looked Sammy up and down again, smirking, really turning up the heat. “I don’t have to leave you alone if you don’t want me to, though,” he said quietly, leaning closer, speaking just to her.
She turned bright red. Lockett was irresistible to the ladies when he wanted to be. He’d left his jacket behind in the next booth, baring his muscular, ink-stained arms. Something about the dark tattoos made droves of girls wild and he knew it.
“You don’t want to lose another girlfriend to thugs like us,” I said to Tyler, “So keep the fuck away.”
“Are you threatening me?” he demanded, his eyes bulging.
“Do you feel threatened?” Lockett asked the girl. The man positively smoldered. And I thought that I was the charming one .
“No,” she giggled, hiding her smile behind her hand. I secretly rejoiced that Tyler had brought her along.
“You leave Riley alone,” I said, “You leave us alone. And you stay far away from our fights. No problem, then, yeah?”
Lockett winked. The girl turned redder.
And the fight went out of Tyler. “Fine,” he said, “Deal. Get the fuck out of here. Assholes.”
We let him have the last word. Silently, Lockett and I rose. I tossed a few dollars on the table to pay for their coffees - just for that extra layer of jackass - then followed Lockett outside.
And I swear to God, Sammy leaned out of the booth and watched Lockett leave.
Finally. A victory.
Riley knocked the wind out of my sails pretty quickly, though. She broke away from Surly at the end of the block and charged at me.
I caught her fists as they flew at my chest. There wasn’t much force behind them. She wasn’t a violent girl. But I was too sore even for her playful battering.
“What the fuck, Mal?” she shrieked. “What did you do?”
“Everything’s fine,” Lockett assured her. “We just talked. Check out knuckles, see?” He held his fists out for her. “No blood. No bruises. No problem!”
“I said I would take care of it myself,” she said, wrenching out of my grin.
Lockett laughed and clapped me on the shoulder. “See you at home, buddy.”
“See you at practice,” Surly said, walking after him.
“Thanks guys,” I called at their backs, and they waved. The last thing they wanted to deal with was an upset girlfriend, especially one that wasn’t their own. I didn’t blame them for fleeing. Part of me wanted to take off with them.
I ushered her in the direction of the subway, though we walked slowly as she fumed. “I said I would deal with him. What’s wrong with you? You didn’t trust me?”
“I didn’t trust him.”
“It was my problem, Mal,” she huffed, “I told him off.”
“Did you?” I asked quietly. She didn’t reply. “It became my problem when he called the cops on my fight.” She couldn’t argue with that. It was simple truth.
I took her hand. “You took care of me, remember? So I took care of this for you. It’s what we’re supposed to do for each other.”
“I suppose this is what I should expect, dating a fighter,” she mumbled to herself.
“Promise me you didn’t hurt him,” she said after a minute. “Promise he’s not going to find some way to retaliate.”
“We didn’t hurt anybody,” I said, “Want to check my knuckles?”
Finally she laughed. It was a pathetic strangled sound, but she did.
She’d cool off and see it was for the best. I didn’t want to step in where she didn’t want me but it was time for that shit with Tyler to end. It was past time for him to be out of the picture, and frankly he was lucky that she’d been so adamant that I stay out of it. If she’d given me free reign from the start, who knew what poor choices I might have made.
“I have to get up really early tomorrow for practice,” I told her when we reached the train station. One train would take us to my place - the other
She turned bright red. Lockett was irresistible to the ladies when he wanted to be. He’d left his jacket behind in the next booth, baring his muscular, ink-stained arms. Something about the dark tattoos made droves of girls wild and he knew it.
“You don’t want to lose another girlfriend to thugs like us,” I said to Tyler, “So keep the fuck away.”
“Are you threatening me?” he demanded, his eyes bulging.
“Do you feel threatened?” Lockett asked the girl. The man positively smoldered. And I thought that I was the charming one .
“No,” she giggled, hiding her smile behind her hand. I secretly rejoiced that Tyler had brought her along.
“You leave Riley alone,” I said, “You leave us alone. And you stay far away from our fights. No problem, then, yeah?”
Lockett winked. The girl turned redder.
And the fight went out of Tyler. “Fine,” he said, “Deal. Get the fuck out of here. Assholes.”
We let him have the last word. Silently, Lockett and I rose. I tossed a few dollars on the table to pay for their coffees - just for that extra layer of jackass - then followed Lockett outside.
And I swear to God, Sammy leaned out of the booth and watched Lockett leave.
Finally. A victory.
Riley knocked the wind out of my sails pretty quickly, though. She broke away from Surly at the end of the block and charged at me.
I caught her fists as they flew at my chest. There wasn’t much force behind them. She wasn’t a violent girl. But I was too sore even for her playful battering.
“What the fuck, Mal?” she shrieked. “What did you do?”
“Everything’s fine,” Lockett assured her. “We just talked. Check out knuckles, see?” He held his fists out for her. “No blood. No bruises. No problem!”
“I said I would take care of it myself,” she said, wrenching out of my grin.
Lockett laughed and clapped me on the shoulder. “See you at home, buddy.”
“See you at practice,” Surly said, walking after him.
“Thanks guys,” I called at their backs, and they waved. The last thing they wanted to deal with was an upset girlfriend, especially one that wasn’t their own. I didn’t blame them for fleeing. Part of me wanted to take off with them.
I ushered her in the direction of the subway, though we walked slowly as she fumed. “I said I would deal with him. What’s wrong with you? You didn’t trust me?”
“I didn’t trust him.”
“It was my problem, Mal,” she huffed, “I told him off.”
“Did you?” I asked quietly. She didn’t reply. “It became my problem when he called the cops on my fight.” She couldn’t argue with that. It was simple truth.
I took her hand. “You took care of me, remember? So I took care of this for you. It’s what we’re supposed to do for each other.”
“I suppose this is what I should expect, dating a fighter,” she mumbled to herself.
“Promise me you didn’t hurt him,” she said after a minute. “Promise he’s not going to find some way to retaliate.”
“We didn’t hurt anybody,” I said, “Want to check my knuckles?”
Finally she laughed. It was a pathetic strangled sound, but she did.
She’d cool off and see it was for the best. I didn’t want to step in where she didn’t want me but it was time for that shit with Tyler to end. It was past time for him to be out of the picture, and frankly he was lucky that she’d been so adamant that I stay out of it. If she’d given me free reign from the start, who knew what poor choices I might have made.
“I have to get up really early tomorrow for practice,” I told her when we reached the train station. One train would take us to my place - the other
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