Chapter Six
Nicki was protesting while Sean followed the two men out the back doors of the hotel, but he couldn’t actually hear her words. And it didn’t matter. This douchebag seemed to view women as second-class citizens, and he needed a lesson.
More than that, he’d besmirched Nicki…so he was going to pay.
By the time Sean got outside, he’d removed the jacket as well as the tie, even though it would be a bitch to get it back on again. And although Nicki was begging them not to fight, she held Sean’s jacket anyway. As he unbuttoned the shirt sleeves and rolled up the cuffs, he assessed both men. Both were slightly taller than Sean but doughy. The biggest advantage Sean had was that he worked out religiously. Not only was he solid, but he was quick—and if he was simply up against the dumb ass with the big mouth, he’d have no problem at all.
It was the second guy who presented the challenge.
But Sean had his game face on, understanding that intimidation was half the battle.
“Sean, please don’t do this.”
He loved Nicki, but he wasn’t about to listen.
“We can keep this simple. You can apologize to Nicki and we can go back inside like nothing happened—or we can end it out here. You decide.”
While Sean didn’t expect the guy named Jake to back down, he had to make the offer. It was the right thing to do.
“I came out here, didn’t I?”
Nicki had seen him fight before—and if anything had caused her to look at him differently, it was witnessing the spectacle. Was it because of the savagery or the blood? Once he’d throw his first punch, his brain would switch off that rational part, and he’d become an animal. He knew, because he’d had to do it time and time again. When you grow up on the wrong side of the tracks, often the only way to earn respect or change minds is with the fists.
And while Sean didn’t want it to always be that way, he understood it had to be done.
“Come on, you guys. This is a wedding!”
But already they were half circling, getting closer to each other, and the second guy appeared to be backup, in case his mouthy friend needed a hand.
That made them closer to even.
“You heard the lady. We can go back inside, pretend this never happened. All you gotta do is apologize.”
“Ha.”
“Sean, he’s not worth it.”
“You want this prick harassing you every time he sees you in public?”
Suddenly, the guy got close and threw his first punch. Just like Sean had suspected, though, Jake was slow enough that he was able to duck. Instead of getting the full force of his fist, Sean barely felt it pass over his head.
That meant this shit was on.
Without a second thought, he jabbed hard with his right fist, an upper cut that he hadn’t expected to connect, but it did with the guy’s chin. Followed right behind it was a punch with his left to Jake’s stomach area. Just as Sean had suspected, there wasn’t a lot of muscle there. He swung his right again, this time connecting with Jake’s cheek and, already, there was blood on his hands.
Jake jumped back a bit so Sean’s next punch hit air, throwing him off balance. While he tried to regain his footing, Jake wiped at his nose and signaled at his buddy. Then he came at Sean again, rushing like a running back, and Sean moved to the side to avoid contact, spinning around so they could face off once more.
But that was when Jake’s friend took him in a chokehold from behind.
Fighting was one thing. Fighting dirty was quite another. In this position, Sean already figured out their plan. Jake couldn’t get in a good lick at Sean, but if his friend held him down, then he could pummel the shit out of him.
That wasn’t gonna happen. If he thought Nicki would be traumatized from watching him kick the shit out of an asshole who deserved it, she’d lose her mind watching Sean be beaten to a pulp. Although he could take it, he didn’t plan to.
He had mere seconds to turn the tables.
As Jake’s friend tightened his arm around Sean’s neck, Sean moved his pelvic area forward, creating a gap between their two bodies. Then with his fist, he jabbed behind him first, connecting enough that he felt the guy loosen his grip a bit, and he followed it up with his elbow punching backward. By the time Jake was coming at him full force, he’d managed to grab hold of his friend’s arm and twist it, ducking in time to miss Jake’s fist once again.
What a shame that it connected—with his friend.
And then it was all over. While Jake’s friend cupped his bleeding and probably broken nose, Sean kicked the back of his leg, causing him to stumble but not fall. When he started to turn around, Sean grabbed him around the collar and used it to move his head toward his fist. Both his head and Sean’s knuckles approached each other at equal speed, over and over, and Jake tried swatting at him like a fly but had already fucking lost.
But there was no stopping Sean. Not now. The beating had begun.
Chapter Seven
Later, as Sean regained his senses, his memory filled in the blanks. Nicki had disappeared at some point during the fight, fetching Kevin and a couple of other guys inside to break it up. Although they’d arrived too late, they pulled Sean off Jake—and both Jake and his friend left before the cops were called.
Although the skirmish had happened in the back parking lot of the Sedgwick, Sean doubted the upscale hotel had ever had anything quite like this happen.
Especially during a wedding.
Now, Nicki and Sean were inside, sitting on a bench a few feet down the hall from the ballroom. She had a wet paper towel in her hand, insisting upon cleaning the blood off his fists. The white dress shirt was probably ruined. It was just as well, considering the opportunities for him to wear it again were slim to none anyway.
“Why’d you do it?”
“Someone had to defend your honor.”
“I didn’t ask you to.”
Sean had no response and simply tried to ignore the parts on his body that now ached.
“You’re really lucky the cops haven’t shown up.”
“Why? It’s not like I’ve never been arrested before.”
“Yeah,” she said, looking up from his hand, “but what happens when the judge is tired of seeing your face and locks you away for a while?”
Sean chuckled softly—but he knew deep down that Nicki was probably right. In fact, he’d been pretty lucky overall, but the odds were stacked against him. The cops, for one, constantly scrutinized him, just waiting for him to fuck up. The town politicians and the elite hated the fact that he had a successful business—and he wouldn’t be surprised if at some point they’d change the laws to favor their enterprises while actively opposing his. Although he wasn’t about to admit she was completely right, he did admit, “I guess I should be more careful.”
“Exactly.” She was dabbing at his knuckles again, wiping off traces of blood. “Assholes like that will get what’s coming to them someday. I mean…he already lost his girlfriend. Karma’ll kick him in the ass.”
“I guess I’m not patient enough for karma.” But it struck him then—more than any of his other close friends, Nicki worried about his future, wanted him to be okay, tried to give him solid advice. Nothing against Travis, his biker friend who fueled Sean’s rebellious streak. Also nothing against Jesse, his friend who hadn’t yet found his own path. And Sean felt the same way about Nicki—which was why he’d beaten the shit out of those guys in the first place.
So, while Nicki played nurse to him, his heart went back to the place it had ventured to all day…thinking that maybe now they could work. Ultimately, it didn’t matter if Nicki had bought into the trappings of marriage ceremonies or the Cinderella idea—because she really was his princess. If ever there was a woman Sean would break his non-marriage vow for, it was Nicki Sosebee.
Maybe now was the time to confess it all to her.
“Hey,” he said, waiting for her to look up. When she did, her doe-like eyes seemed all the more
beautiful, her cheeks all the pinker, her smile all the more radiant.
“Yeah?”
Those words caught in his throat were going to come out if they killed him. “I wanted to tell you something.”
Nicki’s cell phone started ringing quite loudly then, enough that Sean was sure it could be heard all the way down the hall. Because there was no ignoring the damn thing, she picked it up and started turning down the volume. “Oh, it’s Danny. Sorry, Sean. Hold that thought.”
Fucking Danny. What a loser. While Nicki had been with him longer than most of her boyfriends of late, his days were numbered.
Or maybe not. What if this guy was the one?
Sean kept his mouth shut, glancing at his knuckles while Nicki chatted on the phone. “Seriously? That would be amazing! See you in a bit. You know where we are, right?” Then, after a pause, she said, “Love you.”
Her words sounded sincere…but the way her eyes shined for Danny was nothing like they’d done for Sean.
And he’d do well to burn that shit into his memory.
When she hung up, she grinned, lighting up the entire space. “Danny was able to get off early, so he’s gonna be here pretty soon—meaning you’re off the hook. Thanks so much for being here for me today. I owe you.”
“No, Nicki…you don’t owe me anything.”
But there was definitely lots more beer in his near future.
* * *
Two weeks later, Sean was sitting in his favorite tattoo shop. He’d gone to this particular artist one other time and discovered he was amazing with his gun. A true artist. And, while the tat Sean had asked for didn’t require da Vinci-type skills, he was going to start giving Hunter Landry all of his business.
Besides, he wanted to talk about the next piece while Hunter worked.
“I know you don’t have to worry about hand tats for work,” the artist began saying as he adjusted his gun—and Sean stopped him right there.
“I know, man. You already told me they fade faster than ink on other parts of the body. That just means repeat business for you.”
Hunter smirked. “I like the way you think.”
“I thought you would. So get started.”
The other man gave him a look but did as Sean requested, aiming his gun at Sean’s index finger just below the middle knuckle. The night of the wedding as Sean had been driving home without Nicki in the passenger seat, he’d been thinking about his right hand, the one he’d always called his punching hand. Even though his left did a fair amount of work in a fight, his right did the most brutal damage. And he decided, once the knuckles healed up, he was going to have the acronym BAMF tattooed, one letter per finger, meaning Bad Ass MotherFucker—so the dumb ass idiots he pummeled would see it coming just as it was too damn late.
It took his mind off other matters. Not just women but Winchester. If he really wanted to stay in his hometown and make a difference, he was going to have to learn to fight the powers that be as well—but his fists wouldn’t work in that arena. Nicki was right about one thing—he’d have to find another way, and as much as that contradicted his nature, he’d have to figure it out sooner rather than later.
But he was also considering another tattoo, and he knew an artist like Landry might have some keen insight, much like a bartender for a lone drinker.
“I wanted to talk to you about my next tat, too.”
“Awesome. What do you have in mind?”
Sean let the air out of his lungs and drew in a fresh breath before continuing. “Well…let’s just say there’s this girl…”
* * *
If you enjoyed this novella, you’ll want to read the following story, a series of vignettes featuring Sean and Jesse on their journey from adolescence to adulthood. Turn the page to begin!
Love and Bromance
A lot of my hardcore Nicki Sosebee readers ask for more, more, more! So, even though I wrote Bad Ass in January 2021 as part of an anthology, when I re-released the story, I wanted to honor their request. What follows is a story of snippets between Sean and his best friend Jesse. Enjoy!
1
With a spring in his step, Jesse approached his best friend Sean in the quad of Winchester High School. Although neither young man knew that eventually Jesse would undergo a crazy growth spurt near the end of his teens, for now, Sean easily stood taller than his best friend. However, both were shorter than a majority of the kids surrounding them, because they were the new kids on the block. As new freshmen, almost everyone else, other than their classmates, was bigger.
Jesse’s brown eyes were huge, as if he were in the path of a runaway train, but his voice was full of excitement. “Dude, have you seen the girls here?”
“How could I miss them? Doesn’t change the fact that they’re way out of your league, though.”
Instead of making eye contact with his friend, Jesse kept scanning the landscape as if he were a wild beast on the plain scoping out his prey. “If they’re out of my league, they’re out of your league, too.”
With a smirk, Sean said, “That’s fair.” Without a word, both young men began walking towards the building where the cafeteria would be found. “How are your classes? What are you planning to fail this semester?”
“Dude, I have no fucking idea, but I don’t think I’m going to hate English.”
Sean’s blue eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Who the hell are you and what have you done with my friend?”
Jesse laughed as the two of them joined the end of the hot lunch line. “Don’t worry, dude. I’ll probably still get an F, but I’m going to like going to class anyway.”
“Okay. What gives?”
Once more, Jesse grew animated, moving his hands while he talked. “Holy shit, dude. There’s this gorgeous girl sitting at the front of the class. She’s got the most beautiful brown eyes I’ve ever seen. They look like they belong on a deer.”
“Were you reading Cinderella in class?”
“Seriously, bro. She’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.” After they inched forward in line, Jesse added, “I think I want to marry her.”
“Now I know something really is wrong. After we eat, I’m taking you to the nurse’s office.”
Once again, Jesse laughed—maybe a little too hard. But that was when Sean figured out his best friend was covering up some serious emotions. So, for now, he decided to quit ribbing him, and Jesse continued. “You don’t understand. She’s smart. She’s beautiful. She’s already out here.” Jesse cupped his hands in front of his chest to indicate cup size just as they slid their trays onto the food line.
The first lunch lady there gave him a crusty look.
“Her name is Nicole, and I think I’m in love.”
2
Sean pulled out several bottles from the bottom of the brown cabinet tucked in the corner of the dining room in his mom’s small house. “Take your pick, bro.”
Jesse eyed the bottles of various colors of glass and different levels of fullness. “Dude, doesn’t your mom check this stuff?”
“You tell me. These bottles have been here since I was around four years old.”
“Doesn’t mean anything, man. And no way do I want to piss off your mom.”
Sean squinted his blue eyes at his friend, refraining from the urge to slap him upside the head. “I’m telling you she won’t find out.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I’ve emptied a couple of these bottles over the years, and she’s never found out.”
“Seriously? How come you never told me?”
“I wasn’t ready yet. I’m telling you now.”
“Fine. I’ll forgive you.” Jesse continued eyeing the bottles. “So which one would you recommend?”
“I don’t know. I might take a sip first—and then, when I decide on one, I drink it till it’s finished.”
“Your mom’s gonna notice if you keep doing that, dude.”
“I know that. I replace ‘em when I have money. So make up your mind
. What’ll it be?”
“I always wanted to try whiskey. How about that green bottle there?”
Sean grinned. “My mom’s last boyfriend said that’ll put hair on your chest.”
“About damn time. I’m overdue.”
Both young men laughed as Sean opened the bottle. While they weren’t planning to polish the whole bottle off…the night was young and stranger things had happened.
* * *
Hours later, that bottle was almost empty, and Sean’s entire world was spinning. Jesse, however, seemed to be faring worse. Earlier, he’d erupted into such a chuckling fit that he had grabbed his stomach as if he were about to throw up. Instead, he’d laughed so hard he was crying.
Soon, though, they turned to real tears.
“Bro, what’s wrong?”
“I’m an asshole. I’m closer to you than my sister.”
“But you love her, don’t you?”
“Yeah.” Jesse sniffed, wiping at his cheek and blinking his eyes. “And now I’m gonna have to chase off guys.”
“I don’t think you give Jenna enough credit.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I think she can take care of herself. She doesn’t need you fighting her battles.”
“Maybe.”
“And I don’t think you need to worry about chasing anybody off.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Sean drew in a deep breath through his nostrils, pouring just one more shot for himself. “Maybe you’re too close to the situation, but I’m pretty sure your sister’s a lesbian.”
Jesse snarled. “No way. I’ve seen her kiss lots of guys.” When Sean shrugged, downing the shot, Jesse said, his voice louder than necessary, “She just started high school. Who cares?”
“I’m just saying what I know of Jenna, she can take care of herself. Maybe you need to worry about yourself.”
Bad Ass (Nicki Sosebee #14) Page 4