“You got it, boss.”
I wasn’t prepared for how fast Vickie walks. By the time I catch up with her, we’re on an isolated and dark street behind the stadium. I try to get a firm grip on her elbow, but she yanks it away and starts to run.
I look to the heavens for patience before I start chasing her. It doesn’t take long. She’s turned a corner, taking us out of the desolate stretch of street, and she bumps into a burly man. A second man approaches, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. There’s more light at this corner, but we’re alone.
“Let me go,” I hear her say, but the man is holding on tight.
“You ran into me, sweetheart,” he says, and from the slur of his speech, I know he’s drunk. He’s not very tall, a couple of inches under six feet, but he’s wide and husky. His friend is built the same way. He tightens his arm around her. “Good thing you did too because you feel good.” He turns to his companion and says, “I’m gonna have her first, then you can have her.”
Vickie lets out a string of expletives and tries to get out of his hold but can’t.
“Hands off,” I say as I approach. “She’s with me.”
“Get your fucking hands off me you piece of shit,” Vickie says.
“You can have a go after my brother,” the guy says. “Get in line.” He starts to chuckle and looks at his brother. That’s when my fist connects with his jaw. He lets go of Vickie and I push her behind me.
“Get out of here,” I yell at her. The two guys come after me. It’s not much of a fight. I punch the first one in the stomach, and he doubles over. When the brother approaches, I elbow him in the nose, and blood gushes out.
They both try to come at me at once, but I trip one and punch the other in the face hard, knocking him out.
“Your hand!” Vickie says from behind me.
“I told you to go!” I yell but she approaches.
The guy that fell on his face starts to stir. He turns on his back, and that’s the biggest mistake he’s made tonight. Vickie kicks him hard in the balls, and he lets out a noise like an animal whose just been shot. She kicks him again and says, “Think of this the next time you want to force yourself on a woman.” She jumps on top of him and stomps him a few times. Then, she approaches the other and starts to kick him.
I see a set of headlights. Dante parks the car and jumps out. He quickly assesses the situation and pulls out the gun he keeps holstered to his side.
“Dante carries a gun?” Vickie asks. She runs behind me as if the gun is the scariest thing to happen to her tonight.
“Go, boss. I’ll handle this.” He pulls out his phone and texts something. “I’ll call you once it’s handled.”
I lift Vickie off her feet, physically put her in the back seat of the car, and slam the door. I get in the driver’s side and pull away from the curb.
“Why didn’t you tell me that Dante carries a gun? I should have known I was around a firearm.” I don’t answer. I grew up with firearms. Daddy taught me and Charlie to shoot at an early age. We knew about gun safety by the time we went to kindergarten, but people in this city believe guns are dangerous. “Is he going to kill them?” I look in the rearview mirror. She’s craning her neck to look behind her.
“Of course not. He used to be a cop. He’s going to take care of them, but everything will be by the book.” She sits back, closes her eyes, and exhales. She puts a hand to her chest and spends the entire drive to her house with her eyes closed.
It takes a couple of minutes to find a parking space. I’m not sure where I park is legal, but I don’t care about any of that right now. They can tow the damn thing away. I step out and open Vickie’s door for her, offer her my hand, and she takes it without a fight. She’s still breathing hard by the time we step inside her apartment. She throws her purse on the couch and goes right for the freezer to pull out an ice pack.
I wince when she puts it to my chin. I don’t remember getting hit on the chin, but now I can feel a stinging sensation there and above my right eye.
“I’m so sorry,” she says. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have walked off like that. I can’t even imagine what would have happened if you didn’t follow me.” I press a finger to her lips, lift her off her feet, and walk us to the couch.
“You have nothing to apologize for. It’s not your fault. Promise you won’t walk off alone again at night.”
I expect her to fight me, but she surprises me. “I won’t.”
I cup her face and look into her eyes. She’s still breathing erratically, and her eyes are unfocused. “Are you okay?”
She nods. “I’m fine. What about you? What about your hands? How are you supposed to play if you break a bone?” She grabs both my hands and turns them over. I have a couple of cuts on my knuckles, but nothing more. I flex my fingers and wave my hands around.
“They’re fine. I’ve done worse in fights with my brother when we were teens. I know how to throw a punch. Don’t worry about me.” I caress her cheek and she audibly exhales. She jumps off my lap and returns with a first aid kit. She cleans my cuts with an alcohol swab and wraps them in a bandage. She cleans my face afterward. Once she’s determined I’m okay, she rests her forehead on mine.
“Thank you for saving me, Colt. Thank you for being there when I needed you.” I kiss her cheek.
“You don’t have to thank me. I was exactly where I wanted to be. I’m exactly where I want to be now.” She leans into me and cradles my face. “I admit, Queen Vee, as much as I love having your sexy little body pressed on top of mine, I miss my little firecracker. Since we’re both okay, why don’t we finish the fight we were havin’ before you took off.”
