The One who got Away

I could see Samuel’s face go red and daggers shoot from his eyes. It never ceased to surprise me how much Garth can piss someone off with an off-hand remark like that.

“I’d like a tour,” Alex said. “But to be honest, I’m an old-fashioned kinda guy.”

“So, are you back for good, or just visiting?”

“Visiting,” Alex said.

“You’re still in Miami, right?” Garth asked, returning his hand on Alex’s shoulder, something I’ve seen him do all the time. It was Garth’s way of showing the person in front of him that he had the upper hand, and from the looks of it, Alex knew that, too. And was not liking it.

“That’s right,” Alex said, his smile faltering for only a moment.

“Homicide, was it?”

“DEA.”

Garth’s smile faded a bit. “Yeah, that’s it. The D-E-A. Keeping the streets of Miami free of drugs.”

“Something like that,” Alex said, forcing a tight smile.

There were few times when I had seen Garth interact with others. Most of the time when we were together, we were either arguing or fucking, and in both cases, alone. It was rare that I actually got to witness his dealings with other people, and there was a good reason for that. When it came to social skills, pretentious was an understatement in regard to Garth Liston, and he had a way of getting under your skin, which pissed off most people he dealt with.

And in the case of Alex Logan, I could see he wasn’t fairing any better.

I was impressed by Alex’s control, although there were enough signs to show that he was as comfortable with this back and forth as I was watching it. His jaw was clenched, his smile just a little too wide, and his eyes betrayed him completely. Garth would definitely pick up on that, no doubt about it, but if he did, he wasn’t showing it. Right now, he was marking his territory, letting Alex know who the bigger fish in this pond was, and he was doing it with the grace of a Neanderthal.

What the hell do you see in him?

I asked myself that question all the time. I would have loved to write it off as just a sexual attraction, but a part of me knew that the bad boy ensemble was something I was pretty much drawn to like a moth to the flame. The only question was, how long would I be able to put up with Garth’s shit before it became too much.

“Hey, while you’re here, why don’t you talk to your old man about selling that piece of land he’s been holding on to?” Garth asked, leaning in as if he and Alex were old friends.

“Why don’t you ask me yourself?” Samuel said.

Garth smiled at him and raised both hands in mock surrender. “Hey, I’m just the middle man here. Gotta do the job, you know. Don’t shoot the messenger and all that.”

“I got a double-barrel that would love to do just that,” Samuel replied.

Garth’s eyes darkened, although the smile never left his face. I knew that look, although I’d never actually been on the receiving end of it. Luckily. Garth wasn’t used to be told that he couldn’t have something; it was as if you had insulted him just by saying no. Samuel didn’t seem to care, though, and stared right back at Garth, resolute.

“Your old man’s stubborn,” Garth said through clenched teeth.

“You can’t really blame him,” Alex replied. “He’s really hung up on that bit of land. I suggest you tell your friend, whoever he is, that he should stop trying and maybe look for something else.”

Garth’s gaze shifted to Alex, and for a second there, the look they shared made chills run up and down my back. I shifted in my seat, adjusting myself for no other reason other than to avoid the awkwardness, and briefly met Kelly’s eye. She smiled at me and winked, as if she knew how I felt and was trying to console me. Don’t worry, my dad’s got this, her eyes seemed to tell me, and I smiled weakly back.

“You know, they’re offering quite a lot of money for it,” Garth said. “More than it’s worth. Enough to put your daughter through college and then some.” Garth reached for Alex’s shoulder, but this time Alex quickly brushed the hand away. “I think you should talk with your old man. It’s not fair for you, Alex. He’s not going to be around forever, and chances like these only come once.”

“You know, I think we’ll be okay,” Alex said. “Besides, Kelly’s looking forward to student loans, aren’t you sweetheart?”

“The backbone of the American economy,” Kelly replied lazily. I smiled. The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree.

Garth looked at Kelly, a look that gave me chills, and smiled. “Smart girl.” He turned back to Alex and smiled even more. “I heard your wife passed. Sorry I missed the funeral, man.”

I winced. That was a low blow.

Alex, though, seemed unfazed. “That’s okay,” he said. “We hardly noticed you weren’t there.”

Garth’s smile dropped. I quickly turned away, hoping he didn’t see the smile I had failed to control, and adjusted myself in my seat again.