Page 22 of Towles

“It’s that guy,” Denise pulled on her shorts, and we left the room.

I opened the door and found Paul Summers raising his hand to Sophia. Her left eye was already black and blue.

I grabbed Summers’ arm and pulled him back. He took a swing, missed, and then got a punch in the jaw.

“Motherfucker,” Summers said. “I’ll sue your ass.” He grabbed his phone and called 911. I let him finish the call.

“The fuck are you doing?” I said. “Get the fuck out.” I grabbed the man by the arm and dragged him down the hall.

“You don’t know who you’re fucking with,” the man said.

“I chuckled. “Paul Summers.” I shoved the man out the front door as a police cruiser pulled into the parking lot. Manning never seemed to take a day off. The asshole drew his gun and pointed it at me.

“I wanna file charges,” Summers said.

“On the ground, Ethan.” Manning moved closer. “Do it.”

“He was fucking hitting one of our girls.” I got down on my knees and then moved to my stomach. I put my hands behind my back because I knew Manning wasn’t strong enough to do it himself. “You’re making a fucking mistake.”

With my help, Manning lifted me from the ground. He pushed me to the cruiser, ignoring Summers.

“I’ll call Beast,” Denise said.

“Twice in twenty-four hours,” Manning said. “We need to stop meeting like this. People will start to talk.”

“What is it with you, Manning? Why a dick all of a sudden?”

“I’m doing my job, Ethan.”

“If you were doing your job, my parents would still be alive.”

He glanced at me through the mirror. I’d hit a chord.

At county, he booked me for assault and took me to the same cell I’d been in the day before. Everything was going just fucking perfect. I lay on the cot and took a nap, interrupted by a soft, sweet voice; I thought I’d died in my sleep and gone to heaven.

“Ethan,” April said. She held the bars as if she were in a cell, not me.

“What’re you doing here?” I stood and went to the bars. It just sort of happened. Her face was practically between two bars, and I kissed her. She didn’t pull away. Instead, she put her hand against my face.

“Beast and Waters are getting you out now. What happened?”

“Some asshole was beating on one of our girls, so I clocked his ass.” I took a step back. “Guess I need to go back to those anger management sessions.”

“What? Ethan, What?”

“The guy’s name was Paul Summers. You know him?”

“Shit!” She moved back against the wall and covered her mouth.

“Who the fuck is he, April?”

“My husband.” She came closer. “What was he doing there?”

“What every other guy does there. Looking for pussy.”

“He hit a woman,” she said and turned away. “He’s never done that before.”

“Bullshit,” I blurted. “I’m sorry, April. I didn’t mean to…”

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