Page 21 of Needing More
Garrett leaned one hand casually against the door overhead, bracing it shut. "Careful," he called out to Joel on the other side, "you don’t want to hurt her."
"Sapphire, move away from the door." Joel's voice sounded as if he were pressed against the door on the other side.
Sapphire scowled up at Garrett and he gave her an encouraging smile, obviously wanting her to play along. She scowled at him before turning her head and calling out to Joel on the other side. "I can’t. I'm kind of pinned here."
"GarrettfuckingKreager," Joel's voice practically oozed venom from around the seams of the door. "I’ll gut you if you don’t-"
Garrett's grin grew larger and he looked at her but spoke loud enough for Joel to hear. "As I was saying. I would like for you to-"
"Garrett," Joel said his tone now deadly calm. "I’ll not make your death quick. Do you understand me?"
Garrett laughed. "Oh, I think I do, judging by what you did to my bastard uncle Tyler."
Sapphire stilled completely. Looking up, she scanned the man's face. This couldn't be a relative of that snake Tyler. This man was handsome. He looked fit and healthy, unlike the wiry meth head that had tried to kill her. Surely they couldn't be from the same family.
Sensing her worry, Garrett pulled his gaze away from the door and gave her a reassuring look. "Don’t worry. Everyone hated the piece of shit," he explained. "His ex-girlfriend and son are more than relieved he is out of their lives."
"Good," Joel barked from the other side of the door. "Then you know just what the fuck I'm going to do to you if you don’t get the fuck back!"
"As I have been trying to say," Garrett went on again. "I'm going up to Houston at the end of the week and want to bring someone some nice cookies in return for the ones she brought over last time she was here. And I hear your cookies are very good."
Blinking in confusion, Sapphire had to think about his words. "Umm, yeah sure. How many were you wanting?"
"I was thinking a dozen should be fine."
"Flavor?" she asked.
"Now, that is where I leave it up to you. I don’t eat a lot of cookies so my knowledge of them ends at chocolate chip."
They both heard a muffled curse and stomps going back up the stairs. Garrett looked far too pleased with Joel's sudden surrender of the door.
A familiar voice behind Garrett stole the satisfied smile on the man's face. "There’s only one other way out from upstairs and that's the fire escape." They both looked to see Vic standing in front of the café door.
Vic stepped forward and put his arm around Garrett's shoulder. Sapphire didn't miss the way Garrett stiffened as Vic forcibly pulled him well away from her.
Vic's voice, however, held no note of the hidden animosity. It was friendly and clear as he asked, "Hey there Garrett, it's been a while. How's high school?"
Sapphire stood in shocked silence as the meaning of Vic's words bounced around the air. Doing a double take, she stared openly at Garrett.
Reading her shocked thoughts, Vic nodded with a smile. "Yep, he may look like he's pushing thirty," he said, slapping Garrett painfully on the back. "But this guy is actually barely legal and still in high school."
Garrett grinned at Vic, a flash of teeth really, and Sapphire could sense the crackle of hidden hostility between the two men. "Now here I was thinking she only captured two of the three Heathens," Garrett said smoothly.
Sapphire blinked, not quite comprehending what was going on.
Vic walked over to the counter and leaned casually back against it with his hands in his pockets and gave Garrett a bored look. "Oh, you could say I'm under her spell just enough to intervene on this matter."
"You two are aware that I'm standing right here, right?"
Neither man looked at her, they just kept their gaze on the other.
Another set of thumps, heavier than before, sounded above them.
Vic's grin grew wider. "I'd say you got less than two minutes to pay for your cookies and get out of here before Hayden takes the door off by the hinges and Joel comes down the fire escape ladder."
Garrett gave the ceiling a considering look as if imagining the angry occupants on the other side. "You may be right." Garrett turned to her. "How much for the dozen?"
Oh, so she was all of a sudden visible again. She considered teasing him but thought better of it when she heard another angry thump from above. "Well, if you want them to be special, I would say about twenty-three dollars," she announced going around the counter and grabbing her notebook.
