who’d brought him in, he just rolled over, his back to the door. How could he face her now after everything he ’d done to her?
*****
“You must be Ms . Trent. I’m Officer Dalton, and this is Officer Marino. We found Mr. Cain in an alleyway off First surrounded by empty liquor bottles. He was groping everything in a skirt that passed by. They’ve pumped his stomach, but it doesn’t look like he’s eaten in a while . Pretty sure he was trying to drink himself into oblivion, because his blood alcohol content was high enough that we brought him in to be treated for alcohol poisoning. You can see him, you’ll need to sign the hospital paperwork, but when he’s released, we’ll have to take him down to the station . He’ll be bo oked in, but it’s a misdemeanor , so he can post bond and you can take him home; he’ll just have to come back to court on the scheduled date.” The officer was nice enough, although he sounded more like he pitied the pathetic drunk than anything else.
“Thank you, sir . I’ll talk to him , find out what’s going on, then I’ll sign the papers and you can take him. I’m not taking him home , though. I’ ll give you his girlfriend’s number . Y ou can call her to take him home.” Stepping past the officers and into the room behind them, she stopped dead in her tracks a moment before slowly approaching the side of the bed. He was chained like some animal; she almost didn’t recognize him . He was usually so well put together with perfectly-styled golden hair and perfectly-pressed designer clothing, but this trembling, filthy, pitiful excuse for a man was someone completely different.
“Deacon? What the hell did you get yourself into? Why did you call me? I left the warmth of a very good man to come down here, and I gotta say I’m not all that impressed . Where’s your Barbie at anyway? She should be here, not me. ” Her tone was more accusatory than she’d in tended, but what the hell was she supposed to do? He wasn’t her responsibility anymore, and she wasn’ t his. That had been his choice.
“I’m sorry, Riss . I didn’t think you’d actually come . And she’s gone.” At first his voice had been pathetic, almost begging, but then when she mentioned his girlfriend, his eye brows snapped together as he turned over to face Rissa. His teeth clenched together, his voice was barely more civilized than that of a rabid wolf. Clearly, she’d stepped on a nerve, yet she was tempted to stomp all over it, because let’s face it, he had it coming . However, she couldn’t do that . Revenge wasn’t really in her repertoire; hurting him more wouldn’t help anybody .
“What do you mean, she’s gone? Like gone to get a cup of coffee, shagging the doc on his break, what kind of gone? Last I heard you were picking out engagement rings with pink diamonds, how can she be gone?” Rissa stood back from the bed, her arms crossed over her chest, putting a good distance between them — not only because he smelled like an ash tray that someone pissed in and then dunked in bourbon, but also because if she got too close to him, she’d actually feel sorry for him .
“Yeah, I was . She probably is shagging someone right now. That someone just isn’t me . It’s Mark . Long story short, the tramp dumped me while I was down on one knee and ran off to Fiji with Mark in front of damn near everyone I know. And on my birthday no less. I really just …I don’t want to talk about it, Riss. Just go. I’ll figure this out on my own . I shouldn’t have given the cops your name. Go back to your man, have a nice life.” He rolled over, giving her his back, but his pouting posture finally snapped her composure, making her close the distance between them.
“No, Deacon . You don’t get to do that . You do not get to tell me to go away or that you don’t want to talk about it . You don’t get to avoid the same pain you put me through, and you sure as hell don’t get to take me away from
*****
“You must be Ms . Trent. I’m Officer Dalton, and this is Officer Marino. We found Mr. Cain in an alleyway off First surrounded by empty liquor bottles. He was groping everything in a skirt that passed by. They’ve pumped his stomach, but it doesn’t look like he’s eaten in a while . Pretty sure he was trying to drink himself into oblivion, because his blood alcohol content was high enough that we brought him in to be treated for alcohol poisoning. You can see him, you’ll need to sign the hospital paperwork, but when he’s released, we’ll have to take him down to the station . He’ll be bo oked in, but it’s a misdemeanor , so he can post bond and you can take him home; he’ll just have to come back to court on the scheduled date.” The officer was nice enough, although he sounded more like he pitied the pathetic drunk than anything else.
“Thank you, sir . I’ll talk to him , find out what’s going on, then I’ll sign the papers and you can take him. I’m not taking him home , though. I’ ll give you his girlfriend’s number . Y ou can call her to take him home.” Stepping past the officers and into the room behind them, she stopped dead in her tracks a moment before slowly approaching the side of the bed. He was chained like some animal; she almost didn’t recognize him . He was usually so well put together with perfectly-styled golden hair and perfectly-pressed designer clothing, but this trembling, filthy, pitiful excuse for a man was someone completely different.
“Deacon? What the hell did you get yourself into? Why did you call me? I left the warmth of a very good man to come down here, and I gotta say I’m not all that impressed . Where’s your Barbie at anyway? She should be here, not me. ” Her tone was more accusatory than she’d in tended, but what the hell was she supposed to do? He wasn’t her responsibility anymore, and she wasn’ t his. That had been his choice.
“I’m sorry, Riss . I didn’t think you’d actually come . And she’s gone.” At first his voice had been pathetic, almost begging, but then when she mentioned his girlfriend, his eye brows snapped together as he turned over to face Rissa. His teeth clenched together, his voice was barely more civilized than that of a rabid wolf. Clearly, she’d stepped on a nerve, yet she was tempted to stomp all over it, because let’s face it, he had it coming . However, she couldn’t do that . Revenge wasn’t really in her repertoire; hurting him more wouldn’t help anybody .
“What do you mean, she’s gone? Like gone to get a cup of coffee, shagging the doc on his break, what kind of gone? Last I heard you were picking out engagement rings with pink diamonds, how can she be gone?” Rissa stood back from the bed, her arms crossed over her chest, putting a good distance between them — not only because he smelled like an ash tray that someone pissed in and then dunked in bourbon, but also because if she got too close to him, she’d actually feel sorry for him .
“Yeah, I was . She probably is shagging someone right now. That someone just isn’t me . It’s Mark . Long story short, the tramp dumped me while I was down on one knee and ran off to Fiji with Mark in front of damn near everyone I know. And on my birthday no less. I really just …I don’t want to talk about it, Riss. Just go. I’ll figure this out on my own . I shouldn’t have given the cops your name. Go back to your man, have a nice life.” He rolled over, giving her his back, but his pouting posture finally snapped her composure, making her close the distance between them.
“No, Deacon . You don’t get to do that . You do not get to tell me to go away or that you don’t want to talk about it . You don’t get to avoid the same pain you put me through, and you sure as hell don’t get to take me away from
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