Hotter Horizons (15 page)

The dancers were getting a standing ovation, on the
brink of doing an encore. The crowd rose to their feet, shielding them from
Johnny’s oppressive presence. Fern grabbed Levi and nudged Alec in the ribs.

“What is it?” Alec
asked,
his face still dazed from a stage full of naked men.

“We have to get outta here,” Fern
said,
her tone anxious. The wine tipped in her stomach, sweat now forming on her
brow. Apparently Levi hadn’t been as distracted as Fern had thought. Levi was
still, his expression hard. The flesh of his jaw twitched slightly below the
shallow growth he’d left on his face.

“I knew it.” Levi shook his head.
 
“I felt it in my gut before we even left the
fucking house. Thugs are so predictable.”

“We need to leave. Jada’s taking us out the back
way.
Now!”
Fern yelled. She pawed at their shirts.

“This is such fucking bull. I’ll twist his head
right off his neck, right where he stands.” Levi’s eyes flashed as he stood.
Fern waved off his threat. She was in no mood to collect data on the three egos
that had her surrounded.

“Take it easy. We’ll go … we’ll do whatever you want,”
Alec said softly, taking her hand.

Jada was right there, her face pained. She yanked
Alec’s arm and began tugging them toward the back door, Levi grumbling behind
them. Fern stayed between them, frantic to get out.

The music and roaring outbursts from the audience
receded as they made their way down a dark hall. An illuminated exit sign above
the door had their skin bleeding out with a red hue, mirroring their wounded
evening. Jada pushed open the door with force.

Cool air wafted into her face, lifting the stifling
heat and panic from her.

“Please be careful,” Jada said, her tone wavering.
“I have to get back in there. I
gotta
find Ronnie,
the bouncer. The three of you should just leave …
it’s
best.” Jada’s words were hurried. She turned on her heel and darted back
inside.

****

“I’m not fucking going anywhere,” Levi said, his
fingers curled and ready. “Let that punk try to work his program on me.” Levi
glared at them.
 

Alec didn’t like the looks of things. It’d been so
much better inside about ten minutes ago.

A shroud of darkness blanketed the desolate lot
behind the casino. Several streetlights in the distance lit up the asphalt with
a chalky sheen.

Alec took the reins before Levi lost it. “I’m
gonna
go get the car,” he said calmly.

“Fuck it all!” Levi yelled. “Someone’s going to
stand up to this motherfucker.”

“It’s not going to be us,” Alec said
,
 
his
tone clipped.
“I try not to waste my energy on people like him.”

At the sound of heels crunching on asphalt, Alec turned,
coming head to head with the man who’d caused Fern to leave and run right into
their arms. Maybe he should thank Johnny. Alec’s thoughts ran in circles before
settling into a calm, rational thought like a diagramed sentence.

If it wasn’t for Johnny’s arrogant stupidity, there
would’ve been nothing that would have driven Fern to leave, leading her right
to their doorstep. He needed to meditate on that. Before he could speak,
Johnny’s harsh words inflated in the air, quickly changing the atmosphere, and
not for the better.

“What you got here, Fern?” Johnny’s laughter was
rough, scraping over him like shards of glass. “Where’d you pick up these two
clowns?”

Levi bit back. His words of warning made Alec’s
heart drum.

This
guy has no idea what Levi is capable of.

Levi might look like a lightweight, but he could
fight. He’d grown up on the streets of Newark, New Jersey, and still sported
the battle scars to prove it.

“You know what the problem is with men like you?”
Levi asked, tilting his head, moving closer to Johnny.

“Oh God,” Fern moaned, lowering her head into her
hands. “Levi, please.”

Alec took her hand, squeezing it briefly. Her face
hung, her beauty draining. Alec could see all the past exhaustion of dealing
with a man like Johnny. It was like sludge backing up and polluting a pool of
pristine water. Alec guided their steps back, turning her to face him.

“Go inside,” Alec whispered, raising his chin toward
the door. Fern shrugged out of his grasp, her tone one of defiance.

“No way,” she said coldly.
 

“What’s the problem with men like me?” Johnny lifted
his hands, egging Levi on, provoking him.

“Your kind … I’m not going to use the word ‘man,’
because a man you are not.” Levi smiled at him, laughing right in his face.
 
“You’re nothing but a coward.”

Johnny’s face pinched with anger, his eyes narrowed.

“That’s right.” Levi laughed, his contempt fueling
the fire. You think you’re so tough. Deep down
you’re
an insecure head-case who could probably use a good shrink along with some
medication. What man resorts to intimidating women?”

Johnny’s face darkened. Alec watched the exchange
closely, his eyes glued to a confrontation that was ready to boil over.

“Is that right?” Johnny rolled his shoulders. His
leather jacket creaked as their words slowed to a stop. “So tell me … what’s
the deal here?” Johnny tilted his head, gesturing to the three of them. “You
both fucking
her or what?”

The scuffle exploded like cannon fire, the gunpowder
potent. Feet skidded over pavement as Levi lunged for Johnny, throwing the
first punch. Johnny lost his footing, stumbling backward. He grabbed the edge
of the dumpster, regaining his composure.

Levi didn’t wait, coming back at Johnny again.
Subsequent punches were fired at Johnny’s face. His head was knocked back, his
teeth tapping.

Fern screamed.

“Levi, please!” Fern’s cries resonated through the
desolate, dark parking lot. Blood ran from Johnny’s nose like a red river.

Alec ran up from behind, grabbing Levi by his
heaving shoulders. The odor of stale beer and burnt ashes seeped into his nose.

Johnny’s fist recoiled, but he missed Levi’s face,
knocking Alec square in the jaw.

Lines of sizzling pain seared up his jaw,
electrocuting his brain. He froze, stunned, blinking back the tears that burned
in his eyes, clouding his vision. Alec tried to shake off the agony as it
traveled through his body. He was losing the war. His legs buckled, his bones
disintegrating. Levi turned, shoving Johnny back with one hand. Levi’s face
wrinkled with worry, his features wide with shock. The world went fuzzy. Alec’s
eyes darkened as if someone had dimmed a light switch.

“Damn it!” Alec moaned, stumbling. Levi’s hands
grabbed him as his world slanted.

A wave of force hit him again as his head exploded.
Liquid metal filled his mouth, his throat gagging. Excruciating pain barreled through
him, etching through his skull like a knife on concrete. Flames lashed around
his vertebra, settling in the base of his neck before everything went black.

Chapter
Twenty-Six

“I have your coffee,” she said softly, touching
Levi’s shoulder. Tendons flinched beneath her palm. Levi shook his head. He
stared out the window, his eyes avoiding hers.

Fern set the two Styrofoam cups down. She met Levi’s
eyes in the reflection of the glass. Tears lined his shadowed cheeks. His hair
was mussed. Dried blood scabbed over his cheek. Fern’s heart sank to her feet.
Emptiness echoed in and around her.

Alec was being tended to in the ER. By the time Jada
had gotten Ronnie out back, it was too late. They’d come for Alec quickly, Levi
and Fern following the racing ambulance close behind.

“I have to sit down,” Levi gasped, falling into a
nearby chair. He buried his head in his hands. Muffled moans filled the quiet
room as his shoulders began to shake. It was almost 2 a.m.

Fern knelt down in front of him, pulling him into
her chest. The anguished cries came. Levi sobbed into her. His spine quivered
under her hands as she smoothed them down a body that’d gone tight, trembling
like a fault line.

“It’s
all my
fault. I let
that bastard get the best of me,” Levi said, choking on his tears. “I let that
lowlife asshole hurt my man.” His voice was raw.

Fern shook her head.

“Stop.
We
can’t undo what’s been done. We have to pray that he’s okay,” Fern said
,
 
attempting
to
steady her voice. She wanted to be the strong one, needed to be, but the guilt
was closing in, smothering her from all sides.

The sight of Alec’s hat lying on the nearby table
had her pinching her eyes closed. If she hadn’t landed on their doorstep, they
wouldn’t be here. Alec wouldn’t be getting a CT scan right now. Bile rose into
the back of her throat.

“This happened because of me … not you.” Her words
were laced with disgust. “If I hadn’t shown up at your door, this would’ve
never happened.”

Levi’s head snapped up. His eyes locked with hers.
Anger spewed from him.

“Don’t—”

“Excuse me, folks.” A voice behind them intervened.

Fern rocked back in her heels. Levi jumped to his
feet. The doctor sat down across from them, motioning Levi back into his chair.
Fern stayed on her knees, gripping Levi’s leg.

“I’m Dr.
Scala
.” He nodded,
speaking slowly, his tone flat.

“Is he going to be okay?” Levi asked, scooting to
the edge of his chair, his body rigid with eagerness.

Dr.
Scala
raised a hand.
“Alec is very lucky,” he said, his gaze floating between them. “He has a
concussion, but it is a grade three.” Dr.
Scala’s
brows pulled together in seriousness.

“What does that mean?” Levi
asked,
his voice raw.

Dr.
Scala
explained that
Alec’s CT scan revealed no bleeding in his brain, but he’d suffered a traumatic
blow. One of his eyes had been affected resulting in a dilated pupil, and Alec
had been vomiting since his arrival in the ambulance.

“He’s heavily sedated. He was very restless after
the CT scan, which is normal. There seems to be some amnesia, because he kept
trying to ask the nurse what had happened.”

“Oh God,” Levi whimpered through jagged breaths.

Dr.
Scala
continued. “He
needs to stay here for a few days. We need to evaluate whether there is any
damage involving his fine motor skills, his speech, and the movement of his
limbs and such, along with his cognitive thought process. Do you have any
questions?” he asked.

“How long, how many days will it take?”

“It all depends how long we have to medicate him. We
can’t evaluate his condition until he’s completely off the medication,” Dr.
Scala
explained. “He’s a lucky man. Have you spoken to the
police?” He stood, burying his hands into the pockets of his lab coat.

Levi and Fern rose to their feet.

“Yes, we’ve given them a full report,” Fern said
hastily, nodding.

“Okay then. We’ll be in touch.” With that Dr.
Scala
exited the waiting room.

Fern went to use the bathroom. Locking the door
behind her, she faced the mirror. Her hair was askew, looking windblown, her
eyes red and swollen. The fluorescent lighting burned them as she glared at
herself. Once again, any joy she’d ever felt, Johnny had sucked out. Her veins
were drained dry. It was one thing for her to be affected, but she would not
allow any further pain to come into Levi and Alec’s life. They were too good
and didn’t deserve her dysfunctional baggage. Though the damage was already
done, why would they want her now? All she’d given them was pain and chaos.

When she returned to the waiting room, Levi was
sleeping, sprawled across three chairs. His hands rested on his chest, his
breathing deep. Fern picked up her purse and headed toward the elevator.

****

Levi’s eyes ached as they fluttered open, meeting
the harsh glare of lighting above. He turned, righting his spine. Distant
sounds of a chiming call bell and ringing telephone reached the waiting room.
The aftermath of dispensed adrenalin burned though his bones as he slowly sat
up. His body was sore, beaten down.

He scoured the room. Fern was gone.

Chapter
Twenty-Seven

Fern directed her footsteps toward the exit. The
automatic doors slid open. Dewy, early morning air bathed over her face. As she
sat down on the outside bench, a darkened figure sharpened in the darkness.
Footsteps echoed on asphalt.

“Fern,” Jada yelled, her voice gasping. Jada’s arm
flailed as she sprinted across the parking lot. She leapt onto the sidewalk.

“How is he?” she asked between panting breaths.
Jada’s watery eyes nailed her right where she sat.
“Fern!”
Jada’s face creased in frustration.