When he shook his head, she turned to Evan, who seemed as surprised as Colin. Lily also appeared confused.
“Who ordered it?” Maria asked.
“Your friend from the bar,” the waitress said, turning her head in that direction. “The one in the baseball cap.” She leaned in. “He told me to tell you that he was upset that you didn’t like the roses he sent you.”
Maria gasped; a split second later, she saw a sudden movement as Colin jumped up from the table, causing his chair to tip over. In the moments that followed, Maria was only able to register a series of images, like snapshots caught in a strobe light:
Colin taking two steps toward the waitress, his jaw beginning to clench… closing in so quickly that she dropped the tray of cocktails…
Evan and Lily getting up from the table, their drinks sloshing over them…
Bar patrons turning their way at the commotion…
Colin demanding that the cocktail waitress tell him exactly who it was at the bar, ferociously angry, repeating the question…
The waitress backing away, terrified…
Bouncers beginning to move toward them…
Evan taking a step toward Colin, his hands raised…
Maria was frozen, rooted to her seat, the waitress’s words ringing in her ear. Baseball cap… He was upset you didn’t like the roses…
He was here. He’d followed her. He’d been following her all along…
It was hard for her to breathe, a waterfall of images, the world collapsing inward.
Bouncers pushing through the crowd, moving with frightening speed…
Colin shouting, demanding to know more about the man who’d ordered the drink…
The waitress backing away, beginning to cry…
Bystanders beginning to surround them…
Evan pushing forward and grabbing Colin’s arm…
Lily moving toward Maria…
Maria felt someone place both hands on her shoulders and begin helping her from her seat. She didn’t have the energy to resist, and all at once, she realized that Lily had been the one to whisk her to her feet. She could hear Colin shouting, even as Evan continued to tug hard at Colin’s arm, the waitress crying out in terror, strangers circling, with bouncers close behind.
Stranger in blue shirt: “What the hell’s going on?”
Colin, to the waitress: “What did he look like?”
Stranger with spiked hair: “Chill out! Leave her alone!”
Waitress, through her tears: “I told you that I don’t know! He was wearing a hat! I don’t know!”
Stranger with tattoos: “What the hell’s wrong with you?”
Evan: “We gotta go!”
Colin: “Was he young or old?”
Waitress: “I don’t know! Twenties or thirties? I don’t know!”
Evan: “Now, Colin! Come on!”
By then, Lily was leading Maria quickly from the table, and out of the corner of her eye, Maria saw Evan jerk Colin off balance. Colin reacted instinctively, twisting free immediately and quickly regaining his equilibrium, his hands ducking into fighting position. His face was red and tense, the muscles in his neck taut; for an instant, he seemed not to recognize Evan.
“Colin! No!” Lily screamed. Evan took a step backward, and as quickly as it had erupted, Colin’s rage began to dissipate.
By then, the bouncers had reached them, and as Maria watched, Colin slipped his hands behind his back, clasping his left wrist with his right hand. A bouncer grabbed both his arms, looking as angry and adrenaline-filled as Colin had been a moment earlier.
“I’ll go with you,” Colin said. “I’ll go.” Then, to the waitress, who was still crying, he said, “I apologize. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
But neither the waitress nor the bouncers cared; Colin was dragged outside and it was only a few minutes later that a squad car arrived, blue lights flashing. Shortly thereafter, a dark sedan pulled up.