You Can Run But You Can't Hide

Chapter 3 Dive Bar

Otto's POV

I'm now sitting sprawled across the couch in my apartment once again trying to watch something on TV to take my mind off of that mysterious woman who has utterly confiscated my thoughts for the day.

I flip from one channel to the next and there is nothing to help distract me.

I groan to myself because I don't know what to do at this point. No one has ever taken over my mind like this before. This is too new for me that it's just baffling on what I should do.

I groan getting up, pulling out some work folders setting them out on the coffee table. I try to put my concentration where it should rightfully be and I can't seem to retain any of the information from the pages. No matter how many times I have read the same sentence I'm not retaining one bit of it.

I just keep dazing off finding my mind wandering back to that blue and green eyed beautiful feisty fighter from earlier today.

I sit up quickly as I say "f**k it!" to no one but myself. I hop off of the couch and walk down the hall to my room.

I go to my closet stripping out of my comfortable workout clothes, then putting on some dark blue jeans with a black tightly fit in the chest area and arms tshirt with my black leather jacket on top.

I run my hands through my hair with a little gel on them to give my hair a little bit of a messy look as it flips to the side as an automatic reaction.

I brush my beard fluffing it out slightly because that's one of the best features I have besides my body is my hair that's on my face and head. I have a great head of hair so I'll wear it a little long until I can't anymore.

I grab my phone and wallet throwing them in my pants pocket as I leave my apartment to go to the 4 Leaf Clover Bar in hopes to see the one girl that's haunted my mind today.

She said she is at the Clover almost every night. I hope this is the same Clover they were talking about. It's a biker dive bar at the end of town, but I have honestly never been there before.

Wonder if she is a drinker or what? We will see if this is even the place they were talking about. But if it's not the right place then I have no idea where they were talking about.

I know it might sound bad but I just want another moment to see her and hopefully talk to her again.

I don't think I would have even been able to sleep tonight if I didn't at least try this. Going out to this bar is just something I have to do for myself and my sanity so I don't go insane with her being on my mind all day.

I pull up to the 4 Leaf Clover bar just at the end of town. I have never been in there before but by the looks of the parking lot it looks like there are alot of people here tonight.

Which is probably a good thing because this would give me a chance to look around to see if she is in there. Maybe I will have a chance to observe how she really is.. when she is not fighting or singing that is.

I walk into a dimly lit bar with the only lights available are above the pool tables intricately placed around the room.

There are more lights around the top of the bar railing and above the bar from the roof.

There is definitely enough glow from the lights to see everything around you, the dimness just gives the place a more relaxed and chill ambiance.

I weave in and out of the tables and people.. making my way across the floor looking around and not seeing her yet. I see an empty table available in the corner which keeps me close enough to see everyone but far enough that hopefully I won't stick out like a sore thumb. So I take a seat at the corner table.

A waitress comes up smiling at me winking and saying, "Hey handsome what would you like to drink tonight?"

I roll my eyes at her comments to me as I answer her, "Double whiskey on the rocks please."

She smiles and leaves putting in my order. I hear the ticket machine printing off the ticket behind the bar for my drink but there is no bartender back there to make it.

That is until I see the lady I was hoping to find tonight, the gorgeous young lady who had taken up my mind way more than we both expected to today..

She comes from the back room with dinner plates balanced across her arms as she weaves around with a finess about her, passing the plates out to the customers. She grabs the utensils and napkins to give to each of them, that just received food, as she sees my ticket.

She grabs the bottle of whiskey by the neck spinning it out, she then throws it up, catching the bottle behind her back tipping the bottle as she pours my whiskey into the glass and over the ice.

She rolls the bottle down her arm now and into the other available hand as she sets it back down. The men at the bartop clap as she smirks and blushes at their outward affections. "I have been working on that do you like it?" She says to the men at the bar railing and they cheer louder as one man yells, "I want a shot just to see you do it again!"

She laughs her beautiful melodic laugh as it echos through the bar even with it being loud in here. Then there it is.. the beautiful genuine smile that matches her laugh I never got to see it before when the cashier made her laugh in the store. I knew it was just as stunning as her laugh.

She does the same trick as she did with my whiskey for the other man pouring his whiskey on the rocks as well.

When she walks across the bar to give him his shot he ordered he puts his hand on hers and says, "KitKat when are you just going to give in and marry me?" I scoff to myself with a hint of jealousy as I see that guy outwardly flirting with her.

I sip my whiskey as I continue to watch her to see how she reacts. She looks at him and responds without hesitation, "Don't call me KitKat Steve I have already told you that and don't make me tell you again...I probably won't marry you until I start drinking as much as you do, if not more Steve." The guy stares at her for a moment thinking about what she had just said, until he replies back, "But you almost never drink Kat!"

She giggles at him and retorts back, "Hmm that does make things more difficult for you doesn't it?"

He shakes his head and says, "at least have a shot with me huh?" She smiles even bigger and nods at him as she pours a shot of whiskey for herself.

She lifts the shot glass up smiling at him as he lifts his saying, "To Kat, the best thing that's happened to this bar in a long time." Not one man doesn't cheer for her making me smile at that thought. She must be a fun or genuine person for all these people to love her so much.

Kat puts the shot glass to her lips throwing the liquid back into her throat as I watch her throat move as she swallows it. She continues to get ticket after ticket from her machine so she starts to multitask making multiple drinks at once.

She grabs a silver shaker pouring calculated amounts of each liquor into it as she pours ice in, securing the top and shaking it aggressively for a moment then straining the chilled and mixed liquid into a glass already set out with ice in it. She sets the shaker down and spins with ease as she starts to pour multiple beers at once with such precision.

She knows exactly what she is doing behind that bar and it completely shows.

A group of girls makes their way to the bar railing ordering 6 shots for her to make and she takes the order as if it's nothing. She takes the shaker again and starts to pour different colored liquors in and mixers as well, but this time she doesn't pour any ice in or shake it.

She just sets out the shot glasses side by side and starts at one end pouring into each glass going from one to the next. The fun part is each shot glass is now filled with a different color of liquid and places right next to each other the colors make a rainbow. The group of girls squeal in excitement as they pay her and take their rainbow shots.

I'm still in awe at her bartending skills that I don't even notice when it happened but I hear the waitress yelling at a customer as he quickly stands up and grabs the girl by the arm aggressively pulling her closer to him as he yells something in her face.

The man lifts his hand up as if he is going to hit her.. The waitress is almost crying at this point when I see behind the bar, Kat jumps across the bar so quickly running to the waitresses rescue.

She wedges herself in between the customer and the waitress making the customer let the waitress go.

I tense up at this action.. how can she just throw herself in the middle of the drunken disgruntled customer argument at no regard for herself?

Kat puts her hand on the customers chest and yells with so much dominance in her voice, "Jay you know better.. step back.. Now!"

"But Kat.." is as far as his explanation gets because she interrupted him instantly.

"No Jay you can't come in here putting your hands on the girls. You know I won't tolerate that shit.. Jay you know I appriciate all your patronage you have contributed in here but you need to pay your tab, tip her generously and go home now before something else bad happens." Kat says with even more authority threaded in her voice.

This Jay guy looks livid at her comment and steps even closer into her face pulling a knife out, putting it close to her side. But she puts her hands up towards the men at the bar railing as if she is gesturing for them to stop.

I look towards the bar railing and see that every single man at the bar railing has a knife, brass knuckles or a gun out in their hands waiting to attack if needed to protect her.

This really shows how much they adore her if they are willing to do this for her and to listen to her as well, that shows dedication. Which is hard to come by since it has to be earned most the time.

I look back to Kat and her expression hasn't changed at all. She still looks stern not breaking eye contact with the Jay guy at all.

My body is stiff and my heart is racing seeing that knife by her side even if he hasn't hurt her with it, I don't want it in her general area.

Kat moves so quickly that no one sees her next move coming especially the guy with the knife up to her side.

She instantly grabs his wrist twisting it the wrong way until he drops the knife, Kat kicks it to the side away from him as she twists his wrist more in the wrong direction making him buckle under the pain until he is on his knees in front of Kat cringing.

She bends down by him still holding his wrist as she grabs hold of his wallet, she sets it to her chest, opening it, and pulls a bill out of it, tossing it back to the waitress who is still behind her.

"Keep the change Betty and thanks so much Jay for your generosity to Betty I'm sure she really appriciates it. Now when I let you go get the f*#k out of my bar and don't come back because if you set foot back in here, after that stunt I'll let the guys at my bartop use all the nice weapons they have out ready for you right now." She says shoving his wallet into his hand as she let's go of him and stands up crossing her arms staring him down as he gets up slowly.

Turning around and looking at the guys at the bar with their weapons out. He makes his way out of the bar, not even trying to look back.

When the door shuts behind him, the bar erupts in cheers and clapping as Kat waves it off and goes back to the bar railing.

The waitress follows her and says. "Kat thank you for defending me, you don't know what that means to me, but you could have been hurt you should never do that again."

Kat scoffs at her and retorts back, "Oh hun I would do it again in a split second even if I knew he had the knife. I would rather me get hurt than you. Your too sweet for all that. Don't let someone like that ruin you, I'm already doomed so who cares really. I don't care what happens to me just as long as your ok." The waitress shakes her head but still gives Kat a hug.

"You're not doomed Kat we all love you and don't want you to put yourself in harms way again." One of the guys says to Kat trying to lecture her about her selflessness but she turns around with more seriousness in her voice as she states, " You guys know as well as I do, that I would do it again in a split second. Him putting his hands on her like that was not ok and you guys know I don't tolerate any kind of abuse in here and I won't stop even if he has a weapon. I don't know how much time on this earth I have left but I'll be damned if I run away scared while someone is getting hurt under my watch.. Never going to happen. So whether you guys like it or not, I won't stop but thanks for the nice thoughts and the care for my well being but I'll be fine." She says this with so much passion in her voice as if this subject of abuse hits a soft spot for her.. But I really hope not.. I can hear the guys grumbling back and forth but they all know she won't back down so they stop trying to argue with her. There is no point in trying because she is obviously stubborn.

Kat pours herself another shot and slams it back as she says to the bar rail and the waitress, "I need a minute to get some fresh air after that s**t, so I'll be back in a minute." Everyone nods and humms in response as she turns around heading to the back door where the smoking area for the bar is.

This is my chance to talk to her. I leave money by my drink and of course left extra for the poor girl after all that drama.

I hop up and make my way to the back of the bar and all I can see is Kat leaning up against the wall staring out into the dark night sky that's covered in speckles of stars across it. She runs her hands through her hair letting out a big long breathe she was holding in.

Her back is to me which gives me a moment to try to get my s**t together to talk to her since she doesn't know I'm here yet. I take a couple steps closer as I pause again.

I reach out to touch her shoulder but without missing a beat she grabs a hold of my hand and flips me over and onto my back that's now on the ground.

I groan as she steps over, looking down at me. "You again? How many times are you going to need me to hurt you before you stop sneaking up on me?!..I'm sorry man." Kat says so dramatically as she extends her hand to me, I take it and stand up with her help.

We are still in close proximity to each other as I stare down at her and say, "Hey I'm really sorry if I scared you I just wanted to make sure you were OK after all the commotion inside."

She is still looking up at me with those big beautiful just green eyes that makes me wish to see that blue eye too..It looks as if she has figured out we are still standing close to each other. She takes a small step back clearing her throat responding, "Thanks for your concern, this is a dive bar though so this kind of stuff happens all the time around here since a majority of our customers are bikers. You of all people should be confident in the fact that I can take care of myself."

"No one said you couldn't take care of yourself, that was just intense. You even willing threw yourself into the middle of a drunken disgruntled fight with no regard for your own safety just protecting the waitress. Don't get offended when I just want to make sure your ok. Someone has to care about your well being since you obviously don't. You could have been killed if something went wrong in that situation." I say to her scolding her on the situation consequences, as I puff out my chest a little saying that.

Kat's eyes get a little big as she thinks about what I said and responds back. "I can't argue with that... you're right I don't care about my well being.. but even if I did die like that, at least I would get to pick my own fate, instead of someone else choosing for me. I would rather die helping someone if I can help then die hiding. I'm not just going to stand around and watch what will happen next.. I'll determine what happens next." She says sternly looking away a little sadly.

That comment alone actually makes me a little sad. She doesn't care about her own well being? and willingly admitted it. How do you get to that point at such a young age?

"Why not care about yourself?" I find myself asking without even thinking as if it's just word vomit.

"That much hurt in your life will do that to you. I just want to help as much as I can and live life before that's taken away." Kat says sadly as she turns and stares out at the open stary sky. She takes a deep breathe in then letting it out as she turns back to me extending her hand to me saying, "Have a good night...um... I'm sorry I realize I don't know your name. But I'm Katherine everyone calls me Kat."

I accept her hand shake as I stare at her for a moment. She is even more beautiful under the street lights glowing like this. I notice I'm staring and shaking her hand for probably to long. I clear my throat responding, "Otto, my name is Otto, it's nice to formally meet you Kat. I hope you have a better night."

"Otto... hmm I like it. Well maybe I'll see you later... Otto." Kat say smirking at me as I respond without hesitation, "You will."

She smiles bigger at me as she gives me a salute turning on her heals to head back inside. But I continue my statement before she goes too far, "you know Kat I love how your eyes look normally.. better."

Kat turns around shyly smiling at me as that dimple shows back up as she says, "Me too" she responds so softly with sadness laced in her voice. She turns back walking into the bar again to continue the rest of her shift.

That's curious.. so if she likes her eyes better normally too then why won't she wear them normally.

She says she is doomed.. why is she doomed..More questions going through my head with no more answers than what I started the night with. I feel like there was progress. I feel like I took two steps forward and one step back trying to get to know her. Well I'll keep trying now I at least know her place of work and her name. A step closer in the right direction.