Love Wins Anthology

Chapter 6

Chapter 6Adam huddled on the sidewalk, praying for what was shaping up as the worst night of his life to be over. He was sick to his stomach, still reeling drunk, and had no money or credit cards to pay for a cab or a motel room.

Next thing he knew, Reggie was standing behind him. Unwelcome arms wrapped about his chest and hauled him up. “You’re coming home with me.”

Adam struggled and managed to break away and find his balance. A little wobbly, but upright. He turned and faced Reggie. “I said ‘no.’”

“Don’t be stubborn, little one. You’re out of options.”

Trembling, Adam managed to say, “You’re not an option for me. Not anymore.”

“You don’t remember how good we were together? All the fun we had?” Reggie’s voice was deep and dark and smooth.

“I remember it all. I remember you monitoring everything I did, every thought I had. Keeping me tied up—body and mind.”

“Mmm…and you always begged for release so sweetly.” Reggie’s eyes darkened.

“And you never listened to me. You never saw my needs—only your own.”

“I see you need commitment. I can give that to you. You’ll be mine.”

“What you’re offering isn’t commitment—it’s ownership.”

Reggie’s coaxing smile stiffened. “You’re trying my patience, little one.”

“Stop calling me that! I’m not some helpless, clingy pet you can teach obedience to.”

Reggie moved so fast, Adam’s slowed reflexes couldn’t react in time. He found himself trapped in Reggie’s arms, unable to move. Squirming and twisting to no effect, Adam shuddered at the breath of hot air in his ear when Reggie bent and whispered, “You used to be very obedient. Maybe it’s time I gave you a refresher course.”

Adrenalin surged through him, canceling some of the effect of the alcohol. Adam felt his head clear. Those self-defense tactics Josh had shown him—how did they go? Oh, right. Adam lifted one foot as high as he could and smashed it down on Reggie’s instep.

Reggie grunted but didn’t let go. Instead, he tightened his grip and ground out, “I see you’ve developed some bad habits. We’ll have to work on that.”

Terrified that Reggie was going to drag him away against his will, Adam summoned all his strength, leaned back as far as he could, and smashed his head forward into his captor’s nose. That did it.

Reggie howled in pain and rage and let go of Adam. Turning away, he tripped over Adam’s foot and fell. Sprawled on the sidewalk, hands cradling his bleeding nose, Reggie shrieked, “How dare you attack me? You little b***h!”

Before Adam could respond, someone grabbed his arms and pulled them behind his back.

He panicked and started struggling against this new opponent only to find himself lifted off his feet, dangling in mid-air.

A strong voice commanded, “Calm down. You’re under arrest. You keep fighting me, it’ll only make things worse.”

Adam managed to turn his head enough to see the profile of the man holding him—a cop. At least the guy was wearing a cop’s uniform cap. Adam stopped fighting and went limp.

The officer set him back on his feet and locked handcuffs on his wrists.

The cold metal sent a shiver up his spine, cooling his anger. Still, Adam had to demand, “What are you doing? I was defending myself.”

Leading him to the curb, the cop said, “You just sit here, and don’t move.”

Adam sank to the ground. He looked up at the man and opened his mouth to explain what had happened.

Before he could get out a word, the officer said, “Save it. I’ll get to you in a minute.” He walked over to Reggie and squatted next to him. “You want me to radio for an ambulance?”

Reggie cast a look of absolute loathing at Adam, but said, “No. I don’t think it’s broken.”

“Okay—it’s your call. Can you stand?” The cop offered a hand and helped Reggie up. Pulling out a small notebook, he asked, “Do you have ID on you?”

Reggie nodded and dug out his driver’s license.

The cop wrote down the personal information and handed it back. “So what happened here, Mr. Pendleton?”

“He assaulted me.”

Adam gasped. He squirmed around on his butt, trying to stand. “I did not! He’s lying! I was only defending myself.”

The cop frowned at Adam and cautioned, “I told you to stay put. So, sit!”

Adam subsided. But inside, he seethed. Reggie was going to get him thrown in jail. He told himself to stay calm. He just had to explain what happened. Just explain that he’d gotten drunk on his ass on purpose because he was hiding from a man he loved, in the company of a man he hated, who wanted to abduct him. It all made perfect sense. The sick ache growing in Adam’s stomach had nothing to do with the liquor. Oh, God. He was going to jail.

The cop came back and loomed over Adam. “You got ID, son?”

“In my wallet.” s**t. “No, my wallet was stolen tonight. But I’m Adam Langston.”

“So, no ID?”

“Well, not right now. But that’s my car over there.” He tilted his head toward the parking lot. “My registration’s in it.”

“You were driving without a license?”

“No! I told you, my wallet was stolen after I came out of the bar.”

“I see. Have you been drinking?”

“Well, that’s pretty obvious, don’t you think?” The scowl on the officer’s face reminded him that being sarcastic to a cop was never a good idea. “Sorry. Yes, I’ve been drinking.”

“And you were going to drive under the influence without a valid license.”

“No!”

A snort of amusement pulled Adam’s attention to Reggie. If the gleeful light in his eyes was any indication, the man’s smarmy good humor had returned.

In a sanctimonious tone, Reggie chimed in, “I was trying to stop him, Officer. He could have killed someone. But he refused to listen to reason and instead, assaulted me trying to get to his car.”

Son of a b***h! “That’s not true! He was kidnapping me.”

The officer’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Adam. “When I got here, he was on the ground bleeding, and you were standing over him. So right now, his story is more believable.”

“But—”

“Quiet! Both of you.” The officer huffed out a tired sigh. “Look, this is how I’m going to write this up—domestic dispute involving alcohol. After a good night’s sleep, if Mr. Pendleton wants to press assault and battery charges, then it changes into something bigger. But for right now, I’m taking you”—he hauled Adam off the curb—”to the station for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. Tomorrow after eight A.M. you can have someone bring your photo ID and money for the fine, and you can go home.”

Adam sputtered, “But I wasn’t—”

“Don’t make this any harder on yourself. Or on me. You’re spending the night in the drunk tank. Tomorrow when you’ve sobered up, your boyfriend, here, will spring you, and the two of you can kiss and make up.”

Despite the dreadfully red and swollen nose, Reggie’s smug look was back in place. In a self-righteous tone that made Adam itch to slap him, he said, “Sounds perfect, Officer, thank you. I’ll leave you to deal with the prisoner. Good night.”

Adam watched Reggie leisurely stroll toward the parking lot and silently cursed the bastard. There was nothing to do but resign himself to a night in jail. The cop put him into the backseat of the police car, got in the driver’s seat, and drove off.

Adam slumped down and tried to hide his face. At least for the moment, Reggie was the only one who knew he’d been arrested. But what about the morning? His only other photo ID was his passport. And that was at Josh’s house. Adam was going to have to borrow a phone, call Josh, and beg him to bring the passport and money to bail him out.

He closed his eyes and groaned at the thought of that conversation.

But on the positive side, as badly as he reeked of tequila and vomit and piss, maybe no one would come near him in the drunk tank.

As far as he could tell, that was the bright spot in his day.