MADDIE POV
I shut the door to Justin's office and tried not to listen to his phone conversation with Jeremy. I desperately wanted to-I always did.
I slowly went downstairs and found Jaxon in front of the TV. I plopped down on the soft green couch next to him.
"What's up, Bug?" he asked me.
"I'm bored and I don't have to be at work for another few hours."
"Go read. Isn't that what you always do?" he snickered.
"No," I said in an annoyed voice, "I have a life."
I actually did like it on this island, even though I wished sometimes that I had more interaction with people. That was what the bar was for though. I could work a couple nights a week and feel like I was important and not just wasting away. The only problem was it could get incredibly boring on long days, such as this, when Justin was busy playing with money of whatever the hell he did. Cabin fever was starting to set in. But I chose to be here. This place was better for Justin and me. Here, on the island, we were free and could just be Maddie and Justin.
"We could go for a swim," Jaxon suggested.
"You look ready." I noticed him in nothing more than swim trunks. That's all he ever wore these days.
"I was planning on it later after my movie goes off."
"I don't want to swim today."
"Let's go shoot something." He got overly excited. "Justin bought me a new gun the other day. I can't wait to try it out."
I didn't really have any choice in the matter. Jaxon took my hand and pulled me from the couch roughly. We went to Justin's very special 'gun room' and searched through the wide array of options. Everything was ordered and coordinated to Justin's specific guidelines.
"Can you not break anything?" I warned Jaxon, "You know how he gets."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Over the years, I had become somewhat of an aficionado in things that went 'boom'. Justin called me a small dynamo with a gun. I certainly had more of a love for them than I used to. I knew the makes, models, size, weight; almost everything about every piece of firepower made. That was all thanks to Justin, but I studied hard.
"I love it here," Jaxon sighed in awe as his hands traveled over the smooth steel of guns.
I tried lifting a large semi-automatic off of the wall, but it was too heavy for me and I stumbled backwards. I was still determined to use it and tried to act like it wasn't a problem for me.
He snatched it from my hands easily. "Silly, Maddie. Small girls can't handle big guns."
"I can so. I choose not to," I said stubbornly.
Jaxon gave me a smaller one. "There you go. A military grade Beretta 7301."
"It's a girl gun." I weighted it in my hand.
"You do have a vagina, don't you?" He smirked at took the larger one for himself.
"I swear, you get more like Keegan every day." I shook my head, grabbing a couple of rounds for later and following Jaxon out of the room.
I grabbed my sunglasses on the way and put them on as the sticky, humid heat that had become a constant in my new Brazilian home started to make me sweat instantly. Thankfully, the one thing I never had to worry about here was my hair. It didn't frizz for whatever reason.
It was the small pleasures that counted.
"Wow, it's a hot one out today," Jaxon observed, like I couldn't feel it myself. "Should have brought a bottle of water. Oh and Justin said I could go with you guys into the city. I need a few things."
"Okay, but we'll leave you if you get lost again."
"I didn't get lost. You two left me...I just so happened to find my way into that strip club. It wasn't my fault. I was so torn up that the nice ladies decided toconsole me." He replied innocently.
"You're worse than Keegan," I grumbled.
Jaxon was, for all intents and purposes, my child. For the past two years, Justin and I had been raising him and trying to do a good job. We didn't really have a choice, but I didn't mind. I actually enjoyed taking care of someone and Jaxon made life fun. There were some days when I wanted to rip my hair out, though. He was a handful. I had to remind myself that even though he was legally an adult now, he was still a child mentally, and Justin was determined to make him into a good man. Jaxon should be a little more mature, but he went from being locked up to being babied by Pattie and Jeremy. He never really had a chance to live as an adult or be independent. We were trying to find the balance between letting him go and keeping him safe.
As we made our way through the thick, green foliage of the island, I took in deep breaths of the sea air.
"We're here," Jaxon announced when we came to a clearing. Swaying palm trees blew in the wind and colorful birds cawed above us.
We were standing in a field on the opposite side of the house with targets set up a couple of yards out. Our weekly ritual of weapons training had become one of my favorite times. It was fun and made me feel powerful, in control and I was actually kind of good at it.
We positioned ourselves in our normal spots and Jaxon shoved a pair of ear mufflers over my head.
"You're not holding it right," Jaxon informed me before I could even begin to shoot.
"Why not?" I looked down at the gun in my hands. "This is how Justin told me to hold it."
"Because he has bigger hands than you." Jaxon repositioned the pistol. "Your hands need to be closer together so you have a better hold on it."
"I've been shooting a gun for years and you've never said anything before."
"I don't think I ever noticed it," he chuckled. "Now we're ready."
The feeling of a gun in my hand had become natural. I wasn't a master like Justin or Jaxon, but I was getting better. I had spent time in this field, practicing and honing my skills for if I ever had to use them. Justin was convinced that we weren't going anywhere anytime soon. I, on the other hand, was less than convinced. I just... had a feeling.
The kickback from the Beretta was powerful and brought me out of my thoughts. I had to steady myself a couple of times before I got the hang of it and unloaded the pistol until the clip was empty. I wiped my sweaty palms on the rough fabric of my shorts and pulled off my sunglasses.
"Nice shots." Jaxon squinted into the sunlight.
We walked slowly towards the paper bull's-eye targets, which were posted on the trunks of some rather large trees.
"My shooting is so perfect. I need to be in the Olympics."
"What are you talking about? Your grouping is off," I observed and pulled his target from the tree. "What the hell were you doing?"
"I was concentrating." He looked over my shoulder at the paper, "Those are beautiful shots. Don't be jealous."
"You need to get your eyes checked. You have five shots not even on the paper." I ran my hands over the markings on the bark of the poor tree.
"Well, it's hard to control a semi-automatic machine gun, Maddie. And yours isn't much better."
"I beg to differ." I pulled my target down. "Fifteen shots all in the red or yellow. That's the best yet." I folded up the paper and put it in my pocket to show Justin later.
"Whatever." Jaxon put up fresh targets. He replaced his ear mufflers and stomped back over to his spot across the field. Like his brother, Jaxon was the worst kind of loser.
I rolled my eyes and reclaimed my spot as well. He replaced the cartridge in his gun and I did the same, ready to resume shooting.
I had gotten through about half the rounds when I felt warm hands on my hips and a voice in my ear, "Spread your legs for me."
"What?" I was taken off guard and shot into the air.
"They're too close together. Your stance is a little off."
I did as he said and immediately noticed the difference in my arms, which felt lighter. The bullets seemed to just ease out of the gun, and even though I couldn't see the target all too well because of the distance, I knew they were hitting their mark.
Justin's hands crept up my body and along my arms until they were cupping my own around the gun.
"Take a deep breath, steady your core, and then shoot," Justin instructed. Of course, with him being so close and whispering in my ear, I certainly wasn't thinking about guns anymore. I suddenly wanted to be bent over and had very dirty thoughts going through my head.
Even after all these years, he had the same effect on me.
"I can't concentrate with you here." I nudged him.
"You have to stay focused, Maddie." His lips descended on my neck, and he began pulling down one shoulder of my shirt so that the skin was exposed, "Just make sure you keep your eyes on the prize."
The mixture of heat and sexual tension was incredibly stifling.
"Hey, hey, hey! Stop that," Jaxon ordered. "We didn't come out here for you two to sex it up."
"I fucking hate you. Mind your own business." Justin scowled and slapped the back of his head. "And your shooting sucks."
"You both need to leave me alone. My shooting is perfect." He argued, "I'm a master, damn it!"
"Alright, you two." I stopped them before this turned into a giant fight, which wouldn't have been out of the norm. "I have to get to work."
Justin took the gun out of my hands and put it in the waist of his shorts. I grabbed his hand and hurriedly rushed him away from Jaxon, who had a murderous look on his face. Justin and I jumped over fallen trees and waded through thick grasses on our way back to the house with Jaxon clumping behind us.
We were all quiet, just listening to the sounds of the tropical rain forest around us for the fifteen minutes it took to get back home. The sun was beginning to set above the clouds and an almost pink hue was shooting over the sky.
Our beach house was untouched by modernity on the outside and reminded me of something you might see in a travel brochure.
"I'm going to get a shower." I said when I placed the gun back in its spot in the room.
"Alright, I'll have Jaxon start the boat." Justin replied, moving the pistol two centimeters to the left.
I left the boys downstairs and ran into my bedroom. I stripped out of my sticky clothes and climbed into the shower after I tested the water to make sure it was the way I wanted it.
All the water for our little home was originally salt water that was purified. Justin explained the process to me one time, but I didn't really know the specifics. In any case, it was warm, soothing, and smelled incredibly sweet. The water ran over my body and allowed me to unwind from my not so stressful day. My arms were kind of sore from holding up that gun so I stayed in the shower a little longer than normal.
When I was done, I wrapped a plush white towel around my body and had to wipe the steam from the mirror so that I could see myself.
I hadn't changed at all in what seemed like years. I still had the face of a teenager, which was kind of embarrassing. My hair was fuller and maybe a little longer and I guess I had a slight tan. That was a new look for me. The perpetual pale girl from Washington now looked like a beach bunny-or so Justin said. I still saw the flaws most of the time.
I started applying makeup, which my boss swore was a part of my "uniform". I never really wore it until about a year ago when I started going into Rio. I worked in a fucking club with pulsing lights and loud music. It wasn't like anyone was looking at the face of one of the bartenders, but Nahuel was convinced that I needed it. I guess I couldn't complain since I made a buttload of tips, but I still found it a little unnecessary.
As I was applying a thin dusting of blush over my cheeks, Justin came into the bathroom with angry growl.
"I can't wait until we ship him off to a fucking college somewhere." He stopped himself from punching the wall.
"What did he do now?"
"We broke my gun... My new gun, Maddie."
"Sorry?"
"And it's not like I can have it fixed so I have to buy a new one and that was fucking hard to get."
"Alright, well no need in getting stressed over it."
He exhaled, running a hand through his full hair. As was his calming technique, he pinched the bridge of his nose, and then leaned on the counter. I continued to beautify myself while he reduced his heart rate. It was actually kind of interesting to watch with his ticks and mannerisms.
"Are you better?" I asked after five minutes.
"Yes," Justin crossed his arms, "what time do we have to leave?"
"In about an hour. Tonight's my long night too, so we'll be out until probably one."
Justin just sat on the counter, watching me as I continued to get ready. He did that a lot.
The best thing about our relationship was that we didn't have to talk all the time. We could sit for hours and only utter a few words between us and it was still as powerful as if we'd talked each other's ears off.
As I looked at him in the mirror, I asked myself how it was still possible that I loved him as much as I did. Sure, we had hard times after that first year and almost brought the house down with our shouting, but it had to be done. We didn't have any choice but to shout out everything that had built up over our separation.
My main argument was that I lost absolutely everything: my family, friends, my education, and... well, everything. What had Justin lost? He argued that being separated from me for two years was enough. I didn't like that excuse and it pissed me off to now end at how quickly he thought we could just go back to being us.
I had too much anger to do that.
With time though, it did happen. I realized that there wasn't much I could do about it. It happened and it was in the past. We both hurt and had both lost. We were working on our future now. That was what was important to me. I shed tears for this man and I wasn't letting him go now. We were in too deep for that. I guess our relationship wasn't what you would expect from a twenty-two and twenty-nine year old. We were like an old couple who had been together since birth.
There had been a lot of trust issues that we had to work through, mainly on my part, but Justin surprisingly had suggested therapy. We both saw someone in Rio separately and then together, under aliases, of course, but it did help.
"I don't like you working in that bar." Justin voiced his opinion for the hundredth time.
"I know you don't and I'll find a new job soon. Just for now, let me stay there. It's fun."
He grumbled something undistinguishable.
I let my eyes travel sneakily up his body in the mirror until I caught a glimpse of his right shoulder that was barely covered by his shirt. The white angel wings were always there, always a reminder.
Not a day went by that I didn't think about her.
I didn't really know if my baby was a girl or not, but I felt she was. I had named her Elizabeth and it helped me heal to think of my lost child as an actual person, rather than a fetus. It still hurt sometimes, but at least I wasn't crying anymore. Besides Justin, Jaxon was the only one who even knew I was pregnant. We had told him and he was amazingly comforting when Justin couldn't find the right words.
I didn't really know how Justin felt about her. He never said much, but he always held me when I cried. He knew that Elizabeth meant the world to me and always listened. I talked a lot about it in therapy for that year and I did eventually heal.
Now, we almost never mentioned about her. Justin said he was sad about it, but still found it hard to wrap his mind around being a father. I hadn't even dared to bring up children because I knew Justin wouldn't be too fond of the idea. He claimed that if it was what I wanted, then we could try, but kids weren't on his 'to do' list at the moment. To be honest, they weren't really on mine either. I wasn't ready.
Justin noticed me looking at his tattoo that symbolized our baby girl and quickly covered his shoulder. I averted my eyes.
"You're shaking," he said quietly.
"Am I?" I asked stupidly. "I didn't even notice. I'm fine."
"I can get rid of the tattoo if..."
"No, don't you dare." I cut him off, "I need it there. It's a good reminder."
Justin pulled me close to his body, wrapping his arms around my hips and kissing my temple. "Are you okay?"
"She would have been four." I exhaled, willing myself not to tear up. I hadn't in a long time and I wasn't going to let myself start now. "I wonder what she would look like."
"Like you," he answered. "Long brown hair, massive brown eyes, a sweet face..."
"Or like you." I smiled sadly in the mirror. "Can you believe it? Four years old. We wouldn't know what to do with ourselves. A little girl, running around like a crazy person."
"I don't know if we would have made it." He chuckled, kissing me again, "I might have snapped by now."
"Maybe." I started reapplying my makeup. "I'm almost ready."
"Okay." He let me go and went into the bedroom.
I dressed in my jean shorts, a simple white shirt, and white sneakers that would glow in the fluorescent lights of the club. My hair was left down for now, but I made sure to have a band to put it up once we got into the heat of Rio.
"Are you ready?" Justin asked when I came out of the bathroom.
"Yeah, let's go."
We traveled downstairs and I realized I was already running late when the sun started setting completely behind the horizon.
Jaxon already had the boat untied from the dock and idling in the water. Justin was always concerned with me tripping, so he carried me the five feet to the boat.
"Finally. I was waiting forever." Jaxon took off once Justin and I were seated, "You two were probably having sex again. Disgusting."
"Just drive the fucking boat." Justin snapped.
I only worked during the weekends so that was usually when we went into the city. While I was at the bar, Justin would usually go grocery shopping or buy whatever we needed for the week. Jaxon almost never came with us because he was too difficult to keep track of without a cell phone. I was wondering what they were going to do tonight.
"Freddie's fine," Justin said to me over the roar of the engine. "Jeremy's been checking up on him."
"How was his wedding?" I asked, trying not to sound sad that I wasn't able to attend.
"Nice. He's happy."
"That's all I care about then."
After I was released from prison and kidnapped by Justin, I found out that Freddie was looking for me. I sent him a postcard, stamped from Spain when I first got here, that basically said I was fine and he shouldn't worry about me. I told him I would be home sometime, but I didn't know when. It was selfish of me to leave him hanging that way, but what more could I do? It was too risky to keep sending him letters, and I couldn't just call him whenever I wanted.
Justin asked Jeremy to keep tabs on him for me. I think he had someone watching him. I got a report whenever they talked. He was always fine. He missed me, but found solace in the lady who owned the diner in Thorp. They had got engaged last year and Freddie finally took the plunge at the beginning of the New Year.
Of course I missed both him and Rebecca, but I knew I would see them again. It was never our intent to stay on this island forever and we just had to wait out our self-imposed sentence. I didn't know when we would be back, but I knew Freddie would be there to lovingly kick my ass when I got off of the plane. He was not going to be happy with me. I guess that made me more apprehensive to leave the island one day. Who knows what people would have to say when we got back?
I couldn't think too much more about the life I left behind because the blinding lights of Rio were coming into view.
They say that New York is the city that never sleeps, but obviously, whoever crated that maxim hadn't visited Rio. There was some sort of carnival or celebration going on every single day, and it was hard to even imagine a city like this existed. The noise was just unbelievable, and the streets were always packed with people, dancing or drinking in ordered chaos. It was a place filled with such life that you couldn't help but smile.
"Okay, ground rules." Justin spoke mostly to Jaxon as we pulled into the dock of the harbor. "You stay with me at all times. I won't have you running off again."
"Can't I stay with Maddie? Her club is so much cooler than whatever the hell you've got going on," Jaxon argued.
"No, she can't keep an eye on you like I can. If you get arrested, you're staying in jail because I'm not coming to bail you out."
"Okay, fine."
"We need milk," I informed them both when Justin shut off the engine, "and cereal so make sure to get some. Also, batteries, I think."
"For your vibrator?" Jaxon asked seriously.
"You're so gross." I pulled at my hair and shuddered.
Justin helped me onto the dock and Jaxon followed behind us as we made our way into the city. The club was just a few blocks away so we didn't need to take a taxi or anything like that. It was only nine at night, but the streets were already buzzing with the anticipation of a fun night.
"Okay, so I have my emergency cell phone if you need me," Justin said when we got to the club. "Make sure you call."
"I will, Justin. Nothing is going to happen."
He was always so worried about me working here. He said it wasn't the proper place for me. He also hated my boss with a passion. Justin thought he treated me rudely and said so on multiple occasions to his face. It was a wonder that I wasn't fired by now.
"Just make sure you tell that fucking boss of yours to keep himself in line"
I nodded.
"I'll be back later to pick you up." Justin kissed me shortly before being dragged down the street and into the crowd by Jaxon.
I went inside to an already packed club. It didn't even have a name. Nahuel said that it didn't need one. People just knew about it and came for a good time. The place was huge, with three floors, and it was one of the hotspots for all the college kids who wanted to get completely smashed. I don't think we turned anyone away from a drink.
"Charlotte is here!" a fellow bartender, Zafrina, shouted over the music. "Couldn't come soon enough. I'm bored."
"Yes, I'm here. Let the party begin." I smiled, putting my hair up and going behind the bar on the first floor.
Me, and a couple other people controlled the bar downstairs. We got the people when they were first coming out for a good night, not too drunk yet. To everyone on the mainland, I was known as Charlotte Mallette, the new wife of Peter Mallette, and we lived somewhere outside of the city; I never said where.
It was amazing how naive people were. When we first started coming to the city and telling people that lie, I was terrified that someone was going to know who we were, but Justin convinced me not to worry. Just like he said, they believed anything I said and why wouldn't they? I wasn't a threat. I was just a young bride from the states who happened to be here on business with her husband-nothing more, nothing less.
"It's been so boring." Jack, another bartender leaned on his elbows. "No one wants drinks this early in the night."
"I see you have a lot of tips in your pockets." I checked our supply of liquor and wrote down anything we needed for when Nahuel made his hourly checks. I was a shift manager, so I was expected to be on top of things on at all times.
"That's because I'm so sexy. Get a little vodka in these ladies and they'd take home the Elephant Man," he replied.
"Too bad you're gay, huh?" Zafrina giggled. She was a massive woman with muscles that made her a very imposing woman. Everyone was scared of her until she actually said something and you realized that she was a sweetheart.
"Yeah, too bad, but if I keep my mouth shut then they'll never know. Just look and don't touch is my motto." Jack wiggled his eyebrows. "Speaking of, where is that fine husband of yours, Marie?"
"Out grocery shopping or whatever the hell he does." I shrugged, still tending to the alcohol supply.
"You two are so cute together," Zafrina sighed, longingly. "I need a man. Find me one, Charlotte."
"I can't help you there. I have enough trouble keeping up with the two I have at home."
"Oh, that's right. I forgot Alex was eighteen. He's legal!" she shouted. Jaxon, or Alex as he was known, just loved coming in here for the simple reason that everyone fawned over him. Justin could do without the attention, but Jaxon craved it.
"He's not an option for you," I said, the protective side of me peeking out.
"I think he likes me." She sauntered off, swaying her hips to the beat of the music that was just starting to pump louder as the night really began to pick up.
"Charlotte!" a thunderous voice shouted.
I saw my boss pushing through people to get to the bar.
"Hi, Nauhel. Do you want a drink?" I asked as nice as possible.
"Not right now. What have I told you about wearing your hair up?" he sneered.
"But it's so hot in here."
"I don't care. You don't look good with it up. People don't drink if their servers look like shit."
"Fine." I pulled the band out and pulled my hair over one shoulder so that I would have some sort of ventilation. "Is that better?"
"Eh. It'll do." He shrugged. Nauhel was a small pipsqueak of a man, almost as small as me. He always had a toothpick in his mouth and was a complete miser. He never wasted a cent if he didn't have to. His dark skin looked like leather and had scars over it that suggested he had been through some pretty rough shit, but no one ever asked.
"We need some stuff." I handed him the list I made when I came in and he snatched it from me roughly, reviewing it with quick eyes.
"I just put some Captain Morgan back there an hour before you came."
"Well, it's gone now. And some Grey Goose," I tacked on. "That always goes fast."
"Fine. I'll send someone with it all later. Get to work!" he yelled and stalked away.
"What a bastard." Zafrina stood next to me, shadowing over my tiny frame. "I think we should start a union."
"You can start a union and I'll watch. Besides, that'll just give Peter more of a reason to beat the shit out of him."
"Well he needs his shit kicked. He's so rude." She rolled her eyes, slithering away. "Oh, I think you have your first customer of the night."
A man sat in front of me.
"Hi." I smiled widely, flirting just a little. "What can I get you?"
"Um, I'm not sure. It's my first night here. What's good?" He searched the massive selection of drinks behind me.
"We have a Rio Slammer that everyone loves. Taste good without getting you hammered in three sips."
"What's in it?" he asked, sitting at the bar.
"Sweet and sour mix, orange juice, cranberry juice, gin, peach liquor, and a touch of lime."
"It's not a girly drink is it?" He scrunched his nose up.
"No, it's not." I laughed, "You can have a regular beer."
"No, I think I'll brave the slammer," he said loudly.
"Okay, then." I started mixing easily. After a year at this, I had the menus memorized and could pretty much do it with my eyes closed.
The man was obviously not from around here, as evident from his pale skin and touristy shirt that he probably bought at one of the vendors outside. He had spiky hair and talked with a thick American accent.
"Where are you from?" I asked when I was putting the final touches on his drink.
"Texas." He nodded. "First time in Brazil."
"Are you liking it?"
"Yes, it's a lot, but I've never been to a place like this. Where are you from?"
"California. I'm here with my husband. He does business down here," I lied without hesitation or thought. I almost believed it myself.
"What kind of business does he do?" the man asked when I handed him his drink.
"Import and export. Mostly chocolate and coffee."
"Cool." He grinned and took a sip. "Wow, this is amazing."
"Thank you. I added some sarsaparilla with you being from Texas and all."
"I can taste it." He shook his head to clear it. "That is some strong stuff."
"Glad you're enjoying." I moved onto a new costumer who had just asked me for a simple coke and Bacardi. "So how long are you here?" I asked the same guy sitting in front of me.
"Just for another week," he answered.
I could tell that he was a moneymaker. He was going to give me all the tips I needed tonight if I just kept him talking.
"You should go check out the mango festival they're having next weekend. Free drinks here during happy hour."
"I'll be sure to do that." He shifted on the stool like he was uncomfortable and pulled something dark and metal from under him. He set the gun on the counter, either not caring that it was out in full view or already too drunk to realize it.
I froze when I saw it and tried to regain my composure before he saw me. I went back to making drinks like nothing was wrong. It wasn't like we didn't ever have some seedy shit go down in the bar, but I just didn't expect him to pull that out of his belt.
"Am I allowed to have this in here? It's not loaded or anything," he said, pointing to the impressive gun.
"Uh, no. You can't have that."
"I figured. Well then, I guess I need to go." He downed the rest of his drink and got up from his seat, taking his gun with him. "Oh, I didn't get your name. I think I should know for when I come back next weekend for my free drink."
"Charlotte," I said and felt like I shouldn't even give him that. "I'll be here for that free drink."
"I'm hoping so. I'm Ben, by the way." He smiled and handed me a hundred American dollar bill. "I'll be back."
I took the money and put it in my tip jar as he walked through the crowd.
"You got a hundred bucks?" Jack snuck up behind me, flipping a bottle of vodka over his head. "Did you flash him or something? I can do that."
"No, we just kept talking. I told you to be nicer to your peoples."
"Being nice is overrated."
"You sound like Peter."
"Oh, God. I hope so. I wouldn't mind looking like him too."
I pushed Jack back to work and tried not to think about the creepy man with the gun as I stalked up the length of the bar, looking for someone to serve.
The hours passed on as they normally did with people getting drunker by the second. The music and lights were urging everyone to dance. The leeway of Sunday morning meant that everyone could get shitfaced tonight and not have to worry about their hangovers.
By the time midnight arrived, the scene was frenzied with fist pumping at its fullest and hair swinging, making everyone dizzy. Of course the clubs stayed open until the sun rose in Rio, but I usually only worked until about one.
I was watching the clock closely and just as usual, when the hands struck one, I spotted Justin pushing through people with a glare on his face. He arrived at the bar and plopped down on a stool in front of me.
"Why are there so many people in here?" he shouted. His lip was cracked and red.
"Because it's fun," I replied sarcastically. "Duh. Did you get into a fight."
"Can I have a drink? And yes, I did."
"What was it this time?"
"Someone owed me money, don't ask."
"Your usual, sir?" I flirted. "Or would you like to try something different?"
"The normal will be fine. Do I have to pay extra for the sexy bartender?"
"You're so cheesy." I rolled my eyes and gave Justin his scotch.
"I am not," he argued, gulping his drink easily. "It's called romance, Charlotte."
"Excuse me. I didn't know."
Jack snaked up from nowhere. "Hi, Peter."
"Oh, hello." Justin kind of turned away from him. He was always very uncomfortable when Jack started hitting on him. It was hilarious to watch.
"It's nice to see you again. You haven't visited me in a while." Jack actually batted his eyelashes.
"I've uh... been busy."
"Well, don't be such a stranger." Jack winked at me before going back to showing off in front of the ladies for tips.
"Maybe you should stop coming in here." I barely held in my laughter.
"Maybe I should," he agreed. "Isn't there some sort of policy against his shameful behavior?"
"Look around, this is the definition of sleaziness."
Before Justin even had the chance to say anything in response, Nauhel shuffled through the crowd with a purpose. "Charlotte! Get in the back and clean up."
"I'm about to leave. I'm actually already off of the clock."
"Well, some girl took a shit in the ladies' room and missed the toilet, so I need you to go handle it."
"Get someone else to do it." I shuddered.
"Don't you have a cleaning crew for that?" Justin asked him in a strained voice.
"Oh, you're here." Nahuel said with distaste in his voice. "Charlotte, get your ass back there and clean it up."
Justin smashed his glass against the counter, and it shattered in his hand. He started bleeding immediately, but didn't seem to care as he stood up from his seat. Everyone around him kind of backed up in surprise.
"You need to have a little more respect for your employees, especially her." Justin was trying hard not to kill Nauhel. I could see it in his face.
"She works for me and if I need something cleaned, then she'll do it."
"If you ever talk to her like that again, I'll break your jaw."
"I pay her good fucking money and I'm not giving your precious Charlotte preferential treatment just because you threaten me on a daily basis."
"I've held my tongue for too fucking long and I'm tired of hearing you talk to her like she's some kind of barn animal. Apologize," he ordered.
"I'm not apologizing." He laughed. "Come in here again and I'll have you arrested."
"Go ahead and call them because I'm about to kill you," Justin snarled. He took the first step and I wasn't going to make it over the bar in time before he busted my boss' head in.
Thankfully, Jaxon was there in an instant, whispering in his ear and pulling him backwards. When I saw Justin's hand clasped around the golden gun at his side, I knew it was time to go.
"So fucking hot," Jack muttered as I ran past him and into the crowd.
I pushed Justin out of the crowd but could still hear Nauhel's voice. "Bring him in here again, Charlotte, and you're fired."
Justin was literally shaking when we were in the streets. He punched the wall of a building where Jaxon took us and ground his teeth together at the pain.
"Stop it." I took his hand, which was still bleeding and wrapped it in a towel that I had grabbed from the bar, making sure that there was no glass in his cuts. "You can't do that to my boss."
"You're not working for that bastard anymore. Fuck him and his shit club."
"Seriously, Maddie. Why are you working there?" Jaxon asked me, peeking around the corner to see if anyone noticed us.
"Nahuel treats everyone that way. I would say something if he just talked to me so nastily, but everyone gets his shit."
I looked to make sure no one was watching us. I could have sworn that I saw Ben from the bar, leaning against a wall against the street and smoking a cigarette, but when I looked again, he was gone.
"I'll burn that place down before you step in there again." Justin was breathing harshly and not showing any signs of calming down.
When I was done tending to his hand, I hugged him close to me. That seemed to be the only thing worked. I could hear his heart thundering in his chest and even in the warm heat of the night, I could feel his skin burning.
"Just breathe," I told him. "Don't think about it."
"You're not going back." He hugged me tightly. "I won't stand for anyone talking to you like that."
"Okay, I won't go back," I said. "If it upsets you too much then I won't."
"I think we should go," Jaxon said. "I think he called the police."
Justin unwrapped his arms from around me, took my hand with his uninjured one, and rushed into the pulsing crowd of Rio, heading towards the docks to go home.