Shaking my head, I take a large inhale and am about to push through the doors into reception when the doors to the bar open behind me. I turn to look back over my shoulder when I hear the loud music. Two of the guys, who were watching my departure, exit the bar and glare in my direction. Where’s the third?
My gut tells me that I need to get out of here, right now. With a glance through the door I was about to open, I realize I won’t have any help from that direction when I notice the eighty-plus year old sitting behind the desk. A quick look around to get my bearings tells me that my only escape is up the alley to the side of the motel.
I’m probably going to be able to run faster and for longer than the unfit bastards who are now heading in my direction with smirks on their faces.
I turn and run smack into someone and bounce back slightly. By the snickers I hear behind me, I realize they had expected the alley retreat. Struggling to break free from the third goon, I bite back the bile that is rising in my throat—damn, that guy is letting off a dreadful stench. I twist and manage to turn to look at the other two men when my attacker’s grip loosens slightly.
My body hums to life and the world slows down around me. I can feel every movement of the man behind me as I gather my strength and prepare for a fight. I’ve been in situations much worse than this and these three yahoos aren’t going to break me. I slam my head backwards and smile slightly as I hear the sound of his nose breaking. Blood splashes against my neck but his grip falls from my arms and I slip completely free of him.
Shaking off the feeling of sickness that comes over me, I pivot, my leg dropping back before it comes up hard and fast into his balls. The man gurgles on the blood rushing into his mouth and grips his groin as he slumps to the floor with a whimper of pain.
Twisting as I hear footfalls coming up fast, I manage to block the blow of the second attackeras my fist swings up and under his jaw. His eyes flutter but the uppercut doesn’t take him out as he and his friend tackle me to the ground.
Ramon
Glancing at the clock, I groan at the slowness of time. It’s been an hour of pacing back and forth in my room,wondering what the fuck I’m going to do. The last person I expected to see tonight was Noah.
My first reaction after he’d left was to reach for my cell to call Eric. I wanted to ask him what the fuck he thought he was doing setting this meeting up, but then I pause. Eric knows I was in a relationship with another man but I never mentioned Noah to him. Unless he worked it out.
Not only is my stomach still rolling with shock, but it’s taking everything I have not to go after him, and explain that I lied about Sylvia.
How would I feel if Noah had admitted to having sex with someone else? I’d want to beat the shit out of anyone he’d touched.
Running my fingers through my hair, which I regret getting cut, I tug at the short strands and tell myself that I need to stay put. Anything we had was over two years ago. The only problem now was that my heart wasn’t listening to my head. Perhaps it would if I actually believed we really were over.
As much as I wished for it, myfeelings for him can’t just be switched off and that fact scares me a little. I’m not sure my heart can take being destroyed by him again.
I flop down on the bed and, after grabbing the remote, I start flicking through the channels, but nothing holds my interest for long. Dropping my head tothe bed, I sigh. I can’t leave it. Fuck! Tossing the remote to the floor, I get to my feet and grab my car keys and cell from the desk before yanking the door open and letting it slam shut behind me.
I’m not sure about what the fuck I’m going to say to him, or even ifI’ll find him. But when I do I’m not going to let him go until I have the answers I deserve. He’s been too damn vague and it’s going to stop, now.
Running down the outside stairs of the motel, I stand for a minute and look around. My guess is that he’ll have wheels somewhere close by becausehe won’t fly. He hates not being in control. He also has a thing about large vehicles, and, I notice the same old black SUV he had back when we were together sitting in a parking spot on the other side of the motel.
As I start to head toward his SUV, a scraping sound followed by a couple of thuds, as though someone is being hit, comes from the alley to the side of the motel block. Every instinct screams to walk away and avoid the confrontation,but my conscience wins when it’s obvious that someone needs help. "Hell!"
I quickly turn and run toward the alley, pausing when I see the guy on the floor having the shit kicked out of him before my feet carry me forward.