Evan Arden 02.5 Uncockblockable (5 page)

BOOK: Evan Arden 02.5 Uncockblockable
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Her friend stepped between us, blocked my view, and broke the spell.

“Come on, Milena,” Bethany said.

Milena
.

It might have been the most beautiful name I had ever heard, which I pondered a little before I realized I was standing there, dumbfounded again.  Her eyes
continued to flash in anger at me, and they were magnificent.  I couldn’t stop looking at them and didn’t even hear what she and her friend were saying before they turned away from me and walked quickly down the street to a taxi stand.

No doubt – I had been completely
cockblocked.

By
me.

Chapter 4

Sometimes I wished I wasn’t at all famous.

Or infamous.

Whatever.

Dad had been pretty insistent about
me hanging around his group instead of just my usual friends.  He didn’t seem interested in telling me what the hell was going on, but I didn’t usually ask a lot of questions, either.  I heard a lot just from being in the vicinity of the people who worked closest to him, but I wasn’t all that involved, so he left me out of the details most of the time.

It was rare that he dictated my actions, but I also knew Evan had been quite the busy little hit ma
n of late and that all of the hits had been on a group of Russians who had recently moved into the area.  Whatever was going on, he must have felt somewhat threatened, which meant my companions when I went out drinking included a group of his goons.

I didn’t mind – they were mostly good guys to hang with, anyway.  Besides, my mind was elsewhere, and I didn’t focus on the family business dealings much.

More than anything, I couldn’t seem to get my mind off Milena – the blonde with the exotic, incredible eyes.  I had made a completely uncharacteristic fool of myself, and I didn’t know what to do about it.  I was used to being all smooth and always getting exactly who I wanted, and I had a pretty good idea I had blown my one and only chance with her.

I didn’t even know if she lived in the city or
one of the suburbs.

That
evening, I went to Sweetwater with a big group of people, goons in tow.  Jonathan got us a “custom” place to sit without waiting by pressing a few buttons on his phone, and those who couldn’t fit at the table all gathered around instead.  It was loud, and people were packed in, but it was still a good scene.  You had to like football, though.


Hey!” Some drunk kid stumbled over to our group and leaned heavily against the table where Evan was sitting, nursing a beer he obviously didn’t like.  The kid aimed his finger towards the cone-shaped hat on his head and addressed Evan.  “It’s my birthday!  You should buy me a drink!”

Evan tensed and glared.

“What are ya?” Jonathan asked loudly. “Nineteen?”

The kid laughed and went to harass the next table.
  As I watched him stumble around the bar, I saw him bump smack into a woman with long, soft blonde hair.


Holy shit,” I muttered.


What’s that?” Jonathan asked.


Nothing,” I said as I pushed back and walked over in her direction.

Milena was sitting at one of the smaller, round tables with a mostly full cocktail in her hand and a glum look on her face.  It was weird, but when I saw her expression, I actually
felt
it, too.  She was obviously really upset about something, and all I could think of was that I had to do something to fix it.


Hey, Milena,” I said softly but still loud enough to hear over the bar noise.  “What’s wrong?”

She glanced up and furrowed her brow.

“Do I know you?” she asked.

Okay, she opened the door for about a hundred different tried-and-true scenarios I could have used.  I could have lied my ass off and most definitely ended up sympathy fucking her
.  The thing was, I just didn’t want to use a single one of those bullshit stories.


I’m the
idiot
who couldn’t put two words together to talk to you the other night,” I admitted.  “Nick Wolfe.”

I held out my hand, but she didn’t take it.

“Oh,
you
.”  She looked back at her drink and didn’t say anything else.

Shit.

“It’s just...you caught me off guard,” I said.  “I don’t
usually
have that much trouble using my tongue.”

Shit
again.

I hadn’t meant it to sound the way it did, but her rainbow eyes narrowed at the innuendo.

“Off guard?” she repeated, her voice fully snarky now.


Just…when I saw you,” I tried to explain, but all the words that came to mind were completely lame and likely to get me slapped.  I took a deep breath.  “You have beautiful eyes.  I’ve never seen eyes quite that color before.”

Her face hardened.  S
he tossed her hair over her shoulder, narrowed her eyes at me, and her voice changed.


Look, Nick,” she said, “I don't know what your game is, but I have a pretty good idea what you want. Not interested, so just go away, all right?”

I had to admit I was a little taken aback at her tone.  I didn't really know how to respond at first. A thousand tips and tricks I could use to change her attitude came to mind. One of them would likely work, too
.  They always had before.

But I didn't want to use them.

Fact was, surprisingly enough, I just didn't want her to look so sad.  I could still see in her fascinating eyes how upset she was.  I didn't give a shit if I got laid or not.


I’m not playing a game,” I finally said definitively.  “You just looked sad, and I wanted to know what I could do to help.”

She didn’t respond, so I tried again.

“Why are you sitting alone?”


It's really none of your business,” she snapped back.

Her tone was harsh, no doubt about it, but I was still focused
on her eyes. They had a whole other look about them.


You seem upset,” I commented.


What part of ‘none of your business’ don't you get?” she growled.  “Can’t you just go away?”

I might have done it, too, if
it weren’t for the look in the eyes I couldn’t stop watching.  She looked like she was on the verge of tears, and the thought that she was so upset she’d cry in front of a virtual stranger in a sports bar was about the saddest thing I could imagine.


I don't want you to be sad,” I said with a slight shrug.  “I thought maybe I could help.”


How are you going to help?”


I could tell you a joke.”


Seriously?”


Yeah.”

The lashes framing the rainbow eyes fluttered a few times, and then the lids closed for a long moment.  Milena took a long breath before opening her eyes and looking back to me again.

“Not necessary,” she said.


I know,” I replied quietly.  “I want to.”


You want to tell me a joke.”


I do.”

More glares.  Beautiful, enticing glares.

I was such a mess.


Fine,” she said.


Really?”


Go on,” she muttered, “before I change my mind.”


Okay,” I said.  I took a deep breath and realized I had absolutely no joke in mind to tell her, and under the pressure of needing to come up with a good one, my mind was completely frozen.  I knew some good jokes, and I was good at telling them, but right at that moment, I couldn’t think of anything but the stupidest jokes from childhood.


Well?” Milena stared at me.  I was pretty sure her foot was tapping.


Why did the captain flush the toilet?” I blurted out.

Her eyebrows
rose, but she said nothing.  It was far too late to think of something better, so I just delivered the punch line with a punchy smile.


It was his duty!”

She kept staring at me, but there was the slightest twitch in the corner of her eye at the same time.  If I wasn’t so fascinated with them, I probably wouldn’t have noticed. 
I did know exactly what that meant, though – it meant she was about to give in.

My heart beat faster.

She cracked a half-smile as she turned to look away and sigh.


That was awful,” she informed me.


I know,” I said.  “I couldn’t take the pressure.”

I laughed and she laughed with me.  Her eyes sparkled and shone with humor, and again my pulse raced.  I couldn’t
stop looking at her and found myself saddened as her expression dropped back to melancholy.


What’s wrong?” I asked her.

Milena sighed heavily and gestured towards the seat across from her.  I was all too happy to join her and pulled the barstool up close to the table as I sat down.  I leaned forward on my elbows – just wanting to be a little closer to her – and waited for her to say something.

“My brother is an ass,” she finally said.  “I know he means well and all that, but he’s seriously interfering with my life.”


What did he do?”


The same shit he always does,” she said.  “He’s trying to run my life.  He’s trying to replace Mom and Dad.”

Her voice faltered a little when she mentioned her parents, and I knew they were dead.

“What happened to them?” I asked quietly.  “I mean, if you want to tell me.  I’m not
trying
to pry.”

I was
; I was trying to pry.


Okay,” I corrected, still unwilling to lie to her, “I
do
want to pry.  I want to know, if you’re willing to tell me.”


Car accident,” she said.  She stared down at her fingers on the table top.  “It’s been about a year.  We moved up here a few months ago because we have family here, and our uncle kind of pressured us to move.”


You’re not from Chicago?”


No,” she said, “Quincy.”

I thought it was a little town near St Louis, but I wasn’t sure.  I wondered if she was close to her uncle or if her brother was.  I wondered if she wanted to m
ove or felt forced into it.  There were a hundred questions I wanted to ask just so I could learn about her, listen to her voice, and watch her eyes when she told me.

Maybe it was the drinks or the stupid joke, but she did decide to open up.  She told me
how much she missed her parents and how her brother had been trying to help; he just
wasn’t
.  She talked a little about her uncle, who lived in a huge mansion, and how he wanted them to both live with him.  Her brother had done so, but she took up an apartment after being there just a few weeks, preferring to live on her own.


He wants me to move back in with them,” Milena said.  “I don’t even quite understand why, but he’s really insisting on it.  Actually, I think our uncle is insisting, and Micah is just bringing me the message.  Whatever it is, I’m sick of it.”


I can understand that,” I replied with a nod.  “I live with my
family
, and it can be a pain in the ass.”


It is,” she agreed.  “I know they’re just trying to help – to look after me – but I want to look after myself.”

I nodded meaningfully, and she looked up at me and smiled a little.

“Thanks, Nick.”


For what?”


Just...for hanging out with me.”

Before I could really respond, I heard someone calling her name from across the bar.

“Milena!”

A dude in a dark jacket and jeans yelled across the bar and headed straight for us.
He had slightly darker blond hair than Milena’s, but their features were similar enough to make their relationship obvious – this had to be the brother.


Jesus, Micah!” she said with a heavy sigh.  “You scared the shit out of me.”


Well, you shouldn’t be here in the first place,” Micah snapped.  He glanced over to me with narrowed eyes and then completely dismissed me.  “I’m taking you home.”


I’m not really ready to go home,” Milena said.  “I was actually kind of thinking I’d hang out here for a while with my friend.”

I felt my skin warm at the word.

“No, you’re not.”  The guy didn’t even glance at me, just reached down and grabbed onto her elbow, which she shook loose.


Dude,” I said with a smile, “she’s a big girl, and-”


Fuck you,” he snapped.  Though he glanced at me enough to size me up, he didn’t really acknowledge me at all.  I obviously wasn’t big enough to be a concern for him because he kept going on.  “Did I ask you for some sort of opinion or anything?  No?  Didn’t think so.”

He turned back to Milena, who rolled her eyes and looked away from him.
  I looked back and forth, trying to figure out if I should step in or not.  I wasn’t going to let him take her against her will – no way in hell – but I was also pretty sure she might take offense if I interfered, like she wasn’t capable of handling him on her own.

BOOK: Evan Arden 02.5 Uncockblockable
13.92Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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