“So, how long have you been here, Belle?” he asks as he makes the drinks.

“I grew up here, but I’ve come back recently because my mom has terminal cancer.”

He looks up at me. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

I wave a hand. “You don’t need to be sorry, you didn’t do anything.”

He gives me a gorgeous half-grin, and then continues the preparation.

“What about you, did you grow up here?”

His eyes flash with something painful and his jaw tightens. “For a while, yeah.”

“You and Pip are close?”

He looks over to her again. “She’s the best thing in my life.”

Oh God. He most certainly does love her.

“She’s a good person.”

He flashes me another grin, then lifts a tray and hands me all the drinks. I slide him some cash, then reach over and take it, thanking him before shifting through the crowd to the table. When I reach it, I place the tray down and greet all the girls.

“I see you met Rainer.” Santana grins. “How hot is he?”

“Tana!” Pippa scoffs.

“It’s true, Pippi,” she protests. “You can’t deny it.”

“She has a point.” I grin, sitting down beside Jaylah.

“How are you, Belle?” she asks, turning to me.

Jaylah is bubbly, gorgeous, bold and crazy. I love her personality more than any other person I’ve met. I haven’t spent a great deal of time with her, but when I do she’s always making me laugh.

“I’m well, how are you?”

“Good. Kids driving me nuts. I’m glad to get out.”

I chuckle. “I know how that feels.”

“You’re lucky you have a girl. I would kill for girls. My boys are too much like their father.”

I laugh and we all start chatting about everyday things. I tell them about my job, and Imogen and my mom. Pippa tells us how things have been going with her, and we all spend the next few hours laughing and talking. Rainer has our drinks re-filled every time they get low and four Cosmos in and I’m lightheaded. It’s stuffy in here now the bar is filling up, and I need to take a breath. I need to pee, too.

“I’m going to use the bathroom outside,” I yell in Jaylah’s ear as I slip out of the booth.

I am not lining up inside, I’ll never get there. Pippa told me there’s a bathroom outside, because Rainer showed her when she was here one night. Thank God.

“Do you want me to come?”

I wave a hand. “I’m okay.”

I push through the crowd, stumbling a little. Occasionally I stop and wiggle my ass to as song I like, and it takes longer than necessary to get out of the bar, but I make it eventually. As soon as the fresh air hits my face, the alcohol moves quicker in my system and my legs feel wobbly.

“You doin’ okay there?”

I spin around and trip at the sound of a masculine voice. A hand lashes out and catches me, and I look up to see Rainer staring down into my face.

“Rainer,” I say, laughing. “Sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be out here alone, Belle. It’s dangerous.”

I steady myself and he lets me go. I see he’s got a cigarette in his other hand.

“You smoke?”

He looks down at his hand then shrugs. “When I’m stressed.”

“Why are you stressed?” I ask, leaning on the wall to steady myself.

He leans back too. “I love a girl that doesn’t love me, and I can’t seem to do anything but fuck relationships up, even if I try and move on. Shit just isn’t going right. I am fucking a heap of shit up.”

Oh.

Poor Rainer.

“I understand that,” I admit.

“Couldn’t see you fucking anything up, sweetheart.”

I smile at him. “Then you don’t know me. I’m very good at fucking things up.”

He chuckles. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“I better pee and then get back inside or they’ll freak out that I’m dead or something.”

Rainer nods. “Yeah, I better get back to it.”

He waves a hand and I scurry off to the toilet, while he waits. When I’m out, we enter the bar again. Just as I step through the doors to the bar, I stumble a little. Rainer catches me. “Whoa there, slow down.”

He keeps his arm around my waist as he leads me further in, no doubt scared that I’ll trip and land on my face. We enter the crowd of people, but I skid to an abrupt halt when I see the last person I would have thought would come into a bar like this. It’s Max. He’s standing with two men, eyes burning into me. I shift uncomfortably, but I can feel his rage.

“What’s wrong?” Rainer asks.

I can’t answer; I just stare at Max whose eyes flick down to my short dress. His eyes go hard and his jaw tightens as he starts striding towards me. Shit. Rainer pulls me closer into his side, clearly seeing the massive man charging towards us.

“What the fuck are you doin’ here, Blue Belle?”

I flinch at his words—when he calls me that, it hits me right in the heart.

“I’m here dancing and having a good time with my friends, Max. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“None of my business.” He laughs so bitterly I flinch. “No, nothing you fucking do is my business, is it? That little girl with you, is she my fucking business?”

I flinch. “Don’t.”

“Don’t?” he roars. “Don’t be fucking furious that you’ve kept my fucking kid from me? Don’t be furious that you can’t even give me five fucking minutes to speak to you? Don’t be furious that you’re a selfish fucking cunt?”

Tears burst forth before I can stop them. I go to lunge forward, angry, so damned angry, but Rainer shoves me back.

“Get the fuck out of my bar,” he barks at Max.

“Who the fuck are you? The latest piece of ass?”

My tears come harder. He knows me. He knows I don’t sleep around, so his words hurt like hell.

“I own this bar and she’s my friend. Now watch your fuckin’ mouth.”

“Or what?” Max challenges.

Rainer puts me behind him and steps forward. By now there’s a good space around the two men, because people have moved back. Rainer gets in Max’s face, and barks, “Leave!”

Before I know what’s happening, Max throws a punch. Max has always been able to fight; he was born tough, and he will die tough. Not to mention he runs a fighting ring now.

Rainer stumbles backwards with the blow and I expect Max to throw another one and take Rainer down, like most of the men he has fought in his life. That doesn’t happen. Rainer bounces forward and drives a fist into Max’s jaw, and then the two of them are tumbling, fists flying, pained grunts echoing through the bar as the music is turned down.

“Stop!” I scream, rushing forward.

They don’t hear me. They just keep hitting, and beating, and drawing blood on each other. The two fight as if they’re in a ring, neither one of them backing down. Unable to take anymore, and realizing I can’t stop it, I turn and shove through the crowd. I run down the hall until I reach the backdoor and I shove through, panting and crying. I press my back against the cold brick and sob, leaning over and wrapping my hands around my stomach.