were lying to me.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Xavier muttered, so ferociously that Alyssa actually drew back.
“Don’t be mad,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
Xavier let out a long-suffering sigh. “I’m not mad, Aly. All right? I’m not mad. Now let me take you home, please.”
“I don’t want to go home with you,” Alyssa said. She was sorry she had hurt and was hurting him, but she was still furious with him enough to know that she didn’t want to spend the night with him and that she didn’t want him to rescue her.
“How about me?” Lynn interjected. “Would you come home with me?”
Alyssa squinted suspiciously at her. “I don’t know,” she said. “Are you leaving me with him afterwards?”
Lynn chuckled. “No, Lyssa, I’m not leaving you with him. You’re spending the night at my place. Sound good?”
Alyssa hesitated. “I don’t want to put you out.”
“Nonsense. It’ll be like a sleepover.”
Alyssa beamed. Now that sounded good. “I’d like that,” she finally said.
“All right, we have a winner,” Rick said, grinning from ear to ear.
Xavier glared at him. “You’re not helping.”
“I think I’ve helped plenty.”
“I think you let her get drunk.”
Rick shrugged. “She’s an adult. She has a right to get wasted if she wants to. Besides, something tells me it’s not something she does very often.”
Xavier grunted. “Whatever. Let’s get out of here.”
“I said—”
“All right!” Xavier snapped, cutting off Alyssa’s protest. “I get it! Geez. I’ll stay here until you’re gone, okay?”
Alyssa watched him warily. She tried to pull herself up straight and assume a dignified look. “I’d appreciate that. Thank you!”
“You’re welcome,” Xavier said, and in spite of the situation, he was grinning.
Alyssa let Lynn haul her off the stool. She stumbled and would have fallen had her friend not promptly caught her.
Alyssa gave her a grateful smile. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.
“You’re welcome, Lyssa,” Lynn said, and she was smirking too. “Now come on, off to bed with you. You’re going to be nursing one hell of a hangover tomorrow.”
Alyssa let herself be half-carried and half-dragged out. Next thing she knew, she was in the passenger seat of Lynn’s car and they were speeding off.
“What got into you, Lyssa?” Lynn asked curiously.
Alyssa shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “I just felt like getting drunk.”
“For no reason?”
Alyssa frowned. “Didn’t Xavier tell you?”
Lynn shot her a quick glance before turning her attention back on the road. “Tell me what?”
“He’s going to get himself killed for me. And for himself, Rick says.”
“What?” Lynn appeared to be utterly confused, which was more than understandable given the circumstances. “What are you talking about?”
“He’s made a deal with Bennie Lenday that if he fights one last fight he’ll let him and Rick go.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” Lynn ventured carefully. “I mean, what’s one more fight after eight years of competing in the rings?”
“He’s fighting against this guy…” Alyssa scowled, realizing that she didn’t know the name of the man who would probably kill her one true love (both literally
“Somewhere in Tennessee, along with Brother Jack,” Rick put in helpfully.
“Alyssa, how much did you drink?” Xavier looked shocked.
“Doesn’t matter,” Alyssa said, waving her hand in dismissal. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I just said, you know?”
“What?”
“What I just said,” Alyssa repeated, as though she was dealing with the stupidest man on Earth. “That you betrayed me. That it was your fault. It wasn’t. It was my fault.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I should’ve realized you were lying to me.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Xavier muttered, so ferociously that Alyssa actually drew back.
“Don’t be mad,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
Xavier let out a long-suffering sigh. “I’m not mad, Aly. All right? I’m not mad. Now let me take you home, please.”
“I don’t want to go home with you,” Alyssa said. She was sorry she had hurt and was hurting him, but she was still furious with him enough to know that she didn’t want to spend the night with him and that she didn’t want him to rescue her.
“How about me?” Lynn interjected. “Would you come home with me?”
Alyssa squinted suspiciously at her. “I don’t know,” she said. “Are you leaving me with him afterwards?”
Lynn chuckled. “No, Lyssa, I’m not leaving you with him. You’re spending the night at my place. Sound good?”
Alyssa hesitated. “I don’t want to put you out.”
“Nonsense. It’ll be like a sleepover.”
Alyssa beamed. Now that sounded good. “I’d like that,” she finally said.
“All right, we have a winner,” Rick said, grinning from ear to ear.
Xavier glared at him. “You’re not helping.”
“I think I’ve helped plenty.”
“I think you let her get drunk.”
Rick shrugged. “She’s an adult. She has a right to get wasted if she wants to. Besides, something tells me it’s not something she does very often.”
Xavier grunted. “Whatever. Let’s get out of here.”
“I said—”
“All right!” Xavier snapped, cutting off Alyssa’s protest. “I get it! Geez. I’ll stay here until you’re gone, okay?”
Alyssa watched him warily. She tried to pull herself up straight and assume a dignified look. “I’d appreciate that. Thank you!”
“You’re welcome,” Xavier said, and in spite of the situation, he was grinning.
Alyssa let Lynn haul her off the stool. She stumbled and would have fallen had her friend not promptly caught her.
Alyssa gave her a grateful smile. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.
“You’re welcome, Lyssa,” Lynn said, and she was smirking too. “Now come on, off to bed with you. You’re going to be nursing one hell of a hangover tomorrow.”
Alyssa let herself be half-carried and half-dragged out. Next thing she knew, she was in the passenger seat of Lynn’s car and they were speeding off.
“What got into you, Lyssa?” Lynn asked curiously.
Alyssa shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “I just felt like getting drunk.”
“For no reason?”
Alyssa frowned. “Didn’t Xavier tell you?”
Lynn shot her a quick glance before turning her attention back on the road. “Tell me what?”
“He’s going to get himself killed for me. And for himself, Rick says.”
“What?” Lynn appeared to be utterly confused, which was more than understandable given the circumstances. “What are you talking about?”
“He’s made a deal with Bennie Lenday that if he fights one last fight he’ll let him and Rick go.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” Lynn ventured carefully. “I mean, what’s one more fight after eight years of competing in the rings?”
“He’s fighting against this guy…” Alyssa scowled, realizing that she didn’t know the name of the man who would probably kill her one true love (both literally
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