Page 12 of Wishful Thinking

Chapter Eight

The darkness of men

Sal stood on the outskirts, scanning the throng for her. Hundreds filled the area to full capacity and he knew the possibility was that she’d show up. Without Stella there, being forced into introductions with Belle was no longer a concern. The crowd varied from sixteen to eighty, and they mingled amongst themselves, boozing, dancing, and chattering. As the band rocked the crowd, Sal watched from the finest vantage-point he could find. The lead singer decked out in a mish-mash of Hawaiian, had a touch of Goth thrown in for effect. The rest of the band were more mellow, wearing thin white tunics and shorts. As the singer, Dean, howled to the audience between whispered segments of his songs, the masses ate it up.

The sight of the flowingplatinum hair captured his eyes. Drawing the camera up, he gazed through the lens at the gorgeous view. Angel had granted him license to take pictures, figuring free advertising might bring in more visitors to this sector of town. He studied her as she stepped through the pack. Long shimmering gauze, her almost-sheer flowing dress gleamed in the bulbs above her. The crowds parted like the red sea as she glided through. Eyes attracted to her. Sal couldn’t decidebetween watching for Dick and staring at her like a lovesick teenager. She crossed to the bar unhindered and SalsawLacey hand her a glass of white wine over the cluster of heads. Familiarity had its advantages, and he saw no cash exchange hands. Belle stepped back into the crowd and got within five feet of the stage. The lead vocalist zeroed in on her,and Sal could feel his jealousy rise,a dark simmering cloud of emotion moved through him. Dean extended a finger towards Belle as he sang to her. Licking his lips, he crooned of undying love and murder. Belle grinned and swayed to the song. Sipping her wine, she nodded to the smooth singer. Sal wondered if she knew the guy.

He scanned the crowds looking for Dick’s face. After fifteen minutes of watching, Sal left his perch and moved to the bar. He was sweating like a pig and needed a drink. The crowd wasn’t as forgiving for him as he nudged and prodded his way to the side edge of the bar. Angel was like a madman, pouring shots, hefting icybeers, and taking cash. Sal envied his dexterity at being able to talk and serve at the same time. Lacey was on double duty. Having manned the gate taking money and handing out paper bracelets was now busting her ass behind the bar. Moving in and out, she and Angel working in tandem to take care of the thirsty crowd.

A young guy with tattoos up and down both arms hauled out cases of beer and stocked the fridges every few minutes. They set the large refrigeration truck up behind the joint, the source of the cold beverages. Angel watched as the young guy scanned the crowd and locked in on Belle. She moved towards the bar, smiling bright.

Sal didn’t wanta reunion yetand edged into the crowd. He watched Lacey catch her eye, take the empty glass, and refill it. The beer boy stopped in the doorway to the kitchen and watched her with frank lust in his eyes. It pissed Sal off, and his anger rose. Lacey turned and bumped into tattoo-guy and said something. He gave one long stare at Belles departing head and moved back into the kitchen, Lacey in pursuit. A few minutes later he emerged with three more cases of beer and resumed restocking the coolers.

The band played a forty-five minute set, then took a break. Taking a back route off of the stage, the group emerged behind the bar. Angel handed them each a bottle, the singer, a shortglass filled with whiskey and ice. The band moved to the kitchen, and the crowd waited for their return. Sal lost sight of Belle for a minute and berated himself. He was supposed to be keeping his eyes open, but figured with a crowd, what’s the worst that could happen? Too many witnesses willtake the edge off of revenge. He moved back to the bar to get a drink and Lacey handed him a chilled bottle of Cerveza with a smile and moved on to the next customer. Sal swallowed down half the bottle, feeling the coldness quench his extreme thirst. A young girl kept bumping into him. Sal looked at her, figuring her no older than eighteen.

“Buy me a drink, hottie?” she said, batting her eyelashes. The crowd bumped her from behind, and Sal reached out a hand to steady her. Teetering on her four inch stilettos, he noticed her micro-mini skirt. It hung tight to her frame and her ass jutted out like a small shelf, enough but not too much. Her tank topstuck to her breasts and he could see she wasn’t wearing a bra, her nipples protruding as she brushed them across his chest. He debated what to do when Lacey cut in and handed the girl a bubbly glass of cola.

“Chill it Lil, this dude is too mature for you. Jailbait isn’t on his agenda tonight, at least I don’t think so.” Lil frowned at Lacey and shrugged her shoulders. She flashed a brilliant grin and turned back into the crowd.

“Watch that one. She tried to convince a wealthy touristthat he had knocked her up. He insistedhe nevertouched her, but that didn’t help matters with the cops. They’re clueless and just take a minor’s account as truth. Her ma kicked her out for drugs and shit. She’s searching for a sugar daddy, so unless you wish to become hers, steer clear.” Sal laughed and thanked her for the warning, swung around and looked at the back of Belle’s head as she departed the overflow area and proceeded towards the beach. He gulped down the last of the beer and set the empty on the bar. Squeezing through the crowd, he followed the white ghost.

He allowed her a five-minute head start and kept to the dunes and out of sight. If she turned, he wanted to look like an accidental strangerviewing the ocean, not a stalker following her. Her white dress flowed in the moonlight and she shimmered like a specter. Sal understood now why Stella had given her the term, it fit like a glove. There was another bodynow between himself and Belle. He watched, concerned. Unsure ofwhere the individual hadentered from, he realizedit was a man. Not a big guy, and nowhere near the size of Dick, he observed as the man closed the distance between himself and Belle. Sal moved quick to shorten the distance.

Two minutes later, Belle came to the spotwhere the rocks jutted out. High tide was on and unless she wanted a soak in the surf, she’d have to cut-through to the road. She headed left towards the dunes where the path lay between homes. Sal lost sight of her. The man behind her had disappeared. Sal felt his gut clench and sprinted to catch up.

A muffled scream cut off, and Sal freaked out. He had not brought his pistol; He realized at the last moment. Coming through the grasses, he looked at Belle on the ground. The tattooed man from the bar was shoving up her skirt as he pushed down his shorts. One hand covered her mouth. He fumbled as she rocked back and forth trying to escape his restraint. Her eyes large, she saw Sals shadow and groaned. The guy withdrew his hand from her mouth and punched her hard. As she lay beneath him, he smirked as he ran his tongue up her face. He shifted his shorts off of his hips and forced her dress up with both hands. One hand grabbed at her breast and twisted it, as he ripped her lace panties off with the other. Kneeling above her, he seized his dick and traced his finger over her pubic hair. Bending his head down, he moved in to separate the fine silky hair with his tongue.

“Oh sugar, you and me. Gonna take my time here baby girl, slide it in real nice and then I’ll give it to you from behind. You ain’t gonna notice, unfortunately, but it’ll work.”

The man’s scream filled the air as Sal grabbed him by his greasy ponytail.

“Not today, motherfucker, never!” Sal whispered to him. He whipped the man around and punched him repeatedly, crushing his nose and knocking his front teeth out. Sal feltthe shooting pain in his hand and stopped. The man fell beside Belle. Sal kicked him in the ribs twice, the sound of breaking bones and screams filled the air. The man’s dick lay lifeless as Sal stomped on his groin once with a grin. A light came on in the house,and Sal glanced at Belle. Shelay on the ground dazed. The man wasn’t moving. A door to the home opened, and a flashlight scanned the yard.

“Who’s there? Honey, something’s going on, I’ll be right back, gonna check it out. I’m taking Ginger with me.” The deep bark from the house startled Sal, and he walked towards the beach without looking back. Not ready to meet Ginger, he headed down the path and over the dunes.He hoped Belle wasin good hands. Sal moved towards the bar. The dog barked in the distance behind him and he smiled, knowing help had arrived.

Hearing the band and crowd, Sal had had enough for one night. His hand was bleeding, and it throbbed. Slipping toward the road, he headed towards home. The sound of a siren started in the darkness behind him, and he stepped off the road, watching as the vehicle moved towards the house where he’d left Belle. A police car followed seconds later and Sal walked across the street to give the house wide berth. Not ready to announce his presence to her, he wondered if the guy was an acquaintance of Dicks or just a pig who raped unsuspecting women.

Sal walked into the bungalow and went to the freezer, grabbed a bag of vegetables and wrapped it in a towel before setting it on his hand. The bright crimson bruising was tender, and it hurt when he put the weight on it.

“Shit, who knew peas and carrots could hurt so bad.” He grabbed a beer and moved out on the back porch. The moon stood high, mocking him. Belle’s face as she lay on the ground filled him and he reconstructed the scene, knowing he had done the right thing. Second guessing himself on if he should have stuck around.

“I hope she remembered what the scumbag did. I know the asshole won’t forget what I did,” he said to the empty horizon. Sal chugged the beer and glanced towards her home, it stood dark, void of life. He cried, happy he had come, realizing if only for tonight, he had helped to save her from the cruelest hands of fate.

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