T-Bone - L. Wilder Page 0,75
was tempted to reach out, but I always ended up talking myself out of it. I wasn’t the kind of man who pushed himself on a woman, but knowing what we had made it hard to let go. That was one of the reasons why I’d left Gus’s place and drove over to the restaurant. It was almost time for her shift to end, so I parked between two trucks that were just a couple of rows down from her car. I turned off my lights and crossed my fingers, hoping that she wouldn’t see me. A few minutes later, the back door opened and Alyssa walked out, looking amazing as always. Her hair was pulled up, and she wore a black coat with her purse hanging off her shoulder.
She was approaching her car when I noticed a man get out of his car, and it was clear from Alyssa’s expression that she was startled as he walked towards her. The guy’s back was to me, so it was difficult to see who he was until she charged past him. Rage washed over me as soon as he turned to follow her and I recognized it was Lucas Brant. Knowing how terrified she was of the guy I opened the door to my truck and was about to get out when Alyssa reached into her pocket and pulled out a handgun. As she pointed it directly at Brant, she shouted, “I’m not playing games with you, Lucas. I’ve told you to stop coming around here, and I mean it.”
“So what ... you’re gonna shoot me?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” She took a step towards him, and with determination in her voice, she asked, “Do you really want to take that chance?”
“You’re fucking crazy.”
“Crazier than you think. Now go, Lucas, and don’t come near me again or you’ll regret it.”
“You’ll pay for this shit, Alyssa.” Brant turned and started back towards his vehicle. “No one fucks with me and gets away with it.”
Relief washed over her face as he got in his car. Wasting no time, Alyssa quickly returned the gun to her coat pocket and rushed to her car, looking completely freaked out. As much as I wanted to go to her and make sure she was okay, I knew I couldn’t. I’d made her a promise, and I intended to keep it. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t deal with Lucas. It wasn’t the first time he’d come to see her; otherwise, Alyssa wouldn’t have had a gun on her. That very thought had me following Brant out of the restaurant parking lot and onto the main street. I wasn’t surprised when he pulled up to Mikey’s Pub, one of his favorite bars in town. Hell, over the past few months, I’d seen him go in there more times than I could count. He’d have a few drinks and do his best to convince some chick to go home with him, but normally, he’d just end up leaving empty handed, returning to his oblivious wife and baby.
I followed him inside, sat in the back of the bar, and watched as he downed a few shots. Even after all the times I’d kept tabs on the guy, I was still amazed that at one time he’d been a star football player. He was about six-one and weighed about a hundred and eighty pounds, but his build looked more like a guy who never once saw the inside of a gym. Seemed that all the booze and late nights were taking their toll. It wasn’t long before he spotted a petite redhead in the back of the bar. Clearly drunk, she was leaning over with her elbow on the table and her chin propped up on her hand. When Brant realized that she was blitzed, he decided to make a play for her. With a shot in hand, he made his way over to her and said, “Hey, beautiful. Can I buy you a drink?”
“Mm-hmm ... thaat’d be ... great,” she slurred, barely able to keep her eyes open.
“I tell you what.” Brant slipped his arm around her waist and said, “How about I get us a room at the hotel across the street, and you and I can have that drink alone.”
She nodded. “Ooo-kaay.”
“Great. Let’s get out of here.”
All smiles, Brant helped the chick to her feet and shuffled her out the door. I waited a couple of minutes, then went back out to my truck. I followed them across the street