Post by Curse Jordan on Oct 13, 2009 11:35:03 GMT -5
Two o’clock in the afternoon and Curse Jordan was getting snookered. Setting at the counter of a hole in the wall bar, the hunter stared down into his beer and looked lost in his thoughts as he drank. The place was dusty and rough but it was just the sort of place he'd gone looking for after leaving home after lunch. Being under the hurt, watchful eyes of his wife was giving him fits because as much as he wanted to give her the reassurance she craved, he felt as if he was going to explode like a grenade at any moment.
Unwilling to risk that explosion around his family, he'd finally taken himself off and driven around the city before finding this dump. With three beers down and another one in front of him, he was already feeling the effects of the liquor along with the shots of Jack he'd added in for good measure.
Suddenly, the stool beside him made a creaking noise as a body slid on to it and Curse dragged himself away from his mug long enough to look over the person next to him. Arching a brow, he took in the poor bastard’s expression and then smirked a bit. It looked like he wasn't the only one having problems this afternoon.
Trey walked into the dark dank dive of a bar and let out a sigh. He'd gotten drunk the night before after the incident at the Wolf's Den and hadn't gone back to Shane's place. He ended up back in a crappy motel and woke up just about an hour ago. Feeling like death warmed over the only thing he really wanted was another drink. A bit of 'the hair of the dog' was just what he needed. At least in his mind.
He found an empty stool next to a man who looked like he'd had a few already and had a sour expression on his face. Trey could relate to that he thought. Sitting on the stool he flagged down the bartender and ordered a beer and a shot of Jack and told the bartender to keep the shots coming.
He threw some money up on the counter when the man brought the drinks and he tossed back the first shot quickly. Slamming the shot glass down on the bar top and then taking a sip of his beer, he turned to the man next to him.
"Well... I have to say, you look about as shitty as I feel and that's saying something." Trey nodded as the bartender filled up his shot glass again and Trey knocked that one back as fast as the first one.
Snorting a bit at the man's words, Curse looked at the bartender and then shrugged.
"Why don't you just leave us the bottle, Les? That will keep you from having to keep coming back.
When the bartender shook his head but placed the bottle on the counter, the hunter reached over and poured them both another shot. Misery loved company or so they said so why the hell not?
Tossing his back, he smiled into the burn and closed his eyes for a moment. When he finally looked over at the other man, his voice was almost a growl.
"Let me guess.... It’s got to be a woman... It’s always a damned woman... Even if she’s an angel and hasn't a clue that she's sending you straight through hell."
Slamming down his shot glass, Curse took a drink of his beer and rubbed his face.
"Its amazing how they manage to wrap you around their pretty little fingers even before you know what hit you and then life without them seems like a barren wasteland."
Trey raised an eyebrow at the man as he spoke, then took the shot that was set in front of him. Drinking it down he could already feel the effects since he probably still had alcohol from the night before running through his veins.
Smirking a bit as the man talked about troubles with a woman.
"Yeah... I hear ya on that one. How is it that you're not even looking and suddenly WHAM you run into one that just knocks you on your ass? It's not fair I say."
Trey took a long pull on his beer. Thinking about everything that had happened between him and Shane. How crazy it had been at first. Then suddenly finding himself unable to stop thinking about her.
"And they don't even know how hard it is. How they make you feel. Make you do stupid things to protect them or defend their honor."
Shaking his head again he looked at the man next to him. Holding his hand out as he introduced himself.
"I'm Trey. I think we have something in common here." He chuckled to himself at that. Probably every man in existence that was in love had that problem in common.
Nodding, Curse shook his hand.
"Gabriel Jordan but everyone calls me Curse. The last man to use my real name ended up leaving early for an appointment with his dentist."
Taking another drink of his beer, the hunter gave Trey a look and then pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. It was a habit he'd long ago kicked but had come back with a vengeance since his return home.
"Sorry.. Hope you don't mind if I light up because I've got the need."
Tapping out a Marlboro, he hit the flick on his lighter and lit the end. As it glowed amber, he inhaled a deep breath and then relaxed.
"And yeah... I know exactly what you mean... Trying meeting the woman of your dreams in Vegas and waking up married to her the next morning..... Less than a year later, you’re a father of twins and living a life that you never believed you'd love."
Picking up the Jack bottle again, Curse poured them both another round and then set it down with a thump. Glancing at the clock, he took in the time and then shrugged. Giving his companion a bit of a drunken grin, he raised his glass and declared.
"It’s a bit early to be getting rip roaring drunk but hell... Its five O’clock somewhere! "
Trey gave a little smirk. "Nice to meet you Curse, I'll remember that about the Gabriel thing."
Trey shrugged it off when Curse asked if he minded the smoke. It didn't bother him. Trey downed the rest of his beer and waved the empty bottle at the bartender to indicate he needed another one. Trey chuckled a bit as Curse spoke about waking up married in Vegas.
"Dude, well that doesn't sound so bad. I mean... sounds like you got a good thing there. Unless... something happened. She leave you or something? Cheat on you? "
Trey drank down another shot and grinned back at the man.
"Who the hell cares anyway what time it is. I got nowhere to go."
Smirking, Curse gave him a nod at his first comment and then his face grew expressionless as he contemplated how to answer the second. Finally, he shrugged.
"Nah... She didn't do anything like that... I’m the one who screwed up paradise. I got drafted for a black ops mission overseas and was fool enough to go. Landing my ass in the middle of a hot zone and spent a month as a guest of the friendly cartel in Aruba... My wife was told I was dead and I might as well have been... It was only by the grace of some God that a former military friend bucked the system and came in after me... saved my dumbass ... Got back in time to scare the hell out of my heavily pregnant wife and watch her go into labor with our twins, Tessa and Jacob. Hell of a homecoming let me tell you..."
Shrugging, he drank the rest of his beer and then scowled down into his mug
"Damn... these things should have an automatic refill or something..." he mumbled before eyeing Trey. "How about you? What’s you story?"
Trey let out a bit of a heavy sigh after hearing Curse's story. How hard must that have been for the guy? Made him feel like his trouble was nothing. Though he still felt like he had a huge hole in his heart right now.
"Damn man, that's got to be rough. On both of you. Everyone is ok though right? Your wife, the twins?" Trey looked the guy over, grabbed up the bottle of Jack and pour them another shot each. Just hearing that story made Trey need a drink. He couldn't imagine having to live through it.
Sipping at his beer he thought about it before he said anything.
"My story? Not even close to yours man. Just pretty much me being a stupid fool in love. But, hey... might as well get it out there huh? "
Trey paused for a moment while he hammered another shot back. Then started talking again.
"So... there's this woman right. A friend of a friend is how I met her really. She's a dancer at a 'Gentlemen's Club'. Which is cool with me, At least at first. When we first started seeing each other we couldn't keep our hands off each other.. but then one of us would kind of disappear in the night, you know what I mean? Neither one of us was looking for anything permanent."
He took a deep breath and another drink of beer before he continued.
"Anyway... We finally got that straightened out. Things were going good then. REALLY good. Then suddenly, I was just not digging her job so much anymore. I tried to let it slide you know. Keep things in check. Who am I to tell her what to do. I knew who she was coming home to at night right? But, it just seemed to get worse. Then last night... Some jack ass comes over, she tells him she's not interested... he gets belligerent and rude to her. I just lost it dude. I couldn't help myself. Wailed on the son of a bitch GOOD, in the middle of the club. She finally had to dump a bucket of ice water over my head to get my attention."
Trey shook his head as he remembered the events of the night before. How he was sure that Shane just hated him right now and never wanted to see him again.
"So... I sort of come to my senses, left the bar. Haven't talked to her since. I know she's probably hating me right now. My sister, my friend Sibeal, her boss Derek. Let's just say I'm not on any of their Christmas card lists at the moment."
Whistling low, Curse shook his head.
"Damn man... That sounds harsh....I feel for you man.
Women aren't easy at the best of times.. Much less times like this..."
Motioning to Les, the muscular young man ordered both him and Trey another beer and then shook his head.
"My wife is going to kill me anyways so...Let’s make sure its damned well worthwhile shall we?" he asked with a smirk."And for the record... If your woman is a good one... She'll come around.... Women are funny but the good ones always are worth fighting for."
Just then, a group of rough looking guys walked in and started checking out the place. Looking beyond Trey's shoulder, Curse's glance took in their biker leathers and the way the leader strutted his stuff. For some reason, he took real offense to the newcomers but he shrugged and turned back to his drinking partner as they moved on by to the back pool table.As they passed, the leader eyeballed them and Curse felt his gaze as he drank down half his beer.
Trey huffed out at breath and made a bit of a face as Curse responded in a sympathetic manner. "Yeah... Man aren't we a pair."
He sipped at his beer and giving another chuckle as the man sat next to him commented about making getting drunk worthwhile. He saw the man's eyes shift to a group that walked in the door.
Following his gaze he saw the reason for the change of expression.
Turning back to face the bar he took another long drink of his beer. Crap he thought. Looking over at Curse he gave him a questioning expression. "So, you know those guys? I'm guessing no? This could be bad couldn't it? Do I have a trouble magnet strapped to my ass or something?"
Trey tried to mind his own business drinking his beer, sipping at his whiskey. He could hear the bikers at the pool table already starting to get loud after just 15 minutes. He shook his head in wonder. Feeling the effects of the alcohol full on now.
At Trey's comment, Curse smirked and turned on his stool so that his back was to the bar and leaned an elbow with half ass leisure on the counter. Although it was obvious he'd been drinking, his eyes were alert... Feverously so.
One of the bikers noticed his position and took in his cowboy boots and flannel shirt before making some rude remark to his buddy. Curse's eyes started to glint as he lifted his beer mug and downed half the glass. From the corner of his eye he saw his companion try to block out the party crowd in the corner but knew it was just a matter of time before the crap hit the fan.
For the next few minutes, the hunter silently took the bikers measure and was unsurprised when the one who thought he was funny decided to poke fun at him. Tossing his poll cue down, the idiot strolled over to where Curse sat and got right in his space.
"Hey there cowboy... Where'd ya park your horse?" he asked before laughing like it was the most hilarious thing he'd ever heard.
Not even bothering to acknowledge the fool, Curse looked into his beer and then took another long drag from his second cigarette. This irritated the biker and he stepped in closer as if to intimidate the "cowboy"
"What's a matter, boy? You deaf as well as dumb?"
Again, the handsome hunter ignored his tormenter and turned his back on him to put out his cigarette. Just was he was lifting the beer mug to his lips, the idiot grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him around hard enough to send the rest of his beer splashing through the air. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the biker and said. "You really... REALLY ... shouldn't have done that. Haven’t you heard that’s a party foul?"
Snarling, the man put his nose right in Curse's face.
"OH YEAH?? What are you going to do about it you piece of redneck shit?"
Smiling evilly, Curse moved so fast that the biker never stood a chance. One moment, he casually holding his mug and the next he had slammed the jerks face front first right into the wooden counter.
Howling with pain, the man whirled back with blood streaming down his face.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU BROKE MY NOSE!!" he shouted through busted up lips.
Shrugging, Curse merely picked up his beer again and drained it as he watched the other 3 men approach with pissed off looks.
The only thing Trey could think was DAMN when his new acquaintance turned around on his stool and started to watch the rowdy group. He knew this probably was not going to end well. For the moment he continued to drink his beer. Keeping his ears open and staying alert.
When one of the bikers made their way over and started giving Curse a hard time he could feel the energy building up. Trey slammed another shot back just in time to see the rather large biker put his face into the other man's face.
He heard the man say the word "redneck" and knew it was about to erupt into a fight. Not disappointed he saw the lightening fast movement of Curse putting the guys head into the bar. Chugging down the rest of his beer Trey finally turned around and stood up to see three of the biker's buddies heading their way.
Turning to Curse, Trey gave a little grin. "What's the point of getting stupid drunk if you don't do something stupid like get in a bar fight right?"
Chuckling Trey faced back toward the three approaching men. As they got close enough Trey took a step forward. "Hey, look... You're friend deserved what he got. Maybe you all should just back off."
One of the bikers turned his attention to Trey then and spoke. "I think YOUR friend deserves an ass whipping... and it looks to me like you two are a little outnumbered."
Trey smirked back at the man and raised an eyebrow. Not one to back down from a challenge, especially given the mood he was in.
"Whatever dude, you really wanna do this?"
Trey crossed his arms over his chest staring the man down. Waiting to see what happened next... It didn't take long. The man lashed out with a swing and Trey's arm shot out and grabbed the man's wrist. At the same time he used his other hand to punch the guy in the face, then twisted the man’s arm behind his back yanking it up and hearing bone crack. Then he let go and kicked the guy in the backside, sending him sprawling forward. Trey gave a quick look over to Curse and gave the man a wink.
"I hope you fight as good as your first move was. Cuz, it's on now I think."
Grinning wildly at his new friend, Curse almost missed the punch that hit him square in the jaw. Rolling with it, he rubbed the offended spot and then glanced back at the one who'd thrown it.
"Is that really all you got? My wife hits harder in a love pat!" he drawled out with his exaggerated Texas drawl.
Growling fiercely the dude ducked his head and came at the hunter. Unable to avoid the impact, Curse felt his backbone meet hard surface before he grunted and brought his elbow down on the man’s head with a resounding thump. When the man’s hold broke, he smashed a hard right into his face and then brought his knee up to meet his downward yank of his opponents head. Shoving him away, he laughed with almost insane glee as he glanced at Trey and grinned.
"What’s a good drunk without some good old fashion ass kicking?"
Shaking his head, the bigger biker snarled and threw a left that Curse was just a tad slow at avoiding and clipped him in the side of the head. Shaking his head from the ringing blow, Curse dove at him head first and the pair went crashing into the table behind the biker. Wood splintered over the sound of the owners yells and they sprawled on the floor. Picking up a broken limb of a former chair, the black leather clad attacker clamored to his feet and took a swing at the hunter as soon as he got to his. This time though, Curse was ready. Catching the makeshift weapon in one hand, he swung a right as hard as he could right into the fellows jaw.
"Come on, Coulter... Let’s show these bastards how real men fight!" he shouted with glee.
Trey had his hands full as the other man in the trio of bikers came at him. Taking a hard hit in the midsection that doubled him over. As the biker tried to wrap his arms around the blond hunter and get a hold of him Trey jerked his head up hard and fast. Trey felt the back of his head collide with the other man's chin and it was enough to break the hold and Trey took a step backward. Trey actually laughed as he heard his companion yell out. He didn't have time to yell back as he was under attack by the biker. The biker got in a couple of punches before Trey threw a hard elbow into the guys face. That was good enough to stun the guy and Trey was able to go on the offensive now. Throwing punches left and right at the guy. He felt his fist connect with a crunching noise and knew there was another biker with a broken nose.
Things started to get crazy then. Furniture was broken and men were using broken pieces as weapons. Trey couldn't help the grin on his face as he fought. He hadn't had a really good fight in a long time. Kicking that guy’s ass the night before was nothing compared to this and he continued to jump back into the battle. Taking several hard blows he found himself thrown into a wall and that just pissed him off more. Shaking the stars from his eyes he pushed himself off the wall and launched himself at another attacker. Swinging for all he was worth. He vaguely realized in the background the voice of the bartender talking but he didn't really care at this point.
Curse was vaguely aware of the owner’s angry shouts in the background but the hunter was too involved in the explosion of aggression. It felt good to unleash his anger on a target that was worthy of a beating and he found himself grinning wickedly even as he took a few savage blows. The biker saw his expression and finally dropped to the floor amid the demolished furniture and shook his head.
"YOUR CRAZY MAN! WHAT ARE YOU ON?? CRACK??"
Swaying on his feet himself, the hunter shook his head to clear it and then wiped at a trickle of blood from his lips.
"Nah.... Just don’t approve of wasting good alcohol or piss ant wannabees with attitude problems."
Shaking his head, the biker got to his feet and then held up his hands. "I'm done, man! Been a long time since someone handed me my ass like that...."
Before he could say anymore, however, the front doors of the bar crashed open and Curse could make out flashing lights behind the cops that ran in with guns drawn.
"Well Hell...." he drawled out before raising his hands in the air and looking over at Trey.
Trey found himself standing over some guy he'd just knocked to the ground. His fists clenched at his sides, his face bloody. He took a deep breath and looked up as the front doors flew open. Shaking his head he tilted his head back. Mimicking Curse's movement he raised his hands in the air as the cops came into the bar.
"Oh shit... son of a bitch" He gave Curse a sideways look.
The next thing he knew his hands were behind his back and he was being cuffed and led out to a waiting police car. The cop escorting him opened the door and pushed his head down as he got into the back seat. The adrenaline dying down now Trey leaned forward and let his head rest against the cage that separated the back seat from the front of the cop car.
As fast as the fight started, it was over. Curse felt his arms wrenched back behind him and then he was read his rights before being stuffed into the squad car beside Trey. The other man was resting his head against the front seat and Curse couldn't help but chuckle
"Well... One thing about it.. The girls can't blame us for starting it..." he drawled out."I haven't had this good of a time since..... Well... a long damned time....... "
Glancing out the door, he watched as the bikers were stuffed in the car behind them and the settled back for the ride to the station.
(2 hours later)
"Easy, man.... No need to shove! I'm going!" drawled the tall, muscular blond as he was pushed into a cell in the holding section of the local sheriff's department. Sober and sore from the beating he'd taken, Curse Jordan looked around his new "home away from home" and spotted another familiar face. "Coulter" he said with a nod. "Fancy seeing you in a place like this... "
Trey was dragged into the holding cell and uncuffed. He sat heavily on the bench against the wall. Leaning his head against the wall. Alone for the moment. Then he heard a familiar voice and the cell swung open and Curse was brought in. Chuckling as the man greeted him.
"Yeah. Helluva fight that was huh? Been a long time since I was in a good bar brawl. You get to make a phone call yet? I'm not sure I even wanna call Shane, she'll probably leave me here to rot dude."
The thought of having to call Shane in these circumstances suddenly struck him. He could call Jess but after accidentally hitting her the night before he really wasn't ready to face her yet either. Maybe he could just spend the next day or so in jail he thought, that was almost sounding better than having to explain things to Shane. He figured Curse wasn't in a much better situation.
Hearing the question in his voice, Curse nodded. "I called right before they put me in here but the mother in law answered. She hung up on me..."
Shrugging, he sprawled out on one of the bench seats and then sighed warily. Rubbing his face, he winced at the pain and knew he was going to have a black eye. "Damn... My wife is going to skin me alive... I only just got rid of all my bruises..."
Rubbing his now aching knee, he sighed and leaned back against the bars so he could close his eyes. Now that the alcohol had worn off, his body hurt like hell again
"More than likely.... Ellen will tell Jo before too long.... If she does... She can bail us both out and we can give you a ride home if you like..."
Trey shook his head. At least he didn't have to deal with a mother in law, that was a bonus.
"Yeah... as good as that sounds, I should probably call myself. Showing up on her doorstep looking like this would probably be worse."
Then he sighed and stood up going to the front of the holding cell. Yelling for the guard to come over he asked if he could make his phone call and the guard opened the door and led him over to a phone. He dialed the number and put the phone to his ear, closing his eyes as the phone rang. When the voicemail picked up he took a deep breath and spoke hesitantly.
"Uh... Hey Shane, it's me. Ummm, Yeah. I know you're still probably pissed and I don't blame you. I was stupid, really stupid... And this is just going to make things worse but I need your help. Can you come and bail me out of jail? I'm at the sheriff's department in their holding cell. If you don't want to come, could you call Jess for me? Or I guess you guys could just leave me here. I probably deserve it. I love you baby... I'm sorry."
Trey hung up the phone and was taken back to the cell. Sitting back down on the bench as the guard locked up the cell again.
"Well, at least I made the call, got her voicemail. We'll see who shows up first I guess. We could be stuck here awhile it sounds like."
Nodding, Curse groaned as his head began to ache again and he settled it back against the bars. Jo was going to be breathing fire when she walked in that door but at least he felt more at ease than he'd been in weeks. It had felt good to let out some of the steam building in his system and he felt as if he could sleep a week suddenly.
"Yeah.... Ellen isn't any too fond of my at the moment I don't think.... She wasn't real happy I married her baby girl in Vegas to begin with and I haven't been the easiest person to live with since being raised from the dead. I swear the woman thought I was a demon or something because she dosed me with holy water last week."
Then, seeming to realize what he said, the hunter cracked an eye and looked over to see if the other man thought he was insane.
"I mean... well.... Lets just say she isn't real pleased with my attitude lately...."
Unwilling to risk that explosion around his family, he'd finally taken himself off and driven around the city before finding this dump. With three beers down and another one in front of him, he was already feeling the effects of the liquor along with the shots of Jack he'd added in for good measure.
Suddenly, the stool beside him made a creaking noise as a body slid on to it and Curse dragged himself away from his mug long enough to look over the person next to him. Arching a brow, he took in the poor bastard’s expression and then smirked a bit. It looked like he wasn't the only one having problems this afternoon.
Trey walked into the dark dank dive of a bar and let out a sigh. He'd gotten drunk the night before after the incident at the Wolf's Den and hadn't gone back to Shane's place. He ended up back in a crappy motel and woke up just about an hour ago. Feeling like death warmed over the only thing he really wanted was another drink. A bit of 'the hair of the dog' was just what he needed. At least in his mind.
He found an empty stool next to a man who looked like he'd had a few already and had a sour expression on his face. Trey could relate to that he thought. Sitting on the stool he flagged down the bartender and ordered a beer and a shot of Jack and told the bartender to keep the shots coming.
He threw some money up on the counter when the man brought the drinks and he tossed back the first shot quickly. Slamming the shot glass down on the bar top and then taking a sip of his beer, he turned to the man next to him.
"Well... I have to say, you look about as shitty as I feel and that's saying something." Trey nodded as the bartender filled up his shot glass again and Trey knocked that one back as fast as the first one.
Snorting a bit at the man's words, Curse looked at the bartender and then shrugged.
"Why don't you just leave us the bottle, Les? That will keep you from having to keep coming back.
When the bartender shook his head but placed the bottle on the counter, the hunter reached over and poured them both another shot. Misery loved company or so they said so why the hell not?
Tossing his back, he smiled into the burn and closed his eyes for a moment. When he finally looked over at the other man, his voice was almost a growl.
"Let me guess.... It’s got to be a woman... It’s always a damned woman... Even if she’s an angel and hasn't a clue that she's sending you straight through hell."
Slamming down his shot glass, Curse took a drink of his beer and rubbed his face.
"Its amazing how they manage to wrap you around their pretty little fingers even before you know what hit you and then life without them seems like a barren wasteland."
Trey raised an eyebrow at the man as he spoke, then took the shot that was set in front of him. Drinking it down he could already feel the effects since he probably still had alcohol from the night before running through his veins.
Smirking a bit as the man talked about troubles with a woman.
"Yeah... I hear ya on that one. How is it that you're not even looking and suddenly WHAM you run into one that just knocks you on your ass? It's not fair I say."
Trey took a long pull on his beer. Thinking about everything that had happened between him and Shane. How crazy it had been at first. Then suddenly finding himself unable to stop thinking about her.
"And they don't even know how hard it is. How they make you feel. Make you do stupid things to protect them or defend their honor."
Shaking his head again he looked at the man next to him. Holding his hand out as he introduced himself.
"I'm Trey. I think we have something in common here." He chuckled to himself at that. Probably every man in existence that was in love had that problem in common.
Nodding, Curse shook his hand.
"Gabriel Jordan but everyone calls me Curse. The last man to use my real name ended up leaving early for an appointment with his dentist."
Taking another drink of his beer, the hunter gave Trey a look and then pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. It was a habit he'd long ago kicked but had come back with a vengeance since his return home.
"Sorry.. Hope you don't mind if I light up because I've got the need."
Tapping out a Marlboro, he hit the flick on his lighter and lit the end. As it glowed amber, he inhaled a deep breath and then relaxed.
"And yeah... I know exactly what you mean... Trying meeting the woman of your dreams in Vegas and waking up married to her the next morning..... Less than a year later, you’re a father of twins and living a life that you never believed you'd love."
Picking up the Jack bottle again, Curse poured them both another round and then set it down with a thump. Glancing at the clock, he took in the time and then shrugged. Giving his companion a bit of a drunken grin, he raised his glass and declared.
"It’s a bit early to be getting rip roaring drunk but hell... Its five O’clock somewhere! "
Trey gave a little smirk. "Nice to meet you Curse, I'll remember that about the Gabriel thing."
Trey shrugged it off when Curse asked if he minded the smoke. It didn't bother him. Trey downed the rest of his beer and waved the empty bottle at the bartender to indicate he needed another one. Trey chuckled a bit as Curse spoke about waking up married in Vegas.
"Dude, well that doesn't sound so bad. I mean... sounds like you got a good thing there. Unless... something happened. She leave you or something? Cheat on you? "
Trey drank down another shot and grinned back at the man.
"Who the hell cares anyway what time it is. I got nowhere to go."
Smirking, Curse gave him a nod at his first comment and then his face grew expressionless as he contemplated how to answer the second. Finally, he shrugged.
"Nah... She didn't do anything like that... I’m the one who screwed up paradise. I got drafted for a black ops mission overseas and was fool enough to go. Landing my ass in the middle of a hot zone and spent a month as a guest of the friendly cartel in Aruba... My wife was told I was dead and I might as well have been... It was only by the grace of some God that a former military friend bucked the system and came in after me... saved my dumbass ... Got back in time to scare the hell out of my heavily pregnant wife and watch her go into labor with our twins, Tessa and Jacob. Hell of a homecoming let me tell you..."
Shrugging, he drank the rest of his beer and then scowled down into his mug
"Damn... these things should have an automatic refill or something..." he mumbled before eyeing Trey. "How about you? What’s you story?"
Trey let out a bit of a heavy sigh after hearing Curse's story. How hard must that have been for the guy? Made him feel like his trouble was nothing. Though he still felt like he had a huge hole in his heart right now.
"Damn man, that's got to be rough. On both of you. Everyone is ok though right? Your wife, the twins?" Trey looked the guy over, grabbed up the bottle of Jack and pour them another shot each. Just hearing that story made Trey need a drink. He couldn't imagine having to live through it.
Sipping at his beer he thought about it before he said anything.
"My story? Not even close to yours man. Just pretty much me being a stupid fool in love. But, hey... might as well get it out there huh? "
Trey paused for a moment while he hammered another shot back. Then started talking again.
"So... there's this woman right. A friend of a friend is how I met her really. She's a dancer at a 'Gentlemen's Club'. Which is cool with me, At least at first. When we first started seeing each other we couldn't keep our hands off each other.. but then one of us would kind of disappear in the night, you know what I mean? Neither one of us was looking for anything permanent."
He took a deep breath and another drink of beer before he continued.
"Anyway... We finally got that straightened out. Things were going good then. REALLY good. Then suddenly, I was just not digging her job so much anymore. I tried to let it slide you know. Keep things in check. Who am I to tell her what to do. I knew who she was coming home to at night right? But, it just seemed to get worse. Then last night... Some jack ass comes over, she tells him she's not interested... he gets belligerent and rude to her. I just lost it dude. I couldn't help myself. Wailed on the son of a bitch GOOD, in the middle of the club. She finally had to dump a bucket of ice water over my head to get my attention."
Trey shook his head as he remembered the events of the night before. How he was sure that Shane just hated him right now and never wanted to see him again.
"So... I sort of come to my senses, left the bar. Haven't talked to her since. I know she's probably hating me right now. My sister, my friend Sibeal, her boss Derek. Let's just say I'm not on any of their Christmas card lists at the moment."
Whistling low, Curse shook his head.
"Damn man... That sounds harsh....I feel for you man.
Women aren't easy at the best of times.. Much less times like this..."
Motioning to Les, the muscular young man ordered both him and Trey another beer and then shook his head.
"My wife is going to kill me anyways so...Let’s make sure its damned well worthwhile shall we?" he asked with a smirk."And for the record... If your woman is a good one... She'll come around.... Women are funny but the good ones always are worth fighting for."
Just then, a group of rough looking guys walked in and started checking out the place. Looking beyond Trey's shoulder, Curse's glance took in their biker leathers and the way the leader strutted his stuff. For some reason, he took real offense to the newcomers but he shrugged and turned back to his drinking partner as they moved on by to the back pool table.As they passed, the leader eyeballed them and Curse felt his gaze as he drank down half his beer.
Trey huffed out at breath and made a bit of a face as Curse responded in a sympathetic manner. "Yeah... Man aren't we a pair."
He sipped at his beer and giving another chuckle as the man sat next to him commented about making getting drunk worthwhile. He saw the man's eyes shift to a group that walked in the door.
Following his gaze he saw the reason for the change of expression.
Turning back to face the bar he took another long drink of his beer. Crap he thought. Looking over at Curse he gave him a questioning expression. "So, you know those guys? I'm guessing no? This could be bad couldn't it? Do I have a trouble magnet strapped to my ass or something?"
Trey tried to mind his own business drinking his beer, sipping at his whiskey. He could hear the bikers at the pool table already starting to get loud after just 15 minutes. He shook his head in wonder. Feeling the effects of the alcohol full on now.
At Trey's comment, Curse smirked and turned on his stool so that his back was to the bar and leaned an elbow with half ass leisure on the counter. Although it was obvious he'd been drinking, his eyes were alert... Feverously so.
One of the bikers noticed his position and took in his cowboy boots and flannel shirt before making some rude remark to his buddy. Curse's eyes started to glint as he lifted his beer mug and downed half the glass. From the corner of his eye he saw his companion try to block out the party crowd in the corner but knew it was just a matter of time before the crap hit the fan.
For the next few minutes, the hunter silently took the bikers measure and was unsurprised when the one who thought he was funny decided to poke fun at him. Tossing his poll cue down, the idiot strolled over to where Curse sat and got right in his space.
"Hey there cowboy... Where'd ya park your horse?" he asked before laughing like it was the most hilarious thing he'd ever heard.
Not even bothering to acknowledge the fool, Curse looked into his beer and then took another long drag from his second cigarette. This irritated the biker and he stepped in closer as if to intimidate the "cowboy"
"What's a matter, boy? You deaf as well as dumb?"
Again, the handsome hunter ignored his tormenter and turned his back on him to put out his cigarette. Just was he was lifting the beer mug to his lips, the idiot grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him around hard enough to send the rest of his beer splashing through the air. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the biker and said. "You really... REALLY ... shouldn't have done that. Haven’t you heard that’s a party foul?"
Snarling, the man put his nose right in Curse's face.
"OH YEAH?? What are you going to do about it you piece of redneck shit?"
Smiling evilly, Curse moved so fast that the biker never stood a chance. One moment, he casually holding his mug and the next he had slammed the jerks face front first right into the wooden counter.
Howling with pain, the man whirled back with blood streaming down his face.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU BROKE MY NOSE!!" he shouted through busted up lips.
Shrugging, Curse merely picked up his beer again and drained it as he watched the other 3 men approach with pissed off looks.
The only thing Trey could think was DAMN when his new acquaintance turned around on his stool and started to watch the rowdy group. He knew this probably was not going to end well. For the moment he continued to drink his beer. Keeping his ears open and staying alert.
When one of the bikers made their way over and started giving Curse a hard time he could feel the energy building up. Trey slammed another shot back just in time to see the rather large biker put his face into the other man's face.
He heard the man say the word "redneck" and knew it was about to erupt into a fight. Not disappointed he saw the lightening fast movement of Curse putting the guys head into the bar. Chugging down the rest of his beer Trey finally turned around and stood up to see three of the biker's buddies heading their way.
Turning to Curse, Trey gave a little grin. "What's the point of getting stupid drunk if you don't do something stupid like get in a bar fight right?"
Chuckling Trey faced back toward the three approaching men. As they got close enough Trey took a step forward. "Hey, look... You're friend deserved what he got. Maybe you all should just back off."
One of the bikers turned his attention to Trey then and spoke. "I think YOUR friend deserves an ass whipping... and it looks to me like you two are a little outnumbered."
Trey smirked back at the man and raised an eyebrow. Not one to back down from a challenge, especially given the mood he was in.
"Whatever dude, you really wanna do this?"
Trey crossed his arms over his chest staring the man down. Waiting to see what happened next... It didn't take long. The man lashed out with a swing and Trey's arm shot out and grabbed the man's wrist. At the same time he used his other hand to punch the guy in the face, then twisted the man’s arm behind his back yanking it up and hearing bone crack. Then he let go and kicked the guy in the backside, sending him sprawling forward. Trey gave a quick look over to Curse and gave the man a wink.
"I hope you fight as good as your first move was. Cuz, it's on now I think."
Grinning wildly at his new friend, Curse almost missed the punch that hit him square in the jaw. Rolling with it, he rubbed the offended spot and then glanced back at the one who'd thrown it.
"Is that really all you got? My wife hits harder in a love pat!" he drawled out with his exaggerated Texas drawl.
Growling fiercely the dude ducked his head and came at the hunter. Unable to avoid the impact, Curse felt his backbone meet hard surface before he grunted and brought his elbow down on the man’s head with a resounding thump. When the man’s hold broke, he smashed a hard right into his face and then brought his knee up to meet his downward yank of his opponents head. Shoving him away, he laughed with almost insane glee as he glanced at Trey and grinned.
"What’s a good drunk without some good old fashion ass kicking?"
Shaking his head, the bigger biker snarled and threw a left that Curse was just a tad slow at avoiding and clipped him in the side of the head. Shaking his head from the ringing blow, Curse dove at him head first and the pair went crashing into the table behind the biker. Wood splintered over the sound of the owners yells and they sprawled on the floor. Picking up a broken limb of a former chair, the black leather clad attacker clamored to his feet and took a swing at the hunter as soon as he got to his. This time though, Curse was ready. Catching the makeshift weapon in one hand, he swung a right as hard as he could right into the fellows jaw.
"Come on, Coulter... Let’s show these bastards how real men fight!" he shouted with glee.
Trey had his hands full as the other man in the trio of bikers came at him. Taking a hard hit in the midsection that doubled him over. As the biker tried to wrap his arms around the blond hunter and get a hold of him Trey jerked his head up hard and fast. Trey felt the back of his head collide with the other man's chin and it was enough to break the hold and Trey took a step backward. Trey actually laughed as he heard his companion yell out. He didn't have time to yell back as he was under attack by the biker. The biker got in a couple of punches before Trey threw a hard elbow into the guys face. That was good enough to stun the guy and Trey was able to go on the offensive now. Throwing punches left and right at the guy. He felt his fist connect with a crunching noise and knew there was another biker with a broken nose.
Things started to get crazy then. Furniture was broken and men were using broken pieces as weapons. Trey couldn't help the grin on his face as he fought. He hadn't had a really good fight in a long time. Kicking that guy’s ass the night before was nothing compared to this and he continued to jump back into the battle. Taking several hard blows he found himself thrown into a wall and that just pissed him off more. Shaking the stars from his eyes he pushed himself off the wall and launched himself at another attacker. Swinging for all he was worth. He vaguely realized in the background the voice of the bartender talking but he didn't really care at this point.
Curse was vaguely aware of the owner’s angry shouts in the background but the hunter was too involved in the explosion of aggression. It felt good to unleash his anger on a target that was worthy of a beating and he found himself grinning wickedly even as he took a few savage blows. The biker saw his expression and finally dropped to the floor amid the demolished furniture and shook his head.
"YOUR CRAZY MAN! WHAT ARE YOU ON?? CRACK??"
Swaying on his feet himself, the hunter shook his head to clear it and then wiped at a trickle of blood from his lips.
"Nah.... Just don’t approve of wasting good alcohol or piss ant wannabees with attitude problems."
Shaking his head, the biker got to his feet and then held up his hands. "I'm done, man! Been a long time since someone handed me my ass like that...."
Before he could say anymore, however, the front doors of the bar crashed open and Curse could make out flashing lights behind the cops that ran in with guns drawn.
"Well Hell...." he drawled out before raising his hands in the air and looking over at Trey.
Trey found himself standing over some guy he'd just knocked to the ground. His fists clenched at his sides, his face bloody. He took a deep breath and looked up as the front doors flew open. Shaking his head he tilted his head back. Mimicking Curse's movement he raised his hands in the air as the cops came into the bar.
"Oh shit... son of a bitch" He gave Curse a sideways look.
The next thing he knew his hands were behind his back and he was being cuffed and led out to a waiting police car. The cop escorting him opened the door and pushed his head down as he got into the back seat. The adrenaline dying down now Trey leaned forward and let his head rest against the cage that separated the back seat from the front of the cop car.
As fast as the fight started, it was over. Curse felt his arms wrenched back behind him and then he was read his rights before being stuffed into the squad car beside Trey. The other man was resting his head against the front seat and Curse couldn't help but chuckle
"Well... One thing about it.. The girls can't blame us for starting it..." he drawled out."I haven't had this good of a time since..... Well... a long damned time....... "
Glancing out the door, he watched as the bikers were stuffed in the car behind them and the settled back for the ride to the station.
(2 hours later)
"Easy, man.... No need to shove! I'm going!" drawled the tall, muscular blond as he was pushed into a cell in the holding section of the local sheriff's department. Sober and sore from the beating he'd taken, Curse Jordan looked around his new "home away from home" and spotted another familiar face. "Coulter" he said with a nod. "Fancy seeing you in a place like this... "
Trey was dragged into the holding cell and uncuffed. He sat heavily on the bench against the wall. Leaning his head against the wall. Alone for the moment. Then he heard a familiar voice and the cell swung open and Curse was brought in. Chuckling as the man greeted him.
"Yeah. Helluva fight that was huh? Been a long time since I was in a good bar brawl. You get to make a phone call yet? I'm not sure I even wanna call Shane, she'll probably leave me here to rot dude."
The thought of having to call Shane in these circumstances suddenly struck him. He could call Jess but after accidentally hitting her the night before he really wasn't ready to face her yet either. Maybe he could just spend the next day or so in jail he thought, that was almost sounding better than having to explain things to Shane. He figured Curse wasn't in a much better situation.
Hearing the question in his voice, Curse nodded. "I called right before they put me in here but the mother in law answered. She hung up on me..."
Shrugging, he sprawled out on one of the bench seats and then sighed warily. Rubbing his face, he winced at the pain and knew he was going to have a black eye. "Damn... My wife is going to skin me alive... I only just got rid of all my bruises..."
Rubbing his now aching knee, he sighed and leaned back against the bars so he could close his eyes. Now that the alcohol had worn off, his body hurt like hell again
"More than likely.... Ellen will tell Jo before too long.... If she does... She can bail us both out and we can give you a ride home if you like..."
Trey shook his head. At least he didn't have to deal with a mother in law, that was a bonus.
"Yeah... as good as that sounds, I should probably call myself. Showing up on her doorstep looking like this would probably be worse."
Then he sighed and stood up going to the front of the holding cell. Yelling for the guard to come over he asked if he could make his phone call and the guard opened the door and led him over to a phone. He dialed the number and put the phone to his ear, closing his eyes as the phone rang. When the voicemail picked up he took a deep breath and spoke hesitantly.
"Uh... Hey Shane, it's me. Ummm, Yeah. I know you're still probably pissed and I don't blame you. I was stupid, really stupid... And this is just going to make things worse but I need your help. Can you come and bail me out of jail? I'm at the sheriff's department in their holding cell. If you don't want to come, could you call Jess for me? Or I guess you guys could just leave me here. I probably deserve it. I love you baby... I'm sorry."
Trey hung up the phone and was taken back to the cell. Sitting back down on the bench as the guard locked up the cell again.
"Well, at least I made the call, got her voicemail. We'll see who shows up first I guess. We could be stuck here awhile it sounds like."
Nodding, Curse groaned as his head began to ache again and he settled it back against the bars. Jo was going to be breathing fire when she walked in that door but at least he felt more at ease than he'd been in weeks. It had felt good to let out some of the steam building in his system and he felt as if he could sleep a week suddenly.
"Yeah.... Ellen isn't any too fond of my at the moment I don't think.... She wasn't real happy I married her baby girl in Vegas to begin with and I haven't been the easiest person to live with since being raised from the dead. I swear the woman thought I was a demon or something because she dosed me with holy water last week."
Then, seeming to realize what he said, the hunter cracked an eye and looked over to see if the other man thought he was insane.
"I mean... well.... Lets just say she isn't real pleased with my attitude lately...."