Hidebound

Chapter ThirtySeven

I finish making Hex's drink and hand it to him over the bar top. "Enjoy" I wink at him. He holds eyes contact with me as he takes a sip, his face not moving even though I know I put more scotch in it then coke.

Rex stands outside the door and I shiver involuntarily. It's freezing out there and the wind blows strong as he stands in only a shirt on his upper body and pants. His arms are crossed but he doesn't make any indication that he's cold.

The door behind me swings open and Harley stumbles out. She wipes the hair that hangs in her face.

"Oh my god, you're drinking" she exclaims when she lays eyes on Hex.

"Hello to you too, Harley" Hex mumbles and takes another sip.

I leave them to chat as I walk over to the tables and wipe each one down, one by one. I look over every once and a while to find Hex watching me causing a blush to cover my cheeks each time. Harley is busy chatting away even if Hex isn't fully listening while she sweeps the floor clean.

I have no idea if Stevie is here. To be honest I don't even know if he had come in today. He hadn't shown his face and we have no indication of whether he showed up or not. Harley, Sarah and I might as well be the owners of Darby's considering we're running the place more than the boss is.

I look back over at the bar when I hear a phone ringing. At first I thought it was Darby's landline but it's confirmed that it's not when I see Hex pull his phone from his pocket. He answers it with his eyebrows pulled together and a small wrinkle forms between them.

"Hello?" my ears prick as I strain to hear the conversation. I can't make out the voice on the other end because I'm too far away and I wonder if Harley can hear.

Harley starts to hum as she sweeps the floor, I guess she's not listening.

I look back over to Hex as I bend over a table. He hasn't said anything other than hello, his expression still that of furrowed brows and his mouth a straight line across his face.

His face hasn't changed but something in the air has and Harley can feel it too as she looks up under her eyebrows.

Hex ends the phone call suddenly without a word. He puts the phone back in his pocket as he focuses on the wall directly in front of him. I turn back to the table as I wipe the crumbs off.

I hear his empty glass touch the bar top as he finishes it but only seconds later I hear it shatter.

I whip my head around so fast that I swear I hear my neck crack. The glass although I can't see it from here has smashed onto the floor on the inside of the bar area. Harley stands to the left looking from Hex to the floor full of glass.

"What the fuck Hex!" she shouts loud enough for the walls to rattle.

I had thought that the glass had fallen or Hex had accidently knocked it but by the anger in Harley's face it seems Hex had thrown it.

"What's going on?" I ask loudly as I make my way over to the siblings.

Hex is now standing with his hands behind his head as he gazes up at the ceiling. When he doesn't answer me I turn to Harley who is gently kicking the shards of glass into a pile on the floor.

"I don't know! H-he just-" she stops her sentence, unable to explain and instead motions to the wall and the floor. The shelves on the wall have shards of glass on them too and I come to the conclusion that the glass had been thrown at the wall and shattered.

"Fuck!" Hex shouts causing both Harley and I to jump.

Movement from outside the door catches my attention as Rex turns to look inside, wondering what all the ruckus is.

"Hex, what happened?" I ask disparately as I walk around the bar and in his direction. He avoids my eyes no matter how many times I try and catch his. Every time he turns his head I see a glimpse of his eyes as he continues facing the ceiling, they're shiny in the type of way he's holding back tears.

He suddenly stops and bends at the waist as he places his hands on his knees and bends his head to face the floor.

"Charlie called" he looks up finding the eyes of Harley and I for a split second before facing the floor again. He's on the verge of crying. My heart sinks and my stomach drops into my ass. "Alex is dead" I choke on air as I try and breathe in. Hex seems to be having his own trouble breathing as his back rises and falls rapidly. Harley gasps from my left but all I can focus on is Hex as his body looks like its about to shut down.

I don't even hear the office door slam open as Stevie exits. "Get out!" he starts yelling at Hex from the other side of Darby's. I'm unsure if Hex even heard it because he doesn't move, or maybe he can't move right now. "Get out! Get out! How dare you ruin my bar!" Stevie continues screaming after not receiving an answer from any of us.

"Shut the fuck up!" Hex grunts back, finally acknowledging Stevie as he continues standing by his office door, too scared to come any closer.

"Fuck off Stevie!" Harley butts in and faces Stevie. The sight of him seems to have ignited a fire within her.

"No! Get out of my bar!" he yells louder. It gains the attention of Rex as he comes inside. He sees Stevie yelling at Hex and makes his way to us.

"I've had enough of you, motherfucker" Hex grumbles and points his finger at Stevie. I suddenly regret everything I ever told Hex about Stevie as he walks past me and towards Stevie.

"Hex stop" I grab his arm and tug on it. He stops walking when I refuse to let go but keeps his gaze firmly on Stevie, intimidatingly.

"Aye! You gotta go man" Rex says to Hex. Hex doesn't even look his way and keeps looking at Stevie. I don't miss the nervous step Stevie takes towards the open office door as he readies himself to run inside if I let go of Hex.

"Lets go" I plead so only Hex can hear. I tug again and he steps backwards, giving Stevie one last glare before turning and walking out the door.

I look to Harley, remembering the broken glass that covers the floor. She catches my eye and waves me away.

"I've got it, Poppy" she says as she starts to sweep the floor.

"Thanks Harley" I respond weakly and follow behind Hex.