“Where are ma manners?” Tim came from around the bar and lounged against it, his words and stance bordering on insulting. “Ah’m Tim Reddy, and this heah is ma partner, Cris.”
“You used to run the stable of rent boys.” Wills acknowledged him.
“Why, yes. And Ah made a nice livin’ out of it.”
“I don’t care a damn what kind of livin’ you made. This is between me and him.”
I finally turned to face my ex-lover. “How did you know where I was?” I refused to allow the tug at my heart at how tired he looked.
“I know everything about you except why you shredded the roses I gave you and threw the vase against the wall.” He stalked toward me, for all the world like a hunting animal, and I bit back a whimper. I’d never had a look that predatory directed at me before, not by Wills. My mouth went dry, and when I tried to swallow, I had no spit.
“Uh oh.” Cris took a cigarette from the pack rolled up in his T-shirt sleeve and stuck it in his mouth. It was part of his tough guy persona, but it didn’t seem to affect Wills in the least. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a stalker, Sweetcheeks.”
“Don’t you call him that!” Wills spat.
“Why? Because that was the name I used when I used to peddle my ass, and you don’t want to face the fact?” He’d hurt me, and I was for damn sure going to hurt him right back, as badly as I could. “Look. We had some fun, but it’s over.”
“What?” He looked stunned. How dared he look stunned? He was the one who’d been out fucking around. Did he think there wouldn’t be any consequences? Did he think that just because I’d had to sell my ass to…to more men than I liked to think about, I’d look the other way while he satisfied his curiosity about what it was like with other men?
“You heard me.” I shrugged as if it didn’t matter to me in the least, as if there wasn’t a gaping hole in my chest, my shredded heart on the floor at my feet. “We’re through. You’re…you’re too white-bread for me, and I’m—” I yawned. “I’m bored with you.”
“Why? What did I do?” The bastard was a good actor, I’d give him that. That little-boy-lost look on his face…
“You…” If I didn’t know him for the two-timing, cheating…cheater that he was, I’d have bought it in a heartbeat. I throttled the rage and pain that threatened to come pouring out. I couldn’t tell him his betrayal had cut my heart to ribbons, couldn’t let him see how he’d hurt me. I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. I shrugged again. “You didn’t do anything. That’s the problem.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I’d have changed. I will change.”
“No.” I wasn’t going to set myself up for more hurt. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. “It’s too late for that. I’m used to variety.” I was a pretty damn good actor too. I should get an Oscar for this performance. “I…I need some excitement in my life.”
Tim stifled a snort, and I glared at him.
“You want excitement?” Wills’s tone was like ice, and I turned to say something that would rub my past into his face.
The words never got past my lips. One minute I was about to pour scathing, hateful words on him, and the next, I was on my ass on the floor, blinking back tears of pain. My nose throbbed, and I brought my sleeved arm up to catch the blood that was seeping from it. I stared at Wills in utter shock. He’d never once raised a hand to me, not in the months we’d been together, not even when I’d broken up with him over his answering machine.
Cris and Tim both attacked. They knew how to fight, and they knew how to fight dirty. That was how they went at Wills now, coming at him from both sides, lashing at his groin, his kneecaps, his kidney…Oh, God, his kidney with only partial function.
I whimpered and wanted to cover my eyes, not wanting to see the damage they did to him, but I couldn’t. I watched in sick fascination.
It didn’t take long, not more than a matter of minutes, but when it was over, Cris was on his knees, doubled over, gasping for breath; Tim was against the bar, cradling his side where Wills had struck him with the flat of his foot, and Wills, pale and shaking, looked at his hands in horror.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” His lips twisted, and he turned toward me. I didn’t think to flinch away from him. “You didn’t have to run, Theo. I would have…I’ll get my things out of our…your apartment.” His eyes muddy with the pain I’d been eager to inflict, he turned away.
“Just a second, White Bread!” Tim straightened, grabbed his arm, and jerked him around. He was going to punch Wills, I had no trouble seeing that; I could also see that Wills was going to let him, but instead of throwing a punch, he touched Wills’s cheek. “You’re cryin’.”