That Man 3 (9 page)

Vera gave me another hug. “Thanks, Blake. I really appreciate it. You’re the best.”

A warm feeling warded off the chill of knowing Springer out there. Somewhere. From
the corner of my eye, I saw a doctor heading our way. He had a smattering of salt
and pepper hair and wore rimless glasses.

“I’m Dr. Walters, the lead physician looking after Eddie Falcon.”

“How’s he doing?” I asked anxiously.

The doctor lifted his glasses on top of his balding head. I’d watched enough television
shows to know that wasn’t a good sign. My heart pounded with apprehension.

“He’s a lucky man. He’s going to be all right. We’re going to keep him here a few
days for observation.”

I sighed with relief. So did Vera.

“Can we see him?” she asked.

The doctor nodded. “Yes. But he’s very tired and on a morphine drip. So keep the visit
short. He’s in Room 520.”

We thanked the doctor and together headed down the hall to Eddie’s room.

Nothing prepared me for the sight of Eddie. Besides being hooked up to a bunch of
beeping machines and tubes, his eyes were swollen shut, a wide bandage covered his
head, and he was caked with dry blood from cuts and bruises everywhere. Bile rose
to the back of my throat.

Vera and I sat down in a pair of armchairs close to his bed. He cracked a small smile
upon seeing us.

“Hi, boss.” His voice was a hoarse whisper. “Not such a merry Christmas.”

I didn’t know what to say. “You’re going to be okay, Eddie.”

“That’s what the doc said. Did they catch the motherfucker?”

My heart sunk to my stomach. I wanted so much to tell him yes. I bowed my head and
shook it. “Not yet, but they’re going to. And when they do, I’m going to make sure
that bastard burns in hell.”

Rage coursed through my blood like an angry cobra. I was going to bring that motherfucker
down whatever it took, even if I had to hunt him down myself.

Vera chimed in. “The doctor said you’ll be going home in a few days.”

Eddie was going to need police protection too.

Vera continued. “I called your ex-wife. She’s going to fly in tomorrow from Miami
and look after you.”

A ray of happiness glinted in Eddie’s swollen eyes. “She’s a good girl. Wish it had
worked out.”

Eddie and his wife had recently divorced. She hated living in Vegas and even more
so, couldn’t take Eddie’s porn career. Being in this business wasn’t easy. I had to
give credit to Vera and her husband for keeping it together.

Eddie’s eyelids began to lower. It was a signal for us to leave. He needed rest.

I stood up. Vera followed suit.

“Take care, man. And trust me, we’re going to nail that motherfucker.”

*

Vera asked me if I wanted to grab a bite in the hospital’s cafeteria. Having not eaten
dinner and drained, I readily agreed.

Though cheerfully decorated for the holidays, there was something very depressing
about having dinner here on Christmas Day. There were not many diners—just some weary
looking doctors and nurses and a handful of glum-eyed visitors. Having a loved one
who was sick in the hospital over Christmas must be very depressing. A pang of sadness
hit me in the gut as I bit into my tuna fish sandwich. Vera had ordered the same along
with two coffees.

She took a bite of the sandwich and put it down. “Blake, I meant to thank you for
the generous bonus. I was blown away.”

I smiled. On top of her six-figure salary, I’d given her a hefty $50,000 bonus. She
was worth her weight in gold. “You deserved it. Our Vegas affiliate is our number
one station thanks to you.”

Her smile widened. “I love what I do. And I love working with you. Thanks to the bonus,
we’re finally going to be able to remodel our kitchen.”

“That’s great.” I took a sip of my coffee.

“Oh, I also want to thank you for the boxful of
Power Ranger
toys you sent to Joshua. He went bananas. He’s going to write you a thank-you note.”

Joshua was her six-year-old son. Unlike my obnoxious twin nephews, he was a great
kid. Polite and precocious. Despite her hectic, high-powered job, Vera had done a
great job bringing him up. If I ever had a son, I hoped he’d be a lot like Josh. It
would, of course, take a special woman to instill him with love and the right values.
Jennifer’s beautiful face flashed into my head. My heart hammered. Fuck. I missed
her.

As if she were a mind reader, Vera asked, “How’s it going with Jennifer?”

I could feel my face light up. “She broke up with her fiancé.”

Vera high-fived me. “Con­grat­ulat­ions.”

“I followed your advice. Proved to her that Dickwick was not the right guy for her.”
I wasn’t going to tell her how I did that. No way. That video I took of him and his
hygienist was no one’s business. I sure hoped she wasn’t going to ask for details.
Thank fucking God, she didn’t.

“And so…”

My face heated up. Electricity coursed through my blood vessels and I could feel my
cock stir. “I told her I loved her.”

“Oh my!” A cheek-to-cheek smile spread across her kind face.

I don’t know what made me do it, but I launched into my story of surprising her at
her house in Boise. And chatted away about the time we spent together.

“Blake Burns, you surprise me. You are quite the romantic.”

I felt my face flush with embarrassment. Yup, the former Mr. Hook-Up was now a contender
for the title, Mr. Romance. I inwardly had to laugh at myself.

We finished our sandwiches and drank the coffee to the last drop.

“Blake, where are you staying tonight?”

Fuck. I hadn’t made any arrangements. Vegas hotels were probably booked up because
of the holidays. I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. I don’t have a hotel reservation.”

She smiled warmly. “You don’t need one. Stay at our place. We have a spare bedroom,
and I’m sure Joshua will be thrilled to see you.”

At first I hesitated, but then took her up on her kind offer. Besides, I wanted to
be there in case fucking Springer showed up. Mental note: Make sure Vera has twenty-four
hour surveillance.

Vera’s house was a modest sixties contemporary located not far from the hospital.
It was great to see her good-natured husband Steve with whom I shared a cigar and,
of course, little Josh, who roped me into playing Power Rangers with him. I asked
if he liked SpongeBob.

He rolled his eyes at me. “Uncle Blake, SpongeBob rules!”

I immediately thought again of my beautiful tiger.

After setting up security for Vera and her family as well as for Eddie, I called her.
To my disappointment, her phone went straight to voice mail. I told her everything
was okay in Vegas and that I would be heading back to LA in the morning. My last words:
“I love you.”

I went to bed in the small but comfortable guest room with my cell phone by my ear.
I called Jen again and texted.
Nada.
I even tried calling her parents, but damn it, their phone number was unlisted. This
Christmas Day, which had started out so great, had ended up with tragedy and uncertainty.
Maybe I’d blown it with Jennifer leaving her so abruptly with little explanation.
With a heavy heart, I finally succumbed to sleep.

*

I woke up in the morning to the smell of fresh coffee. Though the guest bed at Vera’s
house was as comfortable as could be, I slept like shit. All night long, I tossed
and turned thinking about Jennifer, and having fucking Springer on my mind didn’t
help. Before getting out of bed, I stretched my arm to the nightstand where I’d moved
my phone. I quickly checked my texts and messages. Not a word from my tiger despite
how many times I’d tried to contact her. For sure, I’d fucked up again.

Feeling blue as balls, I staggered out of bed, did my usual morning routines in the
adjacent guest bathroom, and then threw on some sweats. I could use a good hot cup
of java. It wasn’t even seven o’clock. Having an active six-year-old in the house
did not make for sleeping in. I remembered those days well. I was a holy terror. My
parents were lucky they could afford nannies to run after me.

Vera and her family were already at the breakfast table when I showed up. The kitchen
was indeed a little run-down with old appliances and cabinets. I was glad Vera was
going to be able to spruce it up with her bonus money.

“Hi, Uncle Blake,” said Josh, playing with one of his Power Ranger action figures
while eating his breakfast.

“Hi, Josh,” I said with faux cheeriness.

Vera’s husband Steve, dressed in pajamas, also welcomed me.

Vera, wearing a long white silky robe that looked brand new, was at the stove stirring
a pot of what must be oatmeal. Hearing my voice, she turned around. I noticed her
robe bore the insignia of Gloria’s Secret—a small hot pink heart on the top pocket.
Maybe it was a Christmas present from Steve.

“Good morning, Blake. What can I get you?”

“A cup of coffee would be great. And whatever you’re making.” Truthfully, I wasn’t
hungry. I took a seat at the table, and Vera brought me both a mug of coffee and a
bowl of oatmeal. I took a sip of the hot beverage and instantly felt the caffeine
rush into my bloodstream. I took another sip and my spirits lifted a teensy bit.

Just as Vera was about to join us at the table, the phone rang. She dashed over to
a kitchen counter to pick it up. She listened intently and then broke into a smile.

“Thank you for letting me know,” she said and hung up the phone.

Still wearing a smile and holding a mug of coffee, she sat down at the table facing
me. She was extremely pretty. She wore her blond hair short, and a combination of
warmth and intelligence radiated from her toffee brown eyes. She was so different
from the blond bimboes I dated. I mean,
used
to date.

“Great news, Blake. They caught Don Springer.”

My eyes lit up. “Where’d they find him?”

She took a sip of her coffee. “The police picked him up at the airport.”

“Thank f—God.” I managed not to say the f-word in front of Josh. Springer was lucky.
Man, if I had found him, I would have cut off his balls and maybe cut out his heart.
I could never forgive him for what he did to Jennifer. Or to poor Eddie.

Vera’s husband Steve was also relieved.

“Who’s Don
Sp
w
inger?”
asked Josh, who had an adorable speech impediment because he was missing a front
tooth.

Vera ruffled her fingers through his sandy hair. “No one you know, mister. Now get
going. Daddy’s going to take you bike riding this morning.”

Finishing his milk, Josh jumped up. “Come on, Daddy. Hurry. Let’s go,” he shouted
as he scooted out of the room.

Steve rose from the table. “Gotta go. Will I be seeing you later, Blake?”

“Not sure. Probably not.”

“Well good to see you, man, and thanks for the cigar.” He winked at me. “Don’t mess
with my wife.”

Steve knew about my reputation as a player, but he had a sense of humor about it.
Moreover, his marriage was rock solid, and he knew I loved and respected Vera. She
was more than a fellow employee. She was a dear friend and almost like a sister to
me.

“Don’t worry,” I said with a little laugh. He gave Vera peck on the cheek and followed
his son out the door.

Vera sipped her coffee. “I’m glad that’s over.”

“Me too. Springer’s going to be doing a good amount of time.”
Life behind bars
would be better
, I silently added.
The fucking animal.

Vera smiled. “Well, I guess you can go back to Boise and spend the rest of your holiday
with Jennifer.”

I twisted my mouth. “Can’t. Jennifer doesn’t want to see me.”

Vera’s knitted her brows. “What do you mean?”

“She hasn’t answered any of my texts or calls.”

“What’s going on?”

“She probably thinks I came to Vegas to see some babe. I didn’t tell her the real
reason for splitting.”

Vera rolled her eyes. “Jesus, Blake. Why didn’t you tell her?”