Panic gripped at my heart. Todd had been emotionally and verbally abusive, but he never raised a hand to me. I honestly didn’t think he could take a guy of Edgar’s size, but I also didn’t want to stick around to find out. My heart railed against my chest and my guts were a terrible knotted mess. The tips of my fingers and toes were tingling as a result of the adrenaline rushing through my veins. I tried to swallow against the awful dry lump that had lodged itself in my throat. In an act of desperation, I tried to grab hold of Edgar’s arm, like I could pull him away from danger.
But Edgar stood firm. He wasn’t about to back down.
13
Edgar
I was never a violent man. I never saw the point of settling arguments with the use of fists over words. But this asshole Todd was really starting to help me see the appeal. Apart from what Daliah told me about the guy, I didn’t know him. I didn’t know his story, his side of things. But I didn’t need to in order to know he’d crossed a line. When I heard Daliah raise her voice –something I’d never before witnessed– I knew that something was wrong. I got up from the couch and quietly made my way over in time to hear Todd’s demands for money and every fiber of my being threatened to tear him a new one. This man, what with his terrible fashion sense and patchy beard, was nothing but bad news.
“I’ll say this again only once,” I grumbled, “I suggest you leave.”
Todd balled his hands into fists and raised them up before him. He was a scrawny little thing, so I wasn’t worried, but I felt Daliah grip at the fabric of my shirt from behind.
“Please,” she whimpered, “please stop. Don’t hurt him, Edgar. He’s not worth it.”
“You’re a disgrace,” I hissed at the man. “You’re the kind of guy who gives men a bad rep.”
“Fuck that shit,” Todd snarled. “Put your fists up and fight me. Or are you too much of a coward? Let me show you what a real man looks like.”
“A real man would support their woman no matter what. From what I heard, you’re anything but.”
Todd rolled his eyes. His cheeks were red and puffy, eyes wide and dangerously wild. I could see him for what he really was: a man-child. It honestly left me bewildered to know that this insolent excuse of a human being was with a wonderful person like Daliah. She deserved better. Why she put up with him in the first place, I’ll never know. I didn’t want to know. All I cared about was keeping her safe. Todd needed to leave. If that meant resorting to physical force, so be it. As long as he didn’t get a hand on Daliah, as long as he didn’t breathe another word to her, I would be more than satisfied.
“Please,” he scoffed. “She’s just an airhead with big dreams. I couldn’t stand coddling her every minute of every day. You know how artists get. They’re all a bunch of posers. They splash a bunch of colors on a piece of paper and expect people to applaud them for it. Ridiculous. I was tired of working two jobs to pay the bills and keep food on the table while she played around in her paints.”
I puffed my chest out and flared my nostrils, infuriated beyond comprehension. “You never believed in her,” I realized quietly. “You never did.”
“Uh, duh. The only reason I stuck around for so long was because she gives excellent head.”
Boiling anger filled my lungs. I clenched my jaw so tight I could hear my molars squeak against each other. The only thing I heard over the rush of blood to my head was Daliah’s soft sobs. I didn’t dare take my eyes off Todd lest he try and take a swing at me, but I could tell Daliah was beside herself with embarrassment and shame. It would have been easy, so easy to reach out and strangle him. I’d squeeze so hard and relish the chance to watch as Todd’s smug confidence dripped away into fear and defeat. But I stood my ground. Violence wasn’t the answer, and there was no way I was about to risk Daliah’s safety just to satisfy my vicious desires.
“The difference between you and I is that I do believe in her,” I grumbled. “You’ll never be man enough to buy out an entire gallery for her like I did. You are and always will be a piece of trash.”
“I don’t need a lecture from some stuck up asshole like you.”
“You said you wanted money,” I growled, reaching into my jeans’ back pocket to pull out my wallet. I flipped it open and grabbed a couple hundred dollar bills out. I tossed the money at Todd, who immediately lowered his fists to try and snatch the bills out of the air. Todd fell to his knees to pick up the money he’d missed. He managed to grab about seven or eight hundred dollars, which was nothing to me considering my annual salary. “Is that enough?” I asked dryly. “Or do you think you’ll want more?”