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Authors: Linda Castillo
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his name. Especially not in a place like this when she was drunk and needy, and his patience were wire thin.
"There is no bond," he said curtly. “Not anymore."
"You're angry because I walked out on you."
Nick was a hell of a lot more than angry. He was furious, but it didn't have a damn thing to do with her walking out on him. ''Tanya ...”
"I had a little boy to think of, Nicky."
Because in the four years they were married she had never thought of anyone but herself, Nick ignored the statement. “This isn't the place to discuss this."
“Why not?" She made a sweeping motion to encompass the bar and all its patrons. "It's not like what happened in New Orleans is a huge secret in this town."
"What happened is between us."
"You're being an uppity prick just like you always were."
Nick knew he was a fool for engaging her. Even more of a fool for letting her get to him. He was playing into her hands, giving her exactly what she wanted. But she'd always known which buttons to push, and tonight she was pushing those buttons with the proficiency of a master hacker.
"If you don't like the company, maybe you ought to take your drink and go." Grabbing the towel he'd slung over his shoulder, he began to wipe down the bar, hating it that he was so angry that he was shaking inside.
Tanya watched him, sipping her drink, a sleek cat playing with a mouse. "It's hard coming back to a place like this after living the high life, isn't it?"
Doing his utmost to ignore her, he bent to retrieve a tray of freshly rinsed glasses and began to towel them dry.
"Well, now you have a taste of what I've had to contend with the last six years. I went from a four-bedroom house in the Garden District to this dump.” Gesturing at the hodgepodge of patrons, she threw her head back and laughed. "How's that for irony?"
He wanted to point out that their losing the house in New Orleans had more to do with her and his scheming partner framing him, but he knew she'd probably already justified her actions in her mind, so he didn't bother. Tanya was the kind of person who, if she heard her own lies often enough, would believe them.
"I think it's a pretty fitting irony,” he said.
"Don't get nasty with me, Nicky."
A burly man in faded coveralls asked for a beer. Nick gave him a nod, snagged a frozen mug, and filled it.
"You showed me how the other half lives, then you get yourself thrown into prison and left me and little Brandon with nothing."
Nick closed his eyes briefly at the mention of his son. "I've got to work. Tanya"
"Don't be such a prick. You can spare a minute for me."
"I've nothing to say to you." He slid the mug to the man in coveralls and collected two dollars. ''If you don't hit the road, I'm going to have Mike show you the door."
"Mike won't throw me out. I'm his best customer." Her lips curved. "Did I ever tell you he fucked me in the men's room once? Bent me over the sink and stuck it in and started grunting and sweating like some fat three-legged pig."
Needing to put some distance between them before he lost his temper, Nick turned away and began stacking mugs on the shelf below the bar.
"Don't turn you back on me, you self-righteous son of a bitch."
Sighing in resignation. he turned to her, gave her a hard look. "This isn't the place for one of your tantrums."
"That's where you're wrong. Nicky." Tossing her head, she looked around, made a sweeping motion with her arms. "This is the perfect place for a knock-down-drag-out. Half the people in this dump would pay a week's salary to see us go a round or two."
"I'm not interested in going a round with you.”
Her smile sharpened to a razor's edge. "Oh, honey, going a round with me is the one thing you could never resist."
"You overestimate your charms. You always have."
An ugly emotion he couldn't quite identify flared in her eyes. "You think you had it rough in prison? Do you think it's been easy for me being back here all by myself and having to start all over
"There is no bond," he said curtly. “Not anymore."
"You're angry because I walked out on you."
Nick was a hell of a lot more than angry. He was furious, but it didn't have a damn thing to do with her walking out on him. ''Tanya ...”
"I had a little boy to think of, Nicky."
Because in the four years they were married she had never thought of anyone but herself, Nick ignored the statement. “This isn't the place to discuss this."
“Why not?" She made a sweeping motion to encompass the bar and all its patrons. "It's not like what happened in New Orleans is a huge secret in this town."
"What happened is between us."
"You're being an uppity prick just like you always were."
Nick knew he was a fool for engaging her. Even more of a fool for letting her get to him. He was playing into her hands, giving her exactly what she wanted. But she'd always known which buttons to push, and tonight she was pushing those buttons with the proficiency of a master hacker.
"If you don't like the company, maybe you ought to take your drink and go." Grabbing the towel he'd slung over his shoulder, he began to wipe down the bar, hating it that he was so angry that he was shaking inside.
Tanya watched him, sipping her drink, a sleek cat playing with a mouse. "It's hard coming back to a place like this after living the high life, isn't it?"
Doing his utmost to ignore her, he bent to retrieve a tray of freshly rinsed glasses and began to towel them dry.
"Well, now you have a taste of what I've had to contend with the last six years. I went from a four-bedroom house in the Garden District to this dump.” Gesturing at the hodgepodge of patrons, she threw her head back and laughed. "How's that for irony?"
He wanted to point out that their losing the house in New Orleans had more to do with her and his scheming partner framing him, but he knew she'd probably already justified her actions in her mind, so he didn't bother. Tanya was the kind of person who, if she heard her own lies often enough, would believe them.
"I think it's a pretty fitting irony,” he said.
"Don't get nasty with me, Nicky."
A burly man in faded coveralls asked for a beer. Nick gave him a nod, snagged a frozen mug, and filled it.
"You showed me how the other half lives, then you get yourself thrown into prison and left me and little Brandon with nothing."
Nick closed his eyes briefly at the mention of his son. "I've got to work. Tanya"
"Don't be such a prick. You can spare a minute for me."
"I've nothing to say to you." He slid the mug to the man in coveralls and collected two dollars. ''If you don't hit the road, I'm going to have Mike show you the door."
"Mike won't throw me out. I'm his best customer." Her lips curved. "Did I ever tell you he fucked me in the men's room once? Bent me over the sink and stuck it in and started grunting and sweating like some fat three-legged pig."
Needing to put some distance between them before he lost his temper, Nick turned away and began stacking mugs on the shelf below the bar.
"Don't turn you back on me, you self-righteous son of a bitch."
Sighing in resignation. he turned to her, gave her a hard look. "This isn't the place for one of your tantrums."
"That's where you're wrong. Nicky." Tossing her head, she looked around, made a sweeping motion with her arms. "This is the perfect place for a knock-down-drag-out. Half the people in this dump would pay a week's salary to see us go a round or two."
"I'm not interested in going a round with you.”
Her smile sharpened to a razor's edge. "Oh, honey, going a round with me is the one thing you could never resist."
"You overestimate your charms. You always have."
An ugly emotion he couldn't quite identify flared in her eyes. "You think you had it rough in prison? Do you think it's been easy for me being back here all by myself and having to start all over
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