Across the Creek (9 page)

Kevin looked her into her eyes, placed a hand on her cheek and said, “When you say
I do
, that will be payment enough.”

Jesse

Jesse went back to his place in the kitchen next to Rachael. She lifted her bottle of beer and drew in a long drink. “Missed ya, buddy.”

Jesse just nodded.

“He makes quite an entrance, doesn’t he?”

Rachael was certainly right; most of the people in the room gazed at Kevin. A swarm had gathered around him like groupies to a rock star.

Jesse’s curiosity grew. He stood on his toes, trying to get a good look at the man Sarah had chosen, but there were too many people circling him.

Then, like reporters and paparazzi making way for the movie star down the red carpet, they gave Kevin space to move and greet his fans. With a confident walk, he made his rounds, shaking hands and flashing his million dollar smile. He carried himself as if he were ten feet tall. His perfectly white teeth flashed like a shiny sheriff’s badge. He could have been a bank manager on Wall Street, driving a Mercedes and buying everyone a round at the bar, with those looks. The type of man that girls loved and guys loved to hate. Good at everything without trying. Perfect gelled hair and an immaculately pressed Armani suit. The man of the hour.

Still, he didn’t seem like Sarah’s type. But then again, maybe he was. Ten years was a long time. People can change a lot in a decade. But Sarah?

Jesse heard a disturbing sound coming from Rachael, who was now hovering above the sink with greenish pale skin. “Are you okay?”

She nodded.

“And here’s my old friend, Jesse,” Sarah said. Jesse turned to see Sarah talking to Kevin as she approached.

“Happy birthday,” Jesse said, offering his hand.

“Thank you,” Kevin said, planting his hand firmly into Jesse’s. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” His hand squeezed tighter and tighter as he held on. Jesse knew the drill. Nothing like a firm handshake to establish your position as the alpha male, especially when in the presence of someone as beautiful as Sarah. But Kevin’s sweaty palm told him another story—one of nervousness.

“Is that so?” Jesse responded, breaking the handshake.

“Sarah says that you two were childhood friends.” Once again he flashed that smile. Up close his teeth were as white as snow, like they had been cleaned with a power washer. “She’s quite a girl.”

“Yes, she is.” Tension filled the space between them. He sensed Kevin’s eyes on him like a dog establishing his territory. “I’ve only recently had a chance to catch up with her, but some things never change.”

“So what do you do?”

“I work at a family pet shop in Old Town.”

“And he also has one semester left for his degree,” Sarah chimed in.

“Interesting.”

“What are you majoring in?”

Another disgusting sound came from Rachael.

“Are you okay?” Sarah asked, making her way over to her.

Rachael just shook her head.

“Looks like someone has had too much fun tonight.” Sarah pulled Rachael’s hair back. “I need to get her to the bathroom. Will you excuse me?”

“Of course, dear.” Kevin made way for the two to pass.

Rachael said to Jesse, “I’ll be right back.”

The surprise birthday party was taking on the life of a fraternity celebration, combining the smell of alcohol, testosterone as thick as Los Angeles smog, and the sound of drunken laughter.

They watched as Sarah ushered Rachael safely through the crowed.

“Architecture.”

“Excuse me?” Kevin’s eyes seemed to turn two shades colder.

“You had asked what I was majoring in. It’s architecture. Mainly commercial, big building type of—”

“Interesting,” Kevin said, not sounding interested at all. His nice guy smile had vanished, leaving him with an ice-man stare.

Not sure how to take him, Jesse said, “It’s really not that interesting.”

“That’s what I was insinuating.” Kevin’s smile returned, but different than before. Instead he bore his teeth like a dog about to bite.

Taken aback, Jesse looked around to see if cameras were hiding behind a couch or a plant or something, waiting for someone to jump out and tell him that he had just been Punk’d. “Excuse me?”

Kevin leaned into Jesse and whispered, “What are you
really
doing here?”

The laughter of the crowd began to recede. The temperature in the room dropped about twenty degrees, while the temperature within Jesse rose about fifty. “Sarah invited me. Why? Is there a problem?”

“That’s what I’m trying to establish here. I mean, you and Sarah don’t seem to have much in common. You haven’t seen her in years and then out of nowhere you show up. And just before we’re about to get married.” Kevin scanned Jesse from head to toe with a judgmental look. “And let’s face it, you’re not exactly her caliber.”

“You don’t know anything about me.” Jesse knew where this was heading and knew that this wasn’t the time or place for this. He turned to walk away.

“That’s where you’re wrong. I do know about you. Your family’s poor and they have a thing for knives.” Like hitting the pause button on a remote control, Jesse stopped and then turned back around. Kevin flashed a cocky smile. “Am I getting close,
Malone
?”

Jesse looked around at everyone at the party. No one seemed to notice the heat building between them or the smoke rising from Jesse’s head. Tension from his jaw flowed down to his hand, turning it into an iron fist. He reminded himself that this wasn’t the time or place for this, even if the jerk deserved a smack.

Eyes narrowed with hate, Jesse repeated, “Like I said, you don’t know the first thing about me or my family.” He turned to walk away, but Kevin placed his hand on his shoulder.

“From what I’ve heard, there isn’t much left of your family. Especially after your father killed your mother and then your brother killed him. Sounds like a well-adjusted family if you ask me.”

The walls closed in. Sound had completely vanished and the only thing real in the world was Jesse’s ever increasing rage. Every muscle in his body tensed as he imagined his fist knocking each of Kevin’s perfect teeth out of his mouth.

“So what happened, man? Were you raised by wolves after you killed your parents?”

With those few words, the bomb within Jesse exploded. His fist fell like a guillotine plummeting to the ground, connecting squarely to Kevin’s jaw, sending him back a few steps. Fiery blood filled his veins while adrenaline fueled his muscles. He let out a battle cry as he dove into Kevin, sending them both over the couch. The switch had been flipped and there was no going back now. Jesse fired one fist, then another and another, pulverizing the smug bastard into oblivion.

Jesse felt hands grabbing at his arms, stopping the beating, pulling him off, but he broke free, returning to his position above Kevin, sending another blow to his perfect face. The hands grabbed his arms again, this time lifting him from Kevin’s still body. Jesse looked around and for the first time heard the yells of others at the party as they tried to control the situation. He tried to break loose, but they were too large, too strong.

Kevin stood up, rubbing his jaw. He ran a hand over his greasy yuppie hair, trying to put it back in its place. “You just messed up, boy,” he said just before sending a hard right punch into Jesse’s stomach.

The air left Jesse’s body like a popped balloon and sharp pain filled his ribs. Kevin’s buddies let go, dropping Jesse to his knees while he clutched his side and gasped for oxygen. He tried sucking in air, but none came. Panic set in as he rolled to his side, gasping for the tiniest amount of oxygen. Kevin sent his right foot into his ribs, finishing them off.

“Stop it!” Sarah yelled.

“This guy’s trouble, Sarah!” Kevin said, looking down at Jesse.

“Leave him alone!” She pushed Kevin’s friends away and then got into Kevin’s face, pushing his chest. Kevin took a step back.

Sarah fell to her knees beside Jesse and whispered, “Jesse, are you okay?”

Jesse gasped for air. After the suffocating feeling had left him, he stood up and pushed his way out of the apartment.

“Jesse!”

He threw the front door open and quickly stumbled down the two flights of stairs. By the time he reached his truck, he had full use of his lungs again and humiliation had replaced anger. All he wanted to do now was disappear.

Jesse felt a hand grab his shoulder and pull him around. “What the hell happened in there?”

Jesse held up a fist, ready to fire. Then he saw her clear blue eyes, now streaming tears down her cheeks, and lowered his fist.

What was the point in explaining? She’d never take his side over her pompous boyfriend. Pressing his hand into his ribs, he flung open his truck door, nearly causing it to snap back shut.

“What happened in there?” she repeated.

“Your boyfriend’s a classy guy.” Jesse climbed into his truck.

“My
fiancé
is a good man. There must have been some sort of a misunderstanding.”

“There was no misunderstanding. He’s a piece of shit, plain and simple.”

“Do you know what I saw?”

Jesse remained silent.

“That look in your eye. The violence.” Sarah paused and crossed her arms.

“What are you trying to say?’

“You looked like some sort of a monster in there.”

A monster. The same name he had called his father. Jesse looked down and drew in a few deep breaths. His shoulders sank. That was the first time anyone had compared him to his dad. But she was right. He was quick to temper, just like Rex. The one fear that had kept him up late each night had come true. The apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree. The same evil blood that flowed through his father’s veins now coursed inside of his.

Shame weighed heavy on him now. He looked up at Sarah. Makeup streaked from her tear soaked cheeks. “I’m sorry. This was a mistake.” He started his truck.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked with a shaky voice.

“You’re from Whispering Meadows and I’m Clear Creek trash.” He paused. “And nothing will ever change that.” He slammed the door shut.

“That’s not fair, Jesse,” Sarah said. She held the door by the open window. “You decide who you are.”

“My past has decided for me.” He took one last look at Sarah and then slammed his foot on the pedal, tires squealing beneath as he took off.

Jesse was used to running. Unfortunately, some things had a way of catching up with him. Just like Sarah had when she showed up at the pet shop. Just like the monster inside of him. No matter how hard he ran, his dad still found a way of getting to him.

Even though Sarah was the one good thing he had from his past, she was also a reminder of the demons he had buried and left behind. There was something about her though; like gravity, he was drawn to her. But he was a Malone and nothing would change that. No matter how hard he fought it, it was the one fight he couldn’t win.

Robbie

Robbie fed the last of the puppies. “There you go, little guys. Eat up and get some sleep.” They turned their squinty eyes toward the dish and bounced over to it.

The bomb Felicia had dropped returned to Robbie’s mind, and he tried to imagine his child, tiny and helpless, sleeping peacefully in his arms. Although he had told Felicia he was excited about it, he couldn’t help but also recognize the fear that crept inside his gut, eating away at him like cancer. How was he going to be able to care for them? As an amateur boxer and part-time pet shop employee, he barely made enough to support himself, let alone a family.

He rolled up the bag of dog food and placed it below the bench in the back. Then he switched the store lights off.

The phone rang. He stood for a moment, debating on whether or not to answer it. It had been a busy night and given the latest news, he was ready for some rest and relaxation. But business was business, so he picked it up. “Sam’s Pet Shop. This is Robbie. How can I help you?”

“Robbie. What’s up, man?” The voice was gruff, loud and clear: Ernie Montico.

“How’s it goin’, Ernie?”

“You tell me. You’re the one who called me earlier.”

Ernie was from the old neighborhood, a piece of Robbie’s past that he had shed after his last incarceration. “Ernie, haven’t heard from you in a while.”

“Funny. That’s exactly what I was going to say to you. Where have you been, man?”

“You know. I’ve been around. Got back in the fighting circuit.”

“That’s what I’ve heard. Fritzy told me you’ve still got that dynamite uppercut.”

“I do what I have to do, you know.” Robbie took a seat on the bench. “I’m glad you called me back though. I’ve been wantin’ to catch up with you.”

Silence.

“Ernie?”

“Yeah, I’m here.” He let out a long sigh. “What do you want to get back into this business for? You’ve got a life now.”

Robbie looked at the pet shop. This was a life, sure, but not the kind he needed. Not with a baby on the way. “Something’s come up. I was just checking if you needed a guy for a job or two. Nothing long term, you know. Just like a part-time thing. Some easy money, you know?”

Silence, followed by another long sigh. “All right, man. Let me talk to the boys and see if we got anything for you.”

“That would be great. And Ernie, man. I really appreciate this.”

He hung up. The cancer eating at his stomach had now grown to twice its size. But what else was he going to do? He had responsibilities now and he wasn’t about to let Felicia and their baby down.

He turned to find a shadowy figure standing behind him.

“Who was on the phone, Robbie?”

“Jesse?” Robbie flipped on the light switch. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough. Was that that scumbag Ernie Montico?”

Robbie tried walking around him to get his jacket off the wall, but Jesse stopped him with a hand to his chest.

“You know what’ll happen to that hand if you don’t remove it.”

Jesse released him and Robbie grabbed his jacket. Jesse collapsed into a chair holding his ribs.