But being in the bar sure beat the suite, where I’d have been at a loss for conversation. Missy more than made up for my lack of words. Yes, we’d made the right decision to come out to eat.
Hadn’t we?
Wait a second… Why had Missy gone white? That was impressive, seeing as she’d had a spray tan for the wedding. A piece of steak fell out her mouth as she stopped chewing, her eyes fixed on a point to the side of me, and I slowly turned around to see what she was looking at.
Only it wasn’t a what; it was a who. And when I saw him, the blood drained from my face as well.
CHAPTER 36
“BILLY, WHAT DO you want?” I whispered.
“Heard you were in town tonight, so I stopped by to ask what the hell you think you’re doing.” He spat the words, and his eyes flashed with a rage I knew all too well.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just having dinner.”
“Interfering in my life, that’s what.”
He took a step closer, and I shrank back, pressing into the cheap vinyl seat as if it could swallow me up. How many times had I’d been in that position before? I usually ended up with bruises at best, broken bones at worst. Sometimes a bit of blood thrown into the mix for kicks.
But then Nick spoke. “Don’t take another fuckin’ step.”
“Stay out of this, pretty boy.”
Pretty? Nick didn’t look pretty. He looked furious. I’d never seen his eyes hard like that before, two chips of onyx, and he managed to be both rigid and relaxed at the same time.
Not that Billy cared. He turned back to me with an ugly smirk on his face, and I knew something bad was coming my way.
“You wrote to Jeanie and told her to leave me.” He drew a piece of paper out of his pocket, and I recognised my writing as he ripped it into pieces and threw it at me. “Page after page of bullshit. All lies.”
“They weren’t lies. Everything in that letter was true.”
“You filled her head with garbage. She started acting funny, sneaking around. It wasn’t until I went through her stuff I found out what you’d done, you stupid bitch.”
Movement caught my eye as Nick stood up, and I prayed he’d stay out of this. If Billy blew his fuse, he’d lash out at anyone.
But Nick didn’t back down. “You don’t speak to Lara like that. Now get out before I throw you out.”
“Butt out, man, this is between me and my girlfriend.”
“Ex. Ex-girlfriend,” I said. No way did I want Nick thinking I was still in any way associated with Billy.
“The moment you stepped up to this table, you made it my problem too. Last chance.”
Nick radiated confidence, which gave me confidence too. I’d never had anybody stick up for me that way before. But what would happen next? Billy and Nick weighed about the same, but Nick was four inches taller, and he got his bulk from the gym while Billy’s came from beer and pizza. Billy was mean as a snake, though, and I knew firsthand that he’d had plenty of practice at hurting people.
Luckily, I was saved from finding out because Buck sidled up to the table.
“We got a problem here, gentlemen?”
Buck wasn’t small either, and I knew darn well he kept a baseball bat stashed behind the bar for emergencies. I guess Billy knew that too because he held up his hands and took a step back.
“No problem. I’m leaving.”
As soon as the door closed behind Billy, my tears came. I couldn’t help it. The relief that Nick and Buck had stopped Billy from hurting me again caused my eyes to overflow. I picked up my napkin and dabbed at my cheeks, rueing my decision to wear mascara. You’d think I’d have learned by now, wouldn’t you?
Nick crouched down beside me. “Baby, what the fuck was all that about?”
“That was Billy.”
“I gathered that. What was he talking about? What was in that letter?”
Where did I start? My stupidity in the beginning? With the dramatic end? Luckily, Missy jumped in and helped me out.
“Billy’s her ex, and he’s an asshole. No, scratch that. He’s herpes on an asshole.”
“I got that.”
“Yeah, well, Lara finally left him after he almost killed her. Then when she came to visit me a few weeks back, she saw his new girlfriend and got worried he’d do the same to her, so