Threads

Chapter Twelve- Part 2

Altair pretended to flinch back from her. “I’m surprised it’s not going off right now.”

            “Me too,” Alice said. “Either it’s defective, or I’m not as serious about wanting to kill you as I think I am.”

            “I’m really quite charming when you get to know me.” Altair winked, making Alice’s face heat up and Gabriel grumble something under his breath about “not bloody likely”.

            “Twelve dollars please.” Alice stuck her hand out. She never would have charged anyone else that much. Altair handed the money over without complaint. He even said thank you.

            “It’s nice seeing you again,” he told Alice, “When you don’t have to save my neck.”

            “And you’re not holding a knife against mine,” Alice replied coldly.

Altair cast his gaze downwards, looking ashamed. When he looked up his eyes were serious.

“I would never have hurt you,” he said in a low voice. “Never.”

Alice couldn’t help herself; her heart whispered I believe him. When he looked at her like that, her tongue seemed to twist itself in knots.

Gabriel interrupted with a disbelieving, “Hah!”. The Elf leaned forward over the counter. Clearly he longed to send the man sprawling across the room.

            “I will take my leave.” Altair bowed low, and winked again, this time at Gabriel, which seemed to infuriate him even more.

            “Don’t come back,” Alice told him, but even she could tell she didn’t sound serious.

The door rang shut behind him, Gabriel turned on her.

“How could you let him talk to you like that?”

            Alice blinked at him. “Sorry?”

            “He threatened you with a knife and you just let him waltz in here like you two are meeting for tea? Are you crazy?”

            Alice frowned. “I didn’t let him come in here, he just came.”
            “You could have kicked him out. You should have.” Gabriel was facing her now, his hands balled into fists at his side, his fair face red. Alice took a step back from his heated anger.

“He apologized…”

            “He didn’t mean it,” Gabriel raged. “How can you not see that? He was flirting with you. Alice, the man is dangerous!”

            She glowered at him. “First of all, it isn’t your choice who I let in my shop, or who I let flirt with me, and second of all, that man owes me his life. He knows he won’t get away with anything…”

            “So you do admit he was flirting!” Gabriel pointed his finger accusingly, like he was catching her in some terrible act.

            “Don’t over step your bounds.” She was angry now. Angry at him for being right, angry at herself because she knew she was affected by Altair’s flirting.

“You have no right to tell me what to do. You have no right to raise your voice at me. You are my employee Gabriel, nothing more.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could take them back. Gabriel’s face fell. He turned away so she couldn’t see his face.