Page 25 of Forgiving Fate

His drunken gaze meets mine and they go wide when they realize the predicament he’s in. He tries to escape, but I shake him one more time, fully dangling him in the air. “Listen here. You’re going to apologize to the kind lady you just spilled your piss beer on and then get the fuck out of here. Or I can promise you, a harsh hangover will be the least of your pain you will feel in the morning.”

I watch as the man visibly swallows, and he quickly gives me a scared nod.

“Good. Now that we have that settled. Apologize.”

Placing the man back on his feet, he stumbles to the side and my eyes roll. When is this night going to fucking end?

Grabbing the back of his shirt, I spin him around to Allie and my anger rises but also fear that I made the situation worse with my reaction. Allie’s terrified expression sends a wave of regret through me and I hate that I didn’t think before I acted.

Her bright blues are wide and she is shaking. Her hair is soaked and pieces lay against her face. And her gray, The Handle hoodie is covered in beer. She looks like she just jumped into a pool fully clothed.

Allie’s eyes dart between the man and me, fear and maybe a hint of anger clear as day on her face.

Clearing my throat and trying to rid my mind of the powerful stench of beer filling my nostrils, I say, “Sorry Allie. Didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just this—”

Allie shakes her head. “Not your fault. Thank you for…whatever the hell that was.”

I nod and shake the guy who has seemed to have fallen asleep. “Wake up,” I say sternly. His head pops up and his eyes go wide as he remembers where he is.

“I-I-I’mmm swoy miss.” His words are slurred. Any other day I would make him stand here and give a proper apology, but I can tell Allie wants to get the hell out of here.

Letting go of the idiot, I don’t bother trying to catch him as he stumbles and falls to the ground face first. Serves him right.

I know I am the last person who should judge anyone when it comes to their vices, but mine doesn’t hurt or put others in danger. The only person my vices are affecting is me. And they will remain that way because no one will ever see what lies behind my mask that I have spent years perfecting.

Nodding over my shoulder, I grab our bags and head to the room. I do my usual check of the room and wave Allie in.

She stands in the middle of the room and doesn’t move. “I’ll be back to drop off food in a little bit. I need to grab a blanket since I’ll be sleeping in the car, so I’ll be a little longer. Do you need anything?”

Allie doesn’t turn around and my body tenses. Something is wrong. I glance around the room and when I finally see what has Allie’s attention, my heart breaks.

Allie is staring into the mirror across the room. Her shoulder is slightly exposed and you can see a scar that is in the process of healing. And judging by her reaction, I assume this is the first time she is seeing her body since the kidnapping.

Not knowing what to do, I suggest, “Hey Allie. Do you want me to grab a flashlight out of the car so you can switch off the lights? I won’t be back for a bit so you can get dressed out here without the fear of me coming back. And when I do, I’ll text you before I knock.”

She doesn’t turn around, her eyes still locked on the mirror. “I can’t change. Clothes are wet.”

What? Since when?

Glancing around the room, I see the bag of clothes Logan sent. The small cloth bag is completely soaked in beer.

Shit.

Think Landon. Quickly. The last thing she needs is to trigger a panic attack after this long day.

“I—uh. There is a Target right down the road. I’ll go grab you some new clothes really quick. In the meantime, I’ll leave my flannel if you want to take that sweater off. I need to get new clothes, anyway. I’ve had the same ones on since New York, so if it gets soaked in beer, that’s fine.”

This time Allie turns, looking completely defeated. “Um. Yeah. I don’t have much of a choice thanks to that dickhead. Um…Thank you.”

Taking my flannel off, I take a step towards her and place the flannel on the bed. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ll grab us some food on the way back as well. Follow me to the door and lock the deadbolt and security lock, please?”

I wait for her to respond, but she just nods and follows me to the door.

I stand and listen to Allie locking the door before heading for the car, and take a deep breath. The muggy Denver air fills my nostrils and I thank whatever higher power that I am away from the stench of beer. Because truthfully, even if it isn’t my choice, I would take anything at this point to make the fire settle…even if it’s for just a millisecond.

Allie

Warm water cascades down my face and I thank the universe that I can finally wash the stench of beer out of my hair.

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