Page 51 of Accidental Abduction

Clenching my fists in my lap, I tried not to rise to her bait. She knew I was in grad school, so I had a feeling thekids’comment was aimed at me. I was only two years younger than her, but apparently that meant I was a child.

“We have Tito’s. If you want something different, you’re in the wrong bar,ma’am.”

“Excuse me? Does your boss know you’re trying to turn away business?”

Annie had been around long before I’d been hired. She was one of the original bartenders Hudson had trained when he started working here full time straight out of college.

“Is there anything else I can get for you?” Annie growled with a strained smile that was bordering on frightening.

“Well, since everything you serve here is gross and fried, I guess just the drink. You can put it on Hudson’s tab. I’m waiting for him right now. Has he come in yet? He’s supposed to be back today.”

“I’m sorry,ma’am,but Hudson doesn’t allow anyone to add drinks to histab.And no, he’s not here yet. He had avery, verylong weekend being stranded by the snowstorm. I’m the only bartender on shift right now.”

“But he’salwayshere,“ she pouted.

“Not right now. But I’d be happy to pass the message along that you stopped by to meet him.”

“Meethim? He’s my boyfriend,“ she laughed, but she sounded a bit manic.

I tried not to let the comment sting, because I knew better, but she had better be fucking wrong. Hudson hadn’t acted like he was going to go running back tobitchtasticas soon as we got back to town.

“Hardly,” I coughed under my breath and Annie shot me a look with wide eyes that I should probably keep my mouth shut. But fuck that shit.

“He’ll probably be in soon,” I mentioned casually. “He was planning to take a nap because he was exhausted from digging out the drive from the main road to the cabin this morning.”

“And you know this how?” Viv asked, leaning on the bar next to me and narrowing her eyes.

“Because I helped him.”

“Youwere at the cabin with him?”

“Sure was.”

“Do you make it a habit of spending the weekend snowed into cabins with other people’s boyfriends? Or did you sneak up there, so he’d be stuck with you?” she asked, but judging by the daggers she was staring at my neck, she’d noticed his work. Not that it’d be familiar to her.

“Well, that would involve Hudson having a girlfriend. Last time I checked, he was single.For now.Someone decided last week that it was better if theyexplored their options. And Hudson spent the weekend exploring thefuckout of his. He explored so hard he almost blacked out once.”

“Uh,” she sputtered, her face turning red. I watched as her fingers balled into fists, her knuckles turning white. “Look,Cherrie,or whatever the fuck your name is. Hudson and I arenoton a break. He’s been my boyfriend for four years. We’re planning on moving in together after Christmas and I’ve already picked out a ring for him. I’m willing to overlook whatever you think happened this week, but you better start packing now, because I’m going tomake sure you’re completely gone from his life and this building. Erasing anobodywon’t be very hard.”

Spinning on my stool to face her, I stood, looming over her in my platform combat boots. We may have been built similarly, but I sure as fuck wasn’t going to let her talk to me like this. Things may be uncertain with Hudson, but one thing I was absolutely certain of was that he deserved better than this manipulative bitch.

“Listen here, you thundercun—“ my voice cut off as a palm covered my mouth. My body was suddenly crushed against a hard chest, Hudson’s familiar comforting scent wafting over me.

“Viv, that’s enough,” he growled, the menacing tone from when he’d chased me through the woods returning, sending goose bumps crawling up my spine. “You’ve been told to stay away twice now and chosen to ignore it, should we make it a third time? Because if you don’t leave, Iamgoing to call the cops. And then I’m going to havebothHazel and Charley file harassment complaints against you assaulting them in my bar. I doubt your boss would like to hear about the protective order I file next for stalking.”

“But...” she whimpered, her eyes as wide as saucers as they bounced between his possessive hold on me and his face. “Your sister hit me with a bat. I could sue.”

“Self-defense,” Annie chimed in. “I saw the whole thing and already pulled the camera footage. It clearly shows you yanking Hazel’s hair and dragging her away from a table before she was forced to use the bat to get you to let go.”

I was so sad I didn’t get to witness it in person.

“And I’m not stalking you, I just want to talk to you. Clearly, you misunderstood our conversation last week. Because I…”

Hudson cut her off with a growl. “You made your decision—the bullshit you fed me was perfectly fucking clear—and I sure as fuck made mine. Get out. You’re trespassing.”

“But this is a public bar and I’m a paying customer...”

Annie cut in again. “Technically, you haven’t paid yet. But you still have an outstanding tab from the last two times you were here. I’m sure the police would love to add a misdemeanor for failingto pay a bill for services rendered to the felonies of assault and harassment.”

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