CHAPTER SEVEN
AURYN
The moment I saw this asshole follow Ripley down the hallway to the restrooms, I knew there was going to be trouble. I had just walked into the building when I saw her disappear down the hall with him not far behind her. Maybe it was none of my business, but I couldn’t do nothing, especially when I saw him grab her. It was my business now.
Flashing the hostess a friendly smile as I dragged Jamie past her and out the door into the parking lot, I hoped she didn’t call the cops. His efforts to escape me were pathetic. Holding him tight by the neck, I pulled him away from the entryway and around the corner. Then I flung him hard to the ground.
“What the fuck are you doing here, asshole? And don’t tell me that you’re here for the food. We both know that isn’t true.” I waited for him to start getting up before throwing a punch in his face.
He stumbled back, trying to catch himself on a nearby truck as he almost went down. “It’s none of your damn business. Nothing between Ripley and me has anything to do with you.”
“It does now.” I grabbed him by the front of his sweater, dragging him close. “And for the record, there is no Ripley and you. I thought we made that clear already.”
The absolute idiot had the audacity to sneer in my face. “I know she’s not really your girlfriend. There’s no way a girl like Ripley would date a scumbag criminal like you. Stop embarrassing yourself with this little show of toxic masculinity.”
A vicious laugh spilled from me. “You’re a delusional motherfucker, huh? I may be a criminal but I’m not the one she’s trying to avoid. I’m the one she spent last night with.”
I waited for the disbelief to steal across his face before headbutting him in the nose. The resulting crunch made me eager for more. Jamie did his best to fight back. He even caught me on the chin with a decent right hook. Still, it was blatantly obvious he wasn’t much of a fighter.
“You’re a damn liar.” Jamie spat blood onto the ground. “She would never touch you. You’re not her type.”
“I don’t think you know what her type is. From what I hear, you don’t really know her well at all. Don’t you think this whole situation is getting pretty pathetic? Leave the girl alone already. I’d hate to have to put you down like a sick animal.” Instead of throwing another punch, I kicked out the side of his knee. Making him crumple like a little bitch.
Jamie clutched the wounded joint, gritting his teeth like he was trying not to scream. “Is that a threat? So you’re a murderer too.”
“Does that surprise you?” I grinned.
Ready to be finished with this asshole, I stood over him, placing a foot on his injured knee. Pressing down until he screamed. Then I stepped back, retreating toward the restaurant.
“If I find out that you came here again, or you’ve done anything else to harass Ripley, nobody will ever see you again. That’s a promise.”
Leaving him there wailing in the parking lot, I rounded the building. Pausing to check my knuckles for blood beforeentering. Just to be sure, I also checked my face in my phone camera. Everything was all good.
The hostess glanced up, surprised to see me again. “Would you like a table?”
I followed her to a small two seater table in the corner. Ripley stood across the room, dropping off a tray of drinks to a table of cheerleaders. They must have come here after a game.
I asked myself what I was doing here. Having dinner seemed to be the obvious answer. Even I knew that was bullshit. Maybe I was no different than Jamie. Showing up at Ripley’s place of work uninvited and unwanted. The way she’d run out on me this morning didn’t indicate any desire in seeing me again.
Something had been eating at me all day though. This feeling like I should check up on her. Make sure everything was okay. Despite her resistance, Codie eventually told me where Ripley worked.
I wasn’t here to make trouble or hassle her. If she wanted me to leave, I would get my food to go.
When she turned to find me sitting there, her face momentarily lit up. Right away, her carefully composed mask was back in place. She approached me with a small smile.
“Thanks for getting rid of him. Again.” She looked me over with a slight air of suspicion about her. “What are you doing here, Auryn? I know it’s a public place and all, I’m just surprised to see you.”
“I guess now that I got rid of that fucking loser, I’m here to eat. What would you recommend?” I flipped open the menu the hostess had left with me, not looking at the pages. I couldn’t take my eyes off Ripley.
She was dressed much like every other server in the building. Wearing black and white. Her hair clipped up. I hated it that way. As soon as we got into the bedroom last night, I pulled out her clip and tossed it. I much preferred seeing herdressed like herself. Cute skirts or skinny jeans with tops that hugged her body.
My gaze fell upon the scarf tied around her neck. I smiled, knowing exactly what was beneath. Ripley saw where my stare had strayed and her cheeks flushed pink. I loved how easy it was to make her blush.
“I guess that depends what you like. The chicken and mushroom Alfredo is pretty good. I also like the pizza. The fries and gravy are a classic. They make a good appetizer or a side dish.” She went through the motions of doing her job, averting her eyes every few seconds. Like if she stared into mine for too long, she would remember everything I’d done to her.
I remembered too. That’s why I was here. I couldn’t get her out of my head.
“The Alfredo sounds great. I’ll try that.” Motioning to her arm, I asked, “Are you all right? Did he hurt you? Because I have no problem hunting him down and breaking some bones. I may have already broken his nose. His knee took some damage too.”
