Tell Me Your Fears

Chapter 5: Levi

I was buzzed out of my mind. Not drunk, the bartender made sure of that by swapping my vodka for water. Clever little s**t.

Though, I think it was partly our conversation that sobered me up. Is it possible to be mildly attractive to a stranger's mind? Asking for a friend.

I don't know if my little outburst of slamming the vodka bottle on the table made her withdraw from me but she had a look on her eye when I asked her who she was. She looked, I don't know, frightened? It didn't look like it. It was more of a shock. Of what, I don't f*****g know.

Now she had a hat on as if we weren't indoors at nine p.m. on a humid night. She was peculiar, I know that much.

I open my mouth to speak, but she scrambles to take off her apron and grab her backpack from under the table. "I'll tell one of the employees to call you a cab." She scrambles to put on her coat and I grabbed her arm before she could walk away. More gently this time.

"I'm almost tempted to hear that knife story of yours," I ask, pretending to be oblivious to her shift in mood. I didn't want her to leave just yet. Not that I'd admit.

"Uhh . . . a story for another time. I have to go. Have a nice life." She tries to jerk her hand away but that made me grip it tighter.

"I'm not done talking to you."

"f**k, dude, let go. I'm pretty sure communication is done by two consenting souls and I'm not consenting. Now let me go." She shoots warning daggers at me with her eyes.

I would have offered to drive her to where she was leaving the bar for considering she looked like she was in a rush, except I was in no state to be on the road.

Didn't mean I wanted her to leave before I got her name. "What's your—"

My question was cut short when I feel a hand getting all too comfortable on my shoulder.

The bartender woman widens her eyes in shock, her hat low over her eyes, but she wasn't staring at the man behind me. She was staring at me.

"You're coming with us."

I slowly turn around, feeling a sense of calmness despite in no condition to start a bar fight. Didn't mean I couldn't sock a b***h for touching me without my permission.

Normally, Ruby wouldn't have let anyone get close to me if he was here. But he's not. He's outside my hotel room making sure nobody would pull a Kim Kardashian on me. I'll imagine his shock when he realizes I snuck out through the emergency fire escape when I told him take out the garbage.

But Ruby wasn't here right now. And my ands are itching for a brawl.

I turn around, and immediately I recognize Peralta's b***h staring me right in the face.

How in the hell did they find me here?

When Anka, I think his name was, sees my face, he immediately dropped his hand.

I beam. "If it isn't Peralta's w***e! What, he sent you here to seduce me? Didn't I tell him to f**k off?" After the s**t he pulled, no chance I was going to be in business with a man who's got no f*****g order.

Baldy's face doesn't change. Still as ever. The urge of wanting to f**k him up was stronger. But I'll blame that on the alcohol.

"Move aside, Mr. Pavlov. We're not here for you."

I can hear her suck in a breath from behind me.

They were here for her? What the hell is she thinking getting involve with Peralta's men? Threw an apple at his car? Seemed like-character of her.

Against my better judgement, I don't move. "Or what? You gonna give me a pat down again?"

"If you're looking to get some, find another w***e. This one's ours. Now go back to drinking yourself to death, fucktard."

He tried to shove me aside, but I don't budge. The rising tension was palpable, and I just got more angrier.

Not a millisecond after he said the last syllable, I reel back my arm and clocked him right in the jaw making him stumble back.

I didn't waste time and aimed for the man on the right. He was quick to stop my right fist, but not quick to stop my left as it went straight to his gut. He doubles over and I elbow his back, making him get acquainted to the floorboards.

Pair of hands snake under my armpit, locking me in place. I stomp my foot down on his making his hold on me lax just a bit, but that's enough for me to grab the water-filled vodka bottle and bash it on his head. People screamed, the women urging to stop the fight, but none of them did. Not even the only other man from behind the counter who just continued serving drinks as if it was a daily occurrence.

From the corner of my eye, I don't see the woman bartender from behind the counter. I bend over expecting to see her crouched down. But it was empty.

I don't know whether to laugh that the woman made a wise decision to leave us occupied in a fight as if it didn't concern her or be pissed off that I involved myself in such situation when I could be drinking my problems away just for the night. Goddamn, I couldn't even let myself enjoy a simple drunken night? This was the second time within a twenty-five hour timeframe that I've risked myself for a f*****g stranger. f**k, I think I might need to see a neurologist next week.

She's an opportunist, I can tell. Clever little s**t.

My chest rumbles from my growing laughter, thank you vodka, and I tip my head back. I didn't have time to bask in the humor of my situation because I feel someone tackle me from behind.

"If you break anything, I'll put it on your tab," the guy behind the counter said in a monotone voice. I'm almost tempted to throw him a spider just to see if anything fazes the guy.

I blink hard, and I see Anka on top of me, snarling. I try to focus my gaze on him. Mental note: don't drink ten shots before getting involved in a bar fight. But goddamn it, if this isn't fun.

I show him teeth with what was an attempt of snarling. "Give me the best you got, bitch."

He brought his fist up in the air and beck down on my head. I may be drunk, but not incapacitated. Before his fist could collide with my head, I dodge to the right and snake my knee between us through the small gap and throw him back. His back collide the floor and I make haste getting up to my feet.

I shake my head in another attempt to focus through my slightly blurred vision.

Raising my fists, I prepare for his advance. When he composed his composure, he snarls like the f*****g big foot he was.

I anticipate his next move. Anka will charge at me, I dodge, hook my foot against his and he goes down. Punch him, maybe grab a b—

My train of thought was interrupted when a chair goes down on his head, breaking to pieces, knocking him down on his ass again. This was Peralta's best man? He's not even close to making a run for Ruby's money.

My eyes follow Anka as he goes down, the it trails back up to the doe-eyed woman looking shocked.

The bartender. Well, I'll be damned. She didn't leave after all.

Fucking stupid.

One of Peralta's men come up behind her and I haven't even taken two steps before he ended up on the ground by her impressive maneuver.

She took self-defense classes. Good girl.

She finally turns to me. "Your move."

I scrunch my face up, not getting what she meant.

Not a moment later, I sense someone creeping up behind me. I manage to dodge his taser that would have been well acquainted will my rib and threw my whole body against his. We land on the table near the windows as I twist the taser away from his grip.

A boot collides with the man's head, all too close to mine.

I jerk my head up and see the bartender's condescending face. I narrow my eyes at her.

She turns around and grabbed my coat, ultimately chucking it at me before making her way to the back door. I follow her, leaving a hundred bill on the counter that would cover my tab and the damage.

By the time we got to an alley, she rests her palms on top of her knees, her chest heaving. Her backpack clung tightly to her back.

"Well, you're stupid."

Her head snaps to me. "Excuse me. Who just saved your ass from being sent to the ER?"

"You should've gotten away when you had the chance."

She lets out a loud laugh. "Trust me, I'm staring to regret it now."

We hear a few women shout from the distance and the sound of shuffling from the back door. "Regret it later. Let's go."

I don't think about and just grabbed her hand as we ran down the stretch of the alley.

And she willingly let me take her away.