by Lee Rose
The city council had started a new practice last year where the businesses along the main strip passed out candy. It allowed the parents to walk along one street instead of many different neighborhoods. It had been a success since it was a safe alternative to canvasing different neighborhoods.
She walked back to the restaurant, using the time to think about what Jasmine had suggested. She knew her feelings for Tony went deep. She knew he was a sincere person and she hoped Jasmine was right. She wanted Tony to like her. Maybe she needed to call him so they could talk.
* * * *
“So, how goes it with Alicia?” Greg asked him in the locker room at work. Tony closed his locker door and sat on the bench. He was supposed to be patrolling the outside of town this evening. Many teens partied out there and Noah liked him to make sure they didn’t get out of hand. One year they had accidently set an old building on fire trying to make a bonfire.
“She hasn’t answered my calls in two days,” Tony admitted in a low voice. He was glad Matt wasn’t there. He had already lectured him enough. Tony didn’t like to admit failure and he had failed in a big way in sweeping Alicia off her feet. “I’m not experienced with romance, but I am thinking that is not a good sign. I wanted to go see her in person, but I am on schedule today. Matt is taking Holly and Hope to collect candy.”
Greg chuckled as he buttoned up his uniform shirt. “No, it is not a good sign. What did you do?”
“I was over an hour late on our first date. I left my phone in Matt’s truck so I had no way to call her and let her know. I may have gotten drunk on our second date. I was nervous because I knew I messed up the first date. Then Dee was around and she kept flirting with me. I tried to ignore her. I think I asked Alicia to spend the night with me and I think she flipped me off. My memory is hazy.”
Greg winced. “Oh boy. You fucked up big time.”
“Thanks,” Tony said sarcastically. The first date really had been out of his control. He thought he made it up to her. She was angry at first, but then she’d started to relax and they had a good time. The second one he did mess up. He was so nervous and feeling the pressure, he overdid it with the beers. He hadn’t planned on it. It had been many years since he got that drunk. He liked to feel in control. He felt guilty about it. He just didn’t know how to fix it.
“I have been with women who didn’t expect anything but a good time. A real relationship is a mystery to me. I have feelings for her, but I am not romantic. I should have researched this more before asking her out. You can find anything on the internet.”
Greg sat down next to him. He looked thoughtful for a minute. “Try sending her flowers with an apology note. Women like flowers.”
“I think I messed up too bad. She probably gave up on me. I’ve hurt her a lot recently.” Tony sighed, feeling dejected. Matt had told him that Holly said Alicia was really angry with him. He really did feel horrible about it. The end of that night had been a blur.
“Nah, I think she must really like you,” Greg said.
“How do you know?”
Greg ran his fingers through his blond hair and looked a little worried. “Well, don’t kill me, buddy. I asked her out a few months back. She said she did not want to date anyone that worked with Noah. She said it was a conflict of interest, yet here she is dating you.”
Tony was annoyed that Greg had asked her out. She was beautiful and outgoing, so he shouldn’t be surprised. He knew she got asked out a lot and she had gone on a few dates, but nothing serious. At least she said no to Greg. That gave him some hope. “Just don’t ask her out again. Otherwise, I will have to kill you. Noah can always hire more employees.”
“Ouch.” Greg put his hand on his heart. “I won’t. I promise. Send her flowers. Give her compliments about how pretty her smile is or how nice her dress is. Just pay attention to her.”
“I should write this stuff down,” Tony joked, standing up. Greg was popular with the ladies so he had to know what he was talking about.
Greg laughed. “Just try to not think so hard. Relax around her and it will come naturally. You have been friends for months.”
“You’re right. I guess I want this to work out so bad. I really like Alicia.” Maybe he would stop at the flower shop and have some roses delivered to her work place. That was romantic, right?
Chapter Fourteen
“I told Ray we should have bought more candy,” Alana said with a shake of her head. Carlos had passed out, missing all the excitement. Their father sat with him in a booth, watching him. Lucy, their mom, had gone home earlier.
“I know.” Alicia sighed, turning off the outside light at the restaurant. “I usually shop for this holiday, but I was distracted.”
“It’s okay. We did enough tonight.” Alana gave her a sympathetic look. “Let’s go down to Jazz’s store. Hopefully, Hope and Eva’s kids will be hanging out there. I want pictures of all the cuties. Next year, I am dressing up Carlos.”
Alicia agreed, grabbing her phone to take pictures.
Alana turned to her father. “Papa, will you watch the baby for a few minutes? We’re going to Jazz’s store.”
“Of course.” He smiled fondly at his girls. “We men will be fine here.”
Alicia laughed and they walked down the street. The majority of the crowd had thinned out, but a lot of costumed people still walked up and down the sidewalks, mostly teens.
They talked about all the cute costumes they had seen tonight. Alicia felt a bump against her side and she fell against Alana. “Hey, watch it,” she told the tall person dressed in a scary mask.
The person ignored her and walked faster. It took her a second to realize she felt a sting at her side. She looked down and put her hand on her side. She looked at her palm and it was red.
“Oh my god, that is blood.” Alana gasped, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. She pulled Alicia to the side and sat her on a bench. Her eyes were wide with fear.
“What the hell?” Alicia choked out. Her side was throbbing now and she felt like she couldn’t think. She was in shock. What the hell had that been about? “That bastard stabbed me. My shirt has a slice in it.”
“Are you girls okay?” They looked up to see Mr. Hughes/ who worked at the bank. He had a black cape on and white make-up all over his face. He was holding a bowl of candy in his hands.
“Can you call an ambulance? My sister was stabbed.” Alana’s voice was wobbly with emotion.
His eyes widened with shock. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed. Alana was wearing a light sweater over a tank top. She took the sweater off and bunched it up. She held it against her sister’s side.
Alicia leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Well, hell, this wasn’t how she wanted to end her night.
* * * *
Tony heard the information being broadcasted over the radio in his car. When he heard Alicia Garcia was the victim, his heart dropped to his feet. He sped over to the hospital. Damn it, he should have been with her. He promised her no one would hurt her and he failed her again. He was no good for her. She deserved so much better. His thoughts were going wild.
He parked in a reserved spot, but he did not care. He ran through the sliding glass doors of the ER. Holly greeted him. The fact that she looked calm comforted him some. If Alicia was in critical condition, he would see a different expression in his sister-in-law’s face.
“She is fine, Tony,” Holly assured him. “It was not as deep as we thought. The doctor is with her now.”
Alicia’s family sat in some chairs nearby. Noah and Drake stood against a wall. Holly led him to a small area enclosed by a curtain.
“What happened?” His words came out louder than he intended and the doctor jumped with fright. He dropped the instrument he had been putting away. It landed with a loud clank on the tiled floor.
“Tony?” he heard Alicia whisper. He rushed to her side. She looked pale and that worried him. He brushed her hair away from her face. “Jesus, you scared me, Alicia.”
Noah cleared his throat loudly and said through the curtain, “As the sheriff, I did not hear that.”
“Hear what?” Drake joked.
“He wore a mask,” Alicia said in a low voice, looking straight at him. He noticed her T-shirt was lifted up and her side was exposed. A long, jagged cut ran along her side about five inches long. He swallowed down his curses and continued to hold her hand. It could have been so much worse. She could have been seriously injured or killed. Whoever did this must have been scared and nervous. He doubted Novak would dirty his hands himself.
The doctor gave him a nervous look. “Holly will give you care instructions and some pain pills. Take care, Miss Garcia.”
With those words, he made a quick exit.
Tony leaned over Alicia and tilted her head toward him. Holly was placing a large white bandage over the wound. “I’m sorry about not being with you tonight. I was feeling guilty for ruining our dates.”
She smiled softly, her eyes droopy. “You were an ass.”
He heard Holly snicker but he ignored her. “I was. I am not good at romance. Matt told me to watch girl movies. If the guys found out, though, I’d be kicked out of the man club.”
“Don’t take romance advice from your brother, Tony,” Holly advised him with an amused smile.
Alicia smiled and gripped his hand harder. “Third time is a charm?”
He nodded. “I will do better.” He kissed her lips lightly, although he wanted to devour them. That was probably not romantic, though. He was good at the physical part, just not the tenderness women liked. Alicia was worth it, though. For her, he would learn, after he smashed whoever had stabbed her into pieces.
“I am going to talk to Noah.” He looked at Holly. “Don’t leave her alone, okay?”
“I won’t.” Holly was putting everything away in the drawers.
He headed straight toward his boss. Before he could ask Noah any questions, Matt walked in the glass doors and headed toward them. “I talked to a few people, but all they saw was a tall, slender man in dark clothes and a scary clown mask. He went by so fast and that saved her life. I think he was an amateur.”
Noah nodded his head. “I figured it was too dark for anyone to see much. Even Alana only saw a dark blur walk by and bump into Alicia. I could kick myself. I should’ve seen this coming. With all the costumed people, it was a perfect opportunity to get to her.”
“We thought Novak was gone,” Drake spoke up. “We all let our guard down.”
“But no more.” Ray had joined them when Matt walked in, and he looked furious. “She is going to have a shadow at all times.”
“Doesn’t my opinion count?” They all turned to see Alicia leaning against Holly. Her shirt was torn and had a huge bloodstain. Tony swept her off her feet and sat with her on a chair. “Did the doctor say you could get up so soon?”
Holly answered for her. “He told her to go home and rest.”
Holly shook a small brown bottle of pills that was in her hand. “She can come home with us tonight. I can take care of her.”
Tony jumped at the chance to have her back in his home. He always thought he would hate having someone in his space. He never understood before, but now he did. He liked hearing her breathe as she slept and having her arm on his stomach. “I agree. Our house is the safest place for Alicia.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Her voice was slurring already. “He has land mines all over the property.”
“What?” Alana gasped.
Noah laughed and shook his head with amusement. “She’s kidding, babe. I told Tony he couldn’t do it.”
“Yeah. He likes to ruin my fun.” Tony tried to look mournful. Everyone laughed. He looked down at Alicia and she was making snoring sounds. He smiled at her tenderly. He looked up at Ray, daring him to argue. Ray looked at him. “You know I don’t like you. Alicia likes to act tough, but she is sensitive, and you have done nothing but hurt her lately. Noah tries to defend you, but I am not convinced you’re good for my sister.”
Tony couldn’t deny that. “I know I have messed up things, Ray, but no one loves your sister as much as I do. That is a promise.”
“You take care of my little girl. Promise me,” Carlos Garcia said, looking serious. He was holding his grandson in his arms, but he was looking at Tony. “My wife thinks you truly care for our Alicia. I have faith in my wife’s judgement.”
“I swear I will. I will die before I let someone else harm her.” He spoke seriously. He meant the words coming out of his mouth. He didn’t want to cause a rift between her and her family, but he was not walking away from Alicia again. It had been a huge mistake and he always learned from his mistakes. “I failed her tonight, but I won’t again.”
“This was not your fault,” Mrs. Garcia told him gently. Her eyes were watery and she bent to kiss her daughter on the cheek. “We had all relaxed too much and forgotten the danger. Now we know and we can all be observant. I can see you truly care for my daughter.”
“That’s right, Mama. We won’t forget the danger again,” Noah added. “Novak is going down one way or another, and for good. His reign as Mr. Big League drug dealer in Red Hook is over.”
They all nodded solemnly. Tony looked at his brother. Matt nodded his head. He was on board with doing whatever it took to stop Novak. Holly paled and snuggled into her husband’s chest. “Dr. Kendall said I could clock out early. I told him I was going to watch over Alicia tonight.”
“Good, we all go home together,” Matt told her. “We can put Alicia on the couch so you can give her medicine in a few more hours.”
Noah and Drake walked them out and made plans to meet in the morning. Tony was determined to hunt Novak down. The man would pay for all he had done. He picked the wrong town to bring his drug business into.
Chapter Fifteen
Alicia woke to the sun shining in her face. She tried to sit up and moaned in pain. The memories of last night entered her head. She remembered the hospital, but that was all. She opened her eyes and recognized Tony’s living room. She was wearing the green T-shirt she had worn last time she was here. She turned her head and saw him on his recliner dressed in only sweat pants and snoring. She smiled and wondered how he got her here without her family putting up a fight. She wished she had stayed awake for that. Ray was not his biggest fan, but Alicia saw Tony’s gentle and loyal side. He was a good man and she was in love with him.
“Tony?” she whispered.
He sat up with a start. He yawned and relaxed as if he remembered where he was. “What’s the matter? You need a pain pill?”
“How did I get here?” She tried sitting up. She had pillows behind her back.
He walked over and kneeled beside the couch. He brushed her hair away from her face and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I kidnapped you, how else?”
She smiled. “That was pretty suave for being non-romantic.”
His smile widened. He looked surprised. “Yeah? Your brother looked like he wanted to tear you out of my arms, but I whisked you away.”
She chuckled, but it hurt her side. “I like seeing you first thing in the morning.”
The house was very quiet and it felt like they were alone. He must have read her mind. “Holly and Matt went to work already. Holly checked on you all through the night.”
“What time is it?” She tried to sit up and winced with pain. Tony helped her until her feet were planted on the floor. She had a pair of his white socks on. He must have dressed her. She found that amazingly sweet.
“It’s ten a.m., lazy. I can’t remember the last time I slept this late.” He stood up and stretched, putting his arms up in the air and arching his back. She drooled. His ches
t was tanned and smooth. She wanted to run her hands all over his fit body. She remembered Holly’s advice to be bold but she didn’t feel attractive right now.
She yawned. “I feel bad you slept in a chair. You should have gone up to your room.”
Tony shook his head no, his expression soft, and it made her feel so warm inside. “I told Holly I was qualified to hand you a pill and a sip of water. I’m not sure she believed me, but Matt convinced her. She went to bed and I watched you until I fell asleep.”
Alicia smiled back. “Holly will make a good mother someday. She has all those instincts when it comes to her loved ones.”
“I can make eggs and cereal with milk,” he offered, looking serious.
“I usually just have coffee and toast,” she informed him.
He shook his head. “Holly insisted I feed you food. You’re taking pain pills. I promised her. She can be mean when you disobey an order.”
He handed her the TV remote and headed toward the kitchen. Since she was enjoying the quietness, she left the TV off. She could hear pots and pans banging. It made her smile. She knew he and Matt had eaten out a lot until Holly came to live here. “Hope you like scrambled eggs,” he yelled from the kitchen.
“I do,” she shouted back, feeling happy despite what happened last night.
He came back fifteen minutes later with two plates of eggs and a glass of orange juice. She made a face at the juice. “Holly’s orders. She said you lost a good amount of blood and you might feel lightheaded. Orange juice will help.”
“Fine.” She took the glass and took a sip of it. She wanted coffee but she tried not to complain. She was touched he was taking care of her.
The day turned out being a good one. They left the TV off and he helped her out to the porch. She sat in a rocking chair and looked out at his huge yard. The breeze was nice and cool. Since he had no neighbors, he told her it was okay to go out with the T-shirt on. They rocked on the rocking chairs and talked.