“What? I didn’t—”
“Save it, sweet thing. That’s a club dress if I ever saw one. You leave your car over at Fangs? I could give you a ride. You know, it ain’t safe for a girl to be walking around these parts by herself.” He looked me up and down, drinking me in with a look that made me glad I’d skipped breakfast. “Especially one like you.”
“I think I got it,” I said, stumbling backward and feeling one of my heels wobble under me. “Besides, it doesn’t look like you’re in any condition to be driving anyone anywhere.”
“Come on,” he slurred. “You obviously ain’t the type to keep your legs closed for long. What’s one more time?”
Okay, so I’d never been the type of girl to get stunned easily, but that sure as hell did it.
I opened my mouth to speak, or barf, or something. Instead, a loud, raucous laugh burst out. To my surprise, I found myself nearly keeling over, grabbing my gut and chuckling.
“Seriously?” I said, cupping my mouth with my hands. “Oh, my God! Are you serious?”
Understandably, he was not amused.
“You think this is a joke, bitch?” He spit tobacco-colored crud at my feet. His meaty hands balled into fists at his sides. “You think this is funny?”
Before I could reply, another voice came from behind me: “It’s certainly pathetic enough to be funny.”
I turned to find a sleek man with blond hair, angular features, and blue eyes so bright I was sure they could cut diamonds. His arms crossed his chest—his very … nice … chest.
Wow.
“This ain’t nothing to do with you, kid,” the drunken brute stammered, marching closer. “Step aside. You can’t handle this.”
The blond man smiled wide. “As the foremost expert on all things me, I’ll have to disagree with that.”
“He’s big,” I muttered to the blond man as he settled beside me.
“They always are,” he answered. “Just means he thinks he doesn’t have to work as hard. You wanna hold my phone while I take care of this?” He shoved his white iPhone into my hands before I could answer.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said. “I can take care of myself.”
“I don’t doubt that,” he answered. “Doesn’t mean you should have to.”
With that, the blond man darted forward, bridging the gap between himself and the drunkard.
The drunk man swung at him, but the blond ducked, causing the bigger man to stagger as he missed.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” the blond man asked, circling the drunk.
“Pfft! You can’t hurt me, kid! You ain’t nothing but a twerp.”
“Whatever you say.” The blond man shot me a smile. “This’ll only take a second.”
The infuriated drunkard lunged at the blond man. As nimble as a dancer, the blond man spun around, pulling a pair of cuffs from his back pocket and slapping one onto the drunk man’s wrist. He gave him a swift kick to the knee, which sent him wobbling. The blond man closed the other handcuff onto a nearby stop sign.
“See, just a second.” He turned to me, a grin still on his handsome face. He pulled a walkie talkie I hadn’t seen before from his hip and spoke into it. “10-94 on Crescent Avenue. Transport requested. Suspect is apprehended. Be aware, he’s as big as an ox and drunk enough to be flammable.”
“10-4,” someone on the other side of the line answered. “Be there in three.”
Before long, a New Haven police car screeched up to us. The blond man talked to an officer who helped the drunkard into the back and then promised to “get the girl’s statement.” Up until that point, I’d just been standing there stunned. After all, here I thought this handsome blond was trying to be my hero, but he was really just doing his job.
“You okay?” the blond man asked as the car pulled away, taking the drunk to jail.
“Yeah,” I answered, more sternly than I probably should have. “I told you I didn’t need your help. I could have dealt with that guy fine on my own.”
“Of course you could have.” He shrugged, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his tight-fitted jeans. “You were always like that, though. I remember that time you and Lu tied me to that tree by the lake. God, you guys used to scare the hell out of me.”
“Wait?” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. “What are you talking about?”
A blush flared in his cheeks. “You don’t remember me, do you?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “God, Char, you’re killing me here.”
Okay, so he knew my name. And he knew Lulu’s name. But who did we tie up to a tree other than …
“No, you’re not!” I said, looking him up and down. “Dalton?”
He spread his arms wide. “The one and only!”
Lulu’s kid brother was a snot-nosed, piss-ant of a kid when I left town. He had big ears, scrawny arms, and a disposition that would wilt flowers if they were in direct communication with him for too long.
This guy was … hot. He was hot and charming. They couldn’t be the same person.