Page 72 of Bought

Finally, he speaks.

And what he says is just as unnerving as I expected it to be.

And he’s not even addressing the M-shaped elephant standing between us, yet.

“Never seen you bring a girl to dinner before,” he says. “Much less her sidekicks. What’s that all about?”

“Nothing.”

“He’s a cute kid, I’m not complaining, but a Bachman man usually doesn’t invite a woman and her family to dinner unless something’s going on between them.”

I lean in for him to light my smoke. I take a long drag, letting the smoke fill my lungs. “This is why I don’t do this kind of thing.”

“What kind of thing?” He takes a long, slow drag.

I watch the cloud of smoke I exhale fade into the air. “Her.”

“Well, I know you fuck,” he says. “So you must be talking about love.”

I shake my head. “Don't say that.”

“Fuck?” He laughs. “Or love?”

I eye him, “You know what I mean.”

“If we were taking a test, you just aced the first question.”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s the first time you’ve told me not to talk about a girl that way. And if someone disrespected her in front of you? What would you do, then?”

If anyone disrespected her in front of me, behind me, to my left, to my right… anywhere, they’d pay.

I don’t answer him. Instead, my jaw locks.

He leans in, real close, knowing exactly what buttons to push, and then he shoves, asking, “And what if someone hurt her?”

I throw the cigarette on the ground and grind the ember out with my boot heel.

But he keeps moving closer, his voice dropping lower, speaking slow enough to make my blood boil, “If another man put his hands on her, what would you do then?—”

With both hands flat on his chest, I push him.

Hard.

“Damn Luce!” He falls back, laughing. “Was it something I said?”

I rub the back of my neck. It feels like it’s on fire, along with the rest of me.

I try to control my anger. I stand there with my arms crossed over my chest, taking it.

His gaze narrows, all humor vanishing from his face. “What would you do if she walked out of your life forever?”

I don’t reply, but I know the answer.

Die.

Inside, I would die.