Page 60 of On the Line

Why the fuck would he be calling me?

We haven’t talked since my birthday party. God knowswhat he’d want if I picked up. Nothing good would come out of us speaking. I let it ring, a sick sense of dread scalding up my throat. When the call finally ends, I delete the missed call and pretend it was just a glitch in the matrix. Nothing more.

An hour and a half later,I’m sitting on a bar stool near Ozzy’s prep station while he finishes slicing up the last of the wonton wraps into chips to fry. Elle left an hour ago, and the night porter isn’t scheduled for another half hour so it’s just us in here for now. I’ve never seen Orso so quiet, like a wild beast slumbering for the winter.

“Jamie! I know you’re in there!”

The indignant voice pierces the silence like a rusty knife.

Ozzy and I freeze, his quizzical gaze slicing into mine. He might not immediately recognize the voice but I do. My eyes go wide while I stumble to my feet, knocking the stool over.

“Oh my god, it’s Zac?—”

I don’t have time to finish my sentence before my ex stumbles into the kitchen like a raging bull.

How the hell did he even get in here?

Then I remember Ozzy propped the back door ajar when he last went for a smoke.

Years of being terrified of Zachary’s erratic actions sink back into me like cement, and I can’t move. Not one step. I can only watch, horrified.

“Jamie …” I can tell by the glazed look in his eyes and how he slurs my name that he's been drinking.

“Wh—” My voice cracks with nerves, and I close myeyes for a small breath, swallowing hard, then pin him with my stare. “What are you doing—how did you even know I was here?”

His lip curls into a snarl, eyes narrowing. “Stupid bitch, too dumb to realize I permanently shared your location with my phone when you were sleeping.”

His insults are sharp, but somehow, this time, they don’t cut into my skin.

I feel Ozzy shift behind me but I hold out my hand, signaling him to stop.

Zachary takes a step forward, and I take a step back, my heart hammering.

“Please leave,” I say as forcefully as I can muster.

“Jamie,” he whines, his demeanor shifting on a dime. “I need to talk to you, I miss?—”

“That’s enough, buddy.” Ozzy steps in front of me, blocking me from Zachary’s path. “She told you to leave, soleave.” His tone is neutral but still manages to sound ice-cold.

Zachary stumbles backward as if pushed, looking genuinely shocked that someone would cut him off while he was speaking. His lip lifts into a snarl. He tries to meet my gaze behind Ozzy, but I look down at the floor. I feel nauseous, I can’t bear even looking at him.

He starts to chuckle. It’s dry and menacing as it ripples over my skin like unwelcome goosebumps. “So what? You’re fucking this loser now? I mean, look at him,” he spits in disgust. “I knew you were a disgusting slut, but I never thought you’d sink to this level.”

“That’s it,” Ozzy hisses, taking another menacing step toward Zachary. “You aren’t going to speak to her like that in front of me.”

Zachary smirks while Ozzy walks toward him, probablythinking because he has a few inches over him, he’d beat Ozzy in a fight.

Ozzy places a hand on Zachary’s shoulder. He tries to shove it away but Ozzy is faster, grabbing him by the collar and dragging Zachary to the fryer. There’s a scuffle, and it happens so fast that my brain lags trying to decipher what's going on.

I hear Zachary scream.

It’s blood-curdling and my hands fly to my face in shock, covering my mouth.

I realize then that Ozzy has plunged Zachary’s right hand into the fryer. I hear the hot oil sizzle before Ozzy grabs him by the back of his shirt with both hands. He pulls him away from the kitchen while Zachary whimpers, his left hand holding the mangled skin of his right. His feet skitter and slip on the floor while Ozzy drags him out the back door.

Needing to see how this ends, I follow them out into the parking lot. Ozzy shoves Zachary onto the pavement and spits on him.

Zachary is a blubbering mess, eyes wide. “You’re fucking crazy.” He repeats it a few times under his breath as if stunned. But his gaze is etched in terror as if he can’t even comprehend that someone could physically harm him.

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