Lib Novel Page 18
For a moment, it seems Alex wants to do the same. But then, I see something akin to panic fill his eyes, and he practically shoves me away from him.
“Your wound has healed, so you should go home now.”
A little taken aback at his abruptness, I make sure that I can balance myself on my feet. “Yeah, I—”
“You should also try to stay out of trouble.”
My hands, which were dusting off my shirt, go still. I lift my head to gape at him. “Excuse me?”
His eyes are narrowed into tiny slits. “I’m just saying don’t go looking for trouble.”
My mouth moves as I try to form words, but my brain seems to be short-circuiting. “You think I went up to Freddy and asked him and his friends to beat me up? Why would I do that? For shits and giggles?”
Alex flinches. “That’s not what I meant—”
“That’s exactly what you meant,” I hiss, feeling oddly hurt for some reason. “You think I had nothing better to do with my day, so I put on my thinking cap and decided, ‘Gee golly! You know what sounds fun? Going up to a group of violent men and asking them to kick my ass. That’ll be a great experience.’”
I feel furious now, my previous amorous emotions having quickly disappeared. The look of awkwardness and irritation on this man’s face does nothing to lessen my anger.
“I was doing my job. The only reason Freddy and his friends cornered and attacked me was because I did not let them have their way with one of the waitresses. And next time, you don’t need to get involved in my problems. I never asked for your help. I appreciate it, but I didn’t ask you to do anything. So, I don’t need a lecture from you.”
I know he possibly saved my life, but to be told that what happened was my own doing, as if I deliberately sought out my attackers, makes me want to scream at somebody. I can’t control the smell of my blood, and I’m doing my best to mask my overall scent. These are things I was born with. I can’t control somebody else’s actions, either. So, why am I to blame?
I expect Alex to feel a shred of shame, but he seems determined to get his point across.
“All I meant is that you should steer clear of that guy. He is not good news.”
That is not at all what he meant. He’s trying to backpedal, which I find even more annoying.
“Thank you so much,” I say sarcastically. “Next time I see Freddy, I’ll run like a madwoman to the other side of town. Or even better, I’ll go hide in my apartment. You know, just to make sure we never cross paths in this small town.”
Alex’s eyes flash at me, but I refuse to back down.
“You are a very hardheaded woman!” he suddenly growls.
“You’re no walk in the park yourself, pal,” I retort. “And I’m going to take that as a compliment. Remember, next time you see me in trouble, don’t bother intervening.”
I see the frustration on his face before he gives me the coldest look he can possibly muster. Then, turning on his heel, he storms off. I stare after him, my body quivering in rage. I just want to wring his neck!
As soon as he’s out of sight, however, I feel all the fight leave me, and I sink back down to the forest ground, leaning against the tree. It’s foolish, but tears come to my eyes.
I wipe them away. There’s no reason for me to be this upset. But the hurt is like a physical pain. It’s not the first time I’ve been treated like this, and it’s most definitely not going to be the last. But for some reason, Alex talking to me this way makes me feel like complete and utter shit.
I rub the heel of my palm against my chest, right on top of where my heart is.
“Shake it off,” I tell myself out loud, hating the way my voice is so wobbly. “Since when have you become a crybaby? Why are you getting your feelings hurt over some stranger? He’s the last person you need to be thinking about.”
My little pep talk helps me a bit. More so when it hits me that I really do have to be wary of this man. Whatever his reason is for being in town, it’s got something to do with the cage fighting ring, and he seems to have sniffed out that a wolf shifter is involved in it. He’s going to cause me no end of problems. Right now, he is trouble personified.
I get up and slowly start walking in the direction of town. I can’t stick around in the forest any longer. I need a bath, and I want to sleep this pain off. I’m going to have to call Elsa and tell her I’ve gone home; I don’t have the strength to go back to work. But I can’t lie to her about why, since it’s more than likely that someone has come across Freddy and his friends. It’ll be better if she knows what really happened before that moron accuses me of something.
Not that she would believe him.
*** **
I don’t usually get time off from work, but sometimes, my boss makes an exception. After the events two nights ago, she told me to take a couple days off while she dealt with everything. The first thing she did when I called her that night upon reaching my apartment was to ask me if I was safe.
She got my side of the story, and I wasn’t surprised to hear that she believed me. She had no reason not to—I didn’t realize that Elsa had installed security cameras in the back alley as well as inside the bar. She told me to keep a low profile for two days and just rest. I kept my promise to Alex and didn’t reveal the identity of my rescuer. All I told her was that I passed out and woke up in the forest, injured. I don’t know whether she believes that part or not, but she didn’t say anything aside from pressing me about what the man looked like. I guess Alex and I were hidden by the van, so the security camera didn’t catch his face when he removed his hood.