Page 12 of Coyote

I gave him another leisurely punch, hoping he would smarten up.

“Damn, I think you broke my nose.”

“Yeah, it looks that way. I’m thinking of cutting off your dick so you can’t wave it in anyone’s face. You gonna be okay with that?”

“No way,” he responded angrily. “Fucking fine. I won’t come back here. Are you happy?”

I gave him a nice hard punch in the ribs. “Don’t smart me off, you stupid fuck. I have a copy of your photo ID. If I have to track you down, they might not find your fucking body.”

“Jesus Christ. I get what you’re saying. Let me go and I’ll do what you say.”

I grabbed his shirt and shoved him onto the sidewalk. He stumbled and barely managed not to fall onto his face. Breaker tossed his shit, and I threw his wallet at him. He snatched up his stuff and was gone so fast it looked like a cartoon character running at sonic speed.

“Good riddance to bad rubbish,” Breaker mumbled.

“I’m going to go check on Bethany. I’ll be right back.”

Breaker pulled out his vape and leaned back against the wall as I went back inside.

Bethany was standing behind the counter wide eyed. She looked wary when I approached her. I lifted both hands in a placating gesture. “Hey there querida, are you okay?”

She panicked and started babbling. “I didn’t do anything to lead him on. I told him to keep his hands to himself. He’s always like that, with everyone, not just me.”

I stopped in front of the counter, not sure what I was hearing. “What are you talking about, Bethany? Of course, you didn’t lead that filthy fucker on. What kind of thing is that to even think?”

She snapped her mouth shut for a brief second before explaining, “Sometimes men are like that with me. I don’t encourage them.”

I responded seriously, “I know all about how you don’t encourage men. I had to chase your ass for months to get a kiss. Remember that?”

She seemed to calm down. “Yeah, I remember. It’s just that I seem to attract trouble, you know?”

“No. I most certainly do not know anything of the sort. If this happens to you off and on, it’s because you’re a beautiful woman and a certain cross-section of the male population can be absolute assholes. That’s what’s going on here. Nothing more.”

She nodded, but I could tell she still felt like this was somehow her fault.

Now was not the time for self-esteem building so I let her know the danger would stop. “I had a little talk with Rufus about finding someplace else to buy his party supplies. If he steps foot back in this store, I want to know about it.”

“Our owner is normally here, so he he’s never gotten this out of control before. Mr. Archibald went to Vegas with his friend. Rufus tried to take advantage of the situation.”

“Well from now on when things go sideways, I want you to call me. I’m the answer to dodgy shit happening when the owner is out. You got that, darlin’?” She still looked a little freaked out, so I added, “Are you going to be okay? Do you need me to stay for a while?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m good. What did you need today?”

“Nothing. We just came to check on you and make sure you were safe.”

“That’s nice, but why would you do that? It’s a bit of a strange thing to do.”

“It was my friend’s idea. Know what’s even stranger? That you needed me.”

“Yeah. This was a random situation. One in a million, really.” Bethany’s voice was small, and she was still pressed against the wall. It was clear she didn’t think it was a random situation, and it got me thinking about how many other men she’d had to fend off.

“Is it okay if I leave now or do you want me to stay?”

“Maybe go for now. I need some space, and this is our slowest day of the week.”

“Text me if you need anything,” I stated before forcing myself to put one foot in front of the other and leaving.

Walking out of that store was one of the hardest things I have ever done. All my protective instincts were telling me to turn around, go back inside and scoop her up in my arms. I had to remind myself more than once that I offered to stay, and she turned me down. I couldn’t force myself on her to appease my own need to protect her. All I could do was come when she called. That was the right thing to do.