Without batting an eye, Sophia rushes past me with a bottle of wine and a stack of folded Dark Scarlett t-shirts in her hands. I pull her close so she can’t escape, in need of another kiss before I withdraw into my office for the night. I brush my nose across her cheek and our mouths meet.
“You look hot this evening, Soph,” I whisper in her ear.
“It fucking took you long enough to tell me that. You’ve got fans by the way. They asked me if you were single,” she points to a table of well-dressed business women who smile and wave. I nod my head and wink then return my gaze to my wife. “Ha,” she moves her body closer to mine. “I’ve never seen you act so charming at work. Do you think you can handle all ten of them if they want to do the nasty with you?” she teases.
“Do the nasty? You mean, help with my paperwork?”
She wrinkles her nose and flaunts her best pouty face. “Are you leaving us already? You’ve only been down here for a minute.”
I nod and tuck her hair behind her ears in a loving gesture. “I need to move away from the alcohol for a while,” I whisper.
She nods and turns back to the women. “I’ll come up and visit you in a bit, but first...” she sways her ass as she walks away, placing a few t-shirts on their table and the bottle of wine. I can tell by their expressions and laughter that they realize I’m “unattainable,” and it looks like they have an excess of questions for my wife. She’s in a playful mood, so she’ll probably tell them anything they want to know about me, or what she believes they want to hear. It’s time to disappear so I don’t have to deal with the awkward stares as she speaks.
I wonder why the hell Haverty hasn’t resolved the music issue. Jack White’s voice is still heavily filling my ears, only the DJ moved away from The Raconteurs and on to The White Stripes. What gives?
With a pile of job applications in one hand, and my cell in the other, I sit next to the balcony railing to keep an eye on the front door while still accomplishing some work. Damn, these kids are young. There’s an application from a sixteen-year-old for Christ’s sake. I let it float to the floor and move on to the next. Shit, you’re kidding me. Marcus Wild? Alyssa’s voice pops into my head saying for realz?
It has a Las Vegas address, his employment history at Jameson Industries, and lists Sophia, David, and Paul as his references. What an ass.
The form’s one of our online applications. My mother must have printed it and left on my desk. I can’t believe this crap... and his number’s on here as well. I shake my head take out my cell. Fucker. I want to know where he is and when he’s coming by tonight.
It’s actually ringing.
“Salvation Army, can I help you?”
“Listen, dickhead.”
“Sorry to offend you, pissant, I meant Seven Nation Army. Did you know Jack White used to mispronounce that word, salvation, when he was young?”
Shit, he’s here. He knows what’s on the sound system. I stand and look around the room... Sophia’s still talking to the women, Haverty’s by the bar, where the hell is he?
“Do you trust in me completely for your salvation?”
“You’re not God, Marcus.”
There he is. He has his back against the bar, glass in hand, and is looking into the lounge at my wife, still wearing the sport jacket and jeans he had on at the Arch, but now in a Cardinals hat that covers his blonde hair.
“Nice place you got here, Cove. Good wine too. Expensive though, I should get a discount don’t you think?” he laughs. “And you might want to know that your DJ’s not the most loyal person in the world. All it took was a fifty to get my music...”
“I have your check, come upstairs or get the fuck out.” I look down at Haverty to see that he’s taking a call. He knows he shouldn’t be on his phone unless it’s an emergency.
“This is sad,” Marcus says. “We only saw one another a handful of times during my trip. Perhaps if we’re in the same city again we can go out to a movie together, or fishing, or hang out with your family and play board games, or even better, we can have dinner at your bodyguard’s house. He is your best friend, right?” His eyes are glued to Sophia as he speaks. “How much do you know about James Haverty, Cove?”
“More than you’ll ever know. Don’t even try to fuck with my head.”
“I think you know very little about your alleged best friend whose home you’ve never visited. Your pal. Your protector. I’m trying to teach you a few things about life and you’re fighting me every step of the way, now be a man and take care of your family and friends,” his voice rises over the music and the crowd of people gathered around the bar. “Let me give you a little advice as I continue molding you into the man you need to be for that woman of yours.”
“I’m coming down. You’re just as fucked in the head as...”
“As Paul. I know. That kind of hurts my feelings, dickhead.” He opens fire with his middle finger without even turning his head. “Listen, why the fuck wasn’t I invited to your wedding?”
“Haverty!” I call out over the noise. I want Marcus escorted upstairs but Hav’s still on his goddamn phone and when I yell down to him again, he holds his finger in the air for me to wait. Damn him. I watch as he disappears down the hall to the private rooms, and it’s at that moment my heart stops and my feet become concrete blocks. I can’t move. I’m frozen in place as Marcus turns to me with a wicked grin. Son of a bitch.
“This is gonna be good,” he says and drops me from the line.
“Haverty,” I whisper.
Marcus sets his wine glass on the bar and starts to dance. The hair on the back of my neck rises as he inches closer and closer to my wife. What the fuck’s wrong with me? I said I’d take care of this nutcase.
Hollis becomes aware of the scene but only laughs when he sees him circling Sophia with such pathetic dance moves. He’s a freak around her, like a baby bird flapping it’s wings in a frantic state as it’s learning to fly. A look of fright covers her face when she becomes aware of him, but her expression changes to anger in a split second. She pushes him away only to have her wrist grabbed and her body pulled toward the door.
“Sophia!” I yell, in pursuit down the stairs. My fight response has finally kicked in after five seconds of paralyzing hell. Marcus crushes Hollis against the wall while forcing Sophia out the door; leaving both Hollis and myself stunned by his quick moves. I reach the front, shove my shithead of a doorman out of the way, and charge toward the black Chrysler. “Sophia!” I call out again, only to be horrified when she looks back with her hand up, about to speak, but is pulled into the car and hustled away.
“Fuckin’ A!” I shout. My mother hurries outside to see what happened as I pace and run my hands through my hair. “Fuck! Hollis, you piece of shit! Call the police now!” He takes out his cell as my mother has a worried look on her face. “Now, Hollis! Call the cops!”
“Cove, what happened?” she asks.
“The fucker... goddamn... asshole.” I’m beside myself and can’t get the words out. She wraps her arms around my chest to halt my movement but I break free when I see Haverty step outside. “Where the fuck were you?” I shout and slam him violently against the front of our building. “You asshole, Haverty! Where the fuck did you go?”
“I’m sorry, Cove,” he says in a soft voice. “I need to leave.”
“That’s right, you do, and don’t come back. Get the fuck out of my sight.” I step away in an uncontrollable crazed state, and stroke my hair; the motion that has become my security blanket.
“Haverty,” my mother approaches him in her usual sensitive way. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
“Sophia’s gone, mother! Shit, Haverty, give me the keys to the Escalade.”
She turns to Haverty and rubs his shoulder then looks at me, torn as to what to do. I can see now in his wounded eyes that something’s gone terribly wrong. What’s going on?