Chapter 22

Jinx

I started to worry about Alaira after about ten minutes. I kept glancing toward the bathroom, waiting for her to come out…but she didn’t. Finally, I glanced over at Nikki.

“Nix?” I asked in my irresistible pouty voice—probably it wasn’t so irresistible, but I like to flatter myself now and then.

“What do you want?” she asked tiredly.

“Do me a favor and peek in the bathroom to see if ‘Laira is okay… she’s been gone a while.”

“That bitch—”

“It’s not for her, it’s for me. Please?”

She nodded and begrudgingly headed toward the bathroom. I waited anxiously for her to come out. When she did, Alaira wasn’t with her.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“She won’t come out,” she informed me.

I groaned. “Are you kidding? Why not?”

“She thinks your mad at her… you were kind of snappish.”

“Are you actually agreeing with her?”

“No!” she shook her head. “God, no.”

“Well…how am I gonna get her out?” I queried.

Nikkole shrugged. “Guess you’ll have to go in there.” Her tone sounded like she was enjoying this just a little… okay, maybe a lot. Hawk snickered a little, and I glared over at him. There was nothing funny about the fact that I had to go into the lady’s room. Although, maybe if I hadn’t been the one in that position I would’ve found it slightly amusing. I stood up, shaking my head. I was worried sick about Zach—the last thing I wanted to do was drag Alaira out of the bathroom. I went into the bathroom, and the woman at the sink shrieked.

“This is not the men’s room!” She yelled at me.

“I know, I know. My girlfriend is in here,” I told her. Had I really just called her my girlfriend? It’d just kind of slipped out… but the title seemed to fit.

“Well, for the love of God, do you need to see her that badly?” she asked.

“Long story,” I murmured. “I apologize for…not being a woman, I guess. Trust me, this is more awkward for me than it could ever be for you.”

She frowned, dried her hands, and left the bathroom.

“Alaira?” I said loudly. “I see your feet in that stall. Why don’t you come out? We can talk about this in a gender-neutral setting.”

“I’m not coming out!” I could tell she had been crying.

“Hon, I know I snapped…but it’s not that big of a deal. I think you’re overreacting just a little.”

“I’m not overreacting!” She wailed.

God, I was glad I wasn’t a woman. Just dealing with a girl with pregnancy hormones drove me insane; I couldn’t imagine actually having them.

“Alaira… please come out.”

“No!”

“Goddammit,” I muttered under my breath. I got down on my hands and knees and crawled under the stall door. “Just so you know: that was disgusting! I bet they don’t even mop this bathroom.”

“Joseph, get out of here!”

“Just calm down,” I said, straining to keep my tone level.

“Get out!” she screamed, and she just kept screaming.

“Jesus, what is wrong with you!?” I pulled her against me and held her tightly until I felt her fingernails catch in the skin of my neck. I shoved her off me and she came back at me. Just as I raised my hand to hit her in a moment of blind rage, the stall door burst open.

“Let her go! Let her go! What in the fuck are you doing!?” The big, burly security guard yanked me off her and threw me against the wall as if I weighed nothing at all.

“Jesus H. Christ, man!” I shouted, trying to get to my feet. He pushed me back on my ass.

“I got a report of screaming going on in here. Now I see why. Are you all right, ma’am?”

“Alaira, tell him that I was just trying to help you.” I turned back to the security guard. “She’s my girlfriend,” I explained. “She got sick and wouldn’t come out of the bathroom. I was just trying to get her out.”

“Ahh, so why’s your neck bleedin’, hotshot? Looks an awful lot like this little thing was trying to defend herself.”

If I went to jail for this I was going to be really pissed off. “Alaira, tell him dammit!”

She said nothing.

“And those bruises all over her?”

“It wasn’t me!” I insisted. I sent a pleading look Alaira’s way. The guard lifted me roughly to my feet by the back of my t-shirt. I shoved at him and was rewarded by a punch in the stomach. My breath left me in a whoosh!

“Stop!” Alaira cried.

Now she speaks up. I glared at her.

“He didn’t hurt me,” she told him. “He wouldn’t.”

“Pardon me, ma’am, but it seemed to me that he was about to hit ya.”

“Joey takes care of me,” she said, getting frustrated.

The guard knelt next to her and took her little hand in his giant one. God, she was so little. It was unbelievable that there was a life growing inside of her… she barely had enough meat on her to keep herself going.

“Look, dear… I know it’s embarrassing when a brute like that tries to—”

“Brute!? Listen, buddy—” I came at him and he put his hand up to stop me.

“Rape can happen to anyone—”

“Will you quit feeding her this bullshit?! She’s impressionable; don’t try to force this down her throat.” I was feeling more violent than I felt in a long time. I’d been accused of many things, but being accused of being a rapist was way too much.

“I’m not a fucking rapist,” I snarled.

“No one is saying you are, Joey,” Alaira said reasonably.

“He is, dammit! I’m not going to sit here and—”

Alaira jerked her hand away from the guard and came to wrap her arms around me. “It’s okay, baby,” she whispered. “It’s okay… you’re not gonna get in trouble for this… I’m sorry about causing such a fuss. I was just… lightheaded… I couldn’t think straight. I haven’t eaten and I…”

So maybe the whole ordeal was my fault. I hadn’t thought to get her anything to eat, and she clearly needed it, especially now that she’d thrown up what little was in her belly. I held her close and the security guard glared over at us.

“If you guys cause anymore problems we’re gonna ask you to leave,” he said. “And stick to your own bathroom, pal.” As he left the bathroom, I heard him mutter “crazy fuckers,” under his breath.

I looked in the mirror and saw a bit of blood trickling down my neck.

“I’m so sorry,” she said softly. She gingerly touched my neck and I winced. God, being clawed hurt a lot worse when it wasn’t a part of a wild bedroom experience.

“Don’t sweat it,” I said. “Let’s just get out of the bathroom, huh?”

She nodded, still looking apologetic. It kinda scared me that she could freak out that much, then again, who was I to judge? She’d been beaten so many times, she had every right to be paranoid. I took her by the hand and we returned to the waiting room. Hawk raised his eyebrows at me.

“I saw Officer Friendly hauling ass toward the bathroom, what happened?”

I sighed heavily and collapsed into a chair, pulling Alaira onto my lap. “Long story.”

“And what about your neck?”

“It was me… I just freaked out.” She snuggled up to me. “I’m still sorry, Joey.”

“Yes, I know, ‘Lair-Bear. Look, Hawk, I gotta take her to get something to eat…”

“I feel sick still,” she protested.

“Well, you’re not starving to death on my watch. That’s Mitchell’s deal.” I turned to Nikkole. “Do you want me to bring you something back?”

“Where are you going?” she asked, not sounding particularly interested.

“Trainwreck.” I said casually.

“Bad idea, Jett,” Hawk said sternly.

“Ahh, Mitchell won’t show up. He knows the place will be crawling with cops. Probably left the note to send us on a wild goose chase.”

He didn’t look happy, but he nodded his approval. Alaira looked nervous, but agreed to go. It was nice that she trusted me to take care of her. I wasn’t gonna let the sonofabitch lay another hand on her…not ever. I kissed her temple and we got up.

“Let’s go, babe.”

When we got outside, we hustled to the car. It had started raining again… or maybe pouring was a more accurate description. Alaira was squealing, pulling me behind her as she tried to stay as dry as possible. I couldn’t help but laugh at her.

“It’s just water!” I told her.

“I know! But it’s wet!”

I cracked up. “’Course it’s wet…” We got the car and I grinned over at her, pushing my damp bangs out of my face. “Wanna do something cliché?”

“If it involves a long, passionate kiss in the rain, you bet. Don’t worry… I brushed my teeth after I puked… I carry a tooth brush in my purse.”

I pushed her against the car gently and met her lips. I ran my hands through her rain-soaked hair and kept the kiss soft yet demanding. Cliché or not, it was magical. She moaned softly beneath my lips and I reacted immediately…let’s just say I didn’t need Viagra anymore. After a couple more minutes of tonsil hockey, she shivered.

“You cold?” I asked, nuzzling her neck.

“No,” she lied.

“Get in the car,” I told her. “You’re gonna get sick.”

She pouted, but obeyed. While we were driving, I glanced over at her, admiring how pretty she was even drenched and without make up. I felt a little something in my heart that might have been puppy love…or maybe something a little more serious. Either way, it wasn’t something I was ready to face.

The bar was pretty dead when we got there. It sort of depressed me. My regulars had probably given up on me. We went in and I actually got a Zach-worthy greeting. It made me feel sick to my stomach…because there was a possibility Zach would never be in this bar again. Despite the negative thoughts, I mustered a smile for everyone.

“Jett! Got a note for you,” Dave, the bartender said.

A note. I felt Alaira tense up and I gave her hand a squeeze. “Nothing to worry about,” I assured her. “Just sec, Dave!”

I approached the bar and Dave handed me a slip of paper.

“Who gave you this?” I asked before reading it.

“Some dude. He was huge, man. Real muscle-y. “

Muscular was the word, but I didn’t bother to correct him. I read over the slip of paper.

Mr. Jetter—

I bet you’re getting bored…sitting in that waiting room. It’ll be a shame if Zachy dies… I wasn’t done playing with him. But, what will be, will be. Perhaps it was just his time. A shame that it’s too risky to catch up to you now. But soon... we’ll continue our game. You’re staying at The Laclede Inn, correct? I’m not sure why I ask, because I know. Enjoy your peace while it lasts.

Every word I read made me angrier…and more afraid.

“What did it say?” Alaira asked. She was too polite to read over my shoulder.

I shook my head. “It was nothing.”

“Please don’t lie…I need to know.”

I handed her the note and ordered two burgers and a beer for myself. I wanted something harder, but I needed to stay sharp. I could change hotels, but what good would it do? If he could find out where I was staying once, he probably wouldn’t have a problem doing it twice. I recognized Zach’s captain sitting in a booth and parted with Alaira for a moment to speak to him.

“Captain Titus.”

“Ahh, Jett.” He stood up and gave my hand a firm shake. He was a friendly man, with kind brown eyes and a receding hairline. “I’ve been here…watching. Haven’t seen much to cause concern. He’s too smart to show up here I guess.”

Or you’re too dumb to notice, I thought bitterly. I liked Spencer Titus, I really did… but I was just frustrated that we couldn’t nab Mitchell no matter how many law enforcement officials were involved.

“He was here,” I told him.

“…What?”

I handed him the note and he read it over.

“What’s this spot of water?” he asked.

“Teardrop,” I said softly. “Alaira got a little scared.”

“Alaira’s his…uh…”

“Yeah, his bitch. Anyway, how hard can it be to find this guy, Titus? I mean, he’s a dentist, we know that. I mean, we could leaf through the phonebook and look for a dentist named Mitchell… or something, anything.”

“We went to his office. He’s left the practice. This guy has up and left everything. He’s not gonna go down without one hell of a fight, Jett.”

I drew in a deep breath. “I know…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to undermine your efforts. I think you and your precinct are doing a fine job. It’s just…”

“Frustrating, I know,” he said, patting my shoulder. “It is for all of us. Zach’s part of the brotherhood, Jett. I know we could never love him as much as you do, but we want justice for him. We’ll get it, no matter how long it takes.”

“I’d like it to be sooner rather than later,” I muttered, taking a pull on my beer.

“You and me both, buddy. I’ll send this note back to the precinct with a uniform. I’m gonna stay here ‘til close. Maybe he’ll show up again. I dunno how I missed him. You say he’s a big guy, right?”

I nodded. “Well, hopefully he’s dumb enough to come back,” I said, although I knew it was wishful thinking. Mitchell may have been crazy, but he was anything but an idiot. “I should get back to Alaira. The note really shook ‘er up.” I wrote my cell number down on a napkin for Titus and shook his hand once more. Alaira was sitting on the barstool hugging her knees when I returned.

“You okay?” I asked.

“I’m starting to think I’ll never be okay…because if I’m okay for just one minute something bad happens. I’m a jinx, Joey. You should just ditch me. Then Zach will live and your life will go back to being simple and fun. I don’t want to take everything away from you…because I have nothing left to give you in return.”

God, that little girl sure knew how to make my heart ache.

So, once again, here's Mitchell being a creeper... I'm sure you're all shocked... Uhh... nothing really to say about this chapter. Not as exciting as i'd hoped, but there's always next chapter... I obviously have NO plan for this story...it's just kinda writing itself, I'm along for the ride is all. Thanks for reviewing... I love you all! And hope you all have a good week and the last chatper of Annie Bananie will be up soon!

Review Replies

CaFFy--Yeah, they'll have to be cautious.

Cyanidecandy--Yeah, Shannon was a mistake.

DarthKader--Haha, Life of a Janitor. I can dig it.

AMM3485--Yeah, Jett was not at his most gentlemanly in that chapter.

Oooh.Look.A Cat.--Well I suppose it's a good thing that you care about what happens to the characters!

allyg1990--Yeah, Jett can be that way.

-Rock'n'Rose Bubbles---Aww, I don't think anyone wants him to die. He's the least dysfunctional.

Mariah--gotta love erectile dysfunction.

midnightbeauty--haha, yeah Jett's judgementnot so great.

adge24--I like to catch you off guard every now and then.

SummerBaby94--I love Zachy too.

IndianPrincess--Well, you'll soon find out Zach's fate.

chevy-luv--Thanks!