“Come on Krissy, forget about him!” Frantic, Logan shot to his feet, knocking the chair to the ground and charging after her. By the time she reached the restroom, he had caught up to her. When she felt the warmth of his hand on her back, she froze.
“Please, Krissy, I swear I never invited him and I didn’t know he’d be here. Why would I?”
For a second she considered answering him. Instead, she pulled the door open and entered the bathroom. Totally beside himself, Logan continued pacing in the hallway.
“Kristen! What the hell?”
He wanted desperately to storm right in, but one stupid bitch after another manipulated their way in front of him. The place was packed, and he wasn’t crazy enough to barge into a crowded lady’s room, at least not yet. Instead he knocked, texted and called her cell phone. Still no response. When he couldn’t stand it anymore, he darted back to the table, anxious for another drink.
“What the fuck, man? I thought this was gonna be an easy ride?” Nick leaned back in his chair, nearly toppling over. Logan grimaced and sank down next to him, cowering behind his hands. When he recovered, he reached out for one of the drinks Nick ordered, draining it in a second.
“Well?” Nick persisted, staring at him.
“What the hell do you want from me? I didn’t know she was bringing the baby.” His words were muffled, but the anger was about to boil over. It was true, Nick had done nothing to get him out of jail. As usual, Kristen was the only one that came through for him. And in his desperation to repay his debt, Nick’s betrayal slipped his mind. Then again, he had been so drugged out since that day, mostly everything had.
“Who gives a shit about the fucking kid? It’s not even yours! Lock him up in a closet while we fuck her for all I care!” A diabolical grin took over Nick’s face. He reached out to slap Logan’s back. Without warning, Logan latched onto his wrist, flicking his hand away. The urge to smash the beer bottle over his head blinded him; he slowly lifted it. Alerted by loud voices at the next table, he bounced back to his senses.
“It’s not gonna happen, she won’t go for it, forget it.” Logan glared at him until something made him peer over his shoulder. Off in the distance he saw Kristen’s shadowy image next to the bar. He squinted, wondering why she was hesitating.
“Fuck what she wants. I know she hates me. That’s why I brought these to fix the problem.” Nick waited for Logan to focus on him before opening his hand to reveal the roofies. Full of pride, he scanned the table searching for her glass.
Unable to believe his ears, Logan’s eyes blasted open. Nick picked up on it immediately. “Why so shocked? You a choir boy suddenly? Come on, which one’s hers?”
“She’s not even drinking” Logan shuddered, recalling the large amount of money he owed Nick and their agreement.
“That ice tea’s hers then?” Not waiting for confirmation, Nick reached for the glass, his excitement preventing him from witnessing Logan’s confusion.
“No, man, I don’t like it.”
“Come on! Once I slip these babies in there, she’ll be begging for it. Just like before—”
“—I said forget it!” Before Nick could react, Logan lashed out striking his outstretched palm. The pills clattered to the floor.
“What the fuck?” Nick glared at Logan, a dark red hue raging across his skin.
“I said it’s over! We’ll find someone else. It’s South Beach…” Right in Nick’s face now, a bad vibe made Logan’s voice trail off and his jaw tighten.
Nick huffed in disgust, banging Kristen’s glass onto the table. As an afterthought, he fell to his knees, fumbling for the pills, when he heard someone standing next to him. Without moving a muscle, he tilted his head to look up at Kristen. Oblivious to his gaping, she stood rooted in place, her eyes glued to the pills rolling out of his reach. As soon as they were no longer visible, a wave of dizziness forced her to cling to the back of a chair.
Logan panicked, jumping to his feet to steady her. The abrupt movement sent him wobbling off balance onto her. Shaken, she shoved him away, and took a deep breath.
Maybe it’s a bad dream.
She closed and re-opened her eyes. A second passed before her vision returned to normal and Logan’s face appeared as clear as day. It took another second to accept the fact—it hadn’t been her imagination running wild. Deaf to his cries, she unlatched the exit, pushed the stroller through and disappeared into the parking lot.
JAKE
His neck and shoulders were on fire, but he decided to surprise Kristen by stopping to pick up dinner. Whatever she had been doing all day apparently kept her so busy that she couldn’t find a minute to contact him. As disturbing as it was, in the end he decided not to put too much emphasis on it, since he had not made the effort either.
But I had an excuse, I was working. What the hell was she doing that prevented her from calling me?
The longer he stood idly waiting for the food, the worse it got. He couldn’t shut his mind down, couldn’t stop worrying.
Enough of the ego trip and head games.
He decided to text instead of calling, in case she or the baby were napping. Thirty minutes later, still no response.
At first he thought no one was home when he barreled into the house. Then he spotted a tiny patch of red hair sticking out from under the blanket. He could hear the baby's soft gurgling and grunting noises as he tip-toed to his crib. Once he confirmed he was fine, he crouched next to Kristen, gently pulling back the blanket to touch her. She bolted up, her eyes popping open, a petrified look on her face.
“Sorry baby, I didn't mean to scare you! Having another nightmare?” He sat next to her on the bed, embracing her. He could feel her shudders and the slight jerking movement of her head, but her eyes were closed again. “Are you okay?”
She couldn't speak, just huddled into him, her teeth chattering.
Becoming alarmed, he touched her forehead. “You're warm, you could be coming down with something.”
She didn't respond, just gave him another weak nod, her hair falling around her face.
“I brought Chinese food. You want some soup?” His eyes narrowed as he gazed at her. Finally, she agreed and he helped her slide back against the pillows and went to the kitchen.
A light knock on the door interrupted him just as he was about to bring the soup to the bedroom. Alicia greeted him with an uncomfortable smile. He tried to mask his displeasure.
“Sorry to bother you guys. Kristen's here, right?”
What’s up with this antsy behavior? “Yeah. Why?” He stared at her, squinting to get a clearer picture. She played with her hair, her expression immediately changing. When an embarrassed flush appeared on her face, he could see the wheels turning in her head.
Yep, she’s struggling to come up with another bullshit story.
“Good. I was just stopping by...” She shrugged, her face hot and feverish.
Perplexed by her increasing agitation, Jake couldn’t tear his eyes away. “I just got home. Did you know she's sick? Apparently, she's been in bed all day.” His eyes bore into her, picking up every move.
Something very weird is going on with her.
“No. Not really. We didn't speak much today. Anyway, tell her I'll check in later, okay?” She inched back, unable to conceal the confusion.