by J C Ryan
He also found it a bit rich that a guy of Rex’s size and posture could mete out so much punishment to three streetfighters without a single scratch to himself, and with so little effort, it seemed. However, he said he didn’t care who did it. As far as he was concerned, whoever did it deserved praise not hassles.
With the last cop’s favoritism, the matter was quickly settled. The cops thanked Rex and took custody of the thugs, cuffing the one who’d had the knife.
Rex decided he didn’t need to tell them the girl had taken the knife. He figured if the lecture he was going to give her didn’t take, she might as well have a weapon to defend herself, because she would need it.
The officers seemed torn about splitting their team so one could take the girl home while the other took the thugs to jail. Rex explained that he intended to talk to the girl’s parents anyway, so he’d be glad to take her home.
The girl began to protest loudly that she could get herself home and who was he to talk to her parents about what was her business. One cop looked at the other and muttered something along the lines of ‘better him than me’. The other agreed, and without another word, turned their backs on Rex and the girl.
Rex took that as his cue to leave. He took the girl by her upper arm and said, “Let’s get you home.”
“Let me go.”
“I don’t think so. I take you home and talk to your parents, or I ask the police to take you home and I accompany them, and I still talk to your parents. Which is it going to be?”
She refused to answer.
“Tell me where you live, or shall I ask the dog to get it out of you?”
It was an idle threat. He’d never have commanded Digger to attack a teen-aged girl, unless she was a terrorist. This girl was just a misguided kid, but she did take the threat seriously. Sullenly, she told him her address.
He allowed her to jerk her arm out of his hand and said, “Let’s go.”
He walked on one side of her and Digger walked on the other, until they came to her parents’ house a few blocks away. She said the door would be locked, as she’d gone out her window, so Rex knocked loudly.
It was past two a.m., so he wasn’t surprised when an angry shout for him to go away came from inside. He knocked again, and a two-minute wait produced an angry man, who snatched the door open with a curse. It died on his lips as he spotted his daughter with the farang.
At 5’11”, Rex wasn’t a big man by Western standards, but he stood a head taller than the girl’s father. The man’s expression changed from anger to astonishment and back to anger in a matter of the blink of an eye. In rapid Thai, he addressed his daughter, who hung her head and started to shove past him. Rex caught most of it, though it was faster speech than he could follow. He hastened to correct the impression the father had gotten.
“Sir, your daughter was attacked by several men, who dragged her into an alley. I have brought her home to you, so she’d remain safe. But if you don’t mind, I’d like to give her some advice.”
“She did not sneak out of our home to sell herself to you?” the man demanded.
Evidently, he was reassured by the revulsion on Rex’s face, as he opened the door wider and asked him in.
“I don’t buy women, and that includes little girls,” Rex couldn’t help but say.
“I am sorry. This child has been a trial. She has got involved with the wrong friends, and we cannot control her.”
“I can see that. Maybe tonight’s experience will help persuade her that she’s not old enough or tough enough to handle herself out there.”
The girl stood with her arms crossed. “I’m right here. Don’t talk about me like I can’t hear you.”
It was enough for Rex. He made his voice stern and looked her in the eyes. “Young lady, I don’t know you, but I do know men. You may think the clothes you’re wearing might make you look cool, the latest fashion, but all you’re doing by dressing up like that is sending a message to every scumbag of a man out there that you’re available. Your boyfriend may be a gentleman, or not, but you’ve seen tonight what happens when a young girl walks down the street in a getup like that, with no one to protect her from harm. If I were you, I’d pay more attention to what my parents tell me. Next time, there might not be anyone to help you. There were many people on the street tonight who saw what happened and none of them wanted to get involved, they all hastened to get away from the scene.”
The stubborn set of her jaw let him know his words were going in one ear and out the other.
Opening the door to leave, he glanced at her father. He was staring at Rex, so Rex nodded slightly, and the father followed him outside.
“What did you mean about her boyfriend?” he asked. “What boyfriend?”
Rex told him what the girl had said about a boyfriend, and his thought that the boyfriend might be an older man, concluding that anyone who cared about her would have driven or walked her home. The father nodded.
“I will get to the bottom of this. Thank you. You have not only saved my daughter from a terrible ordeal, but you have opened my eyes. We will try to keep a better watch on her now. If that doesn’t work, we’ll have to move away from here, so she can get away from the influence of her friends.”
“It was nothing. I hope she stays safe.”
To Digger, Rex said, “Come on, boy, we need to get some sleep.” And when he was sure he was out of earshot of the girl's father he said, “Digger, let me tell you, it seems to me it is a lot of trouble, and it takes a lot of effort, to raise a human.”
Rex was more troubled about the incident than he had been since he’d left Afghanistan where he’d saved a boy from an abusive grandfather. The girl he’d saved tonight was likely to become a victim again, and next time he wouldn’t be there. He thought about Rekha and her former harem-mates. Would she be okay without him watching her all the time? How much good was he really doing, when he was only one man and it was only by accident that he was available to handle these incidents. What would happen to Sunstra when he was gone?
He tossed and turned until nearly dawn, trying to understand his purpose in life. Was it to wander, gathering historical facts and taking pictures of ruins? Or was it to make a difference in the world by eradicating bad guys? Had he made a mistake by hiding from CRC?
He wished Sunstra were there, so he could talk to her, not so much about what was troubling him—that would have blown his cover—but she had a way of always talking about interesting things, which, tonight, would’ve taken his mind off the fretting.
At last, with the image of Sunstra’s beautiful eyes in his mind, he drifted off to sleep. Without Rex’s notice, Digger had kept vigil over his troubled friend. When Rex’s breathing became regular, Digger closed his eyes, too.
Chapter Ten
REX HAD INTENDED to spend the following day exploring the historical sites in Pattaya, but his late night resulted in sleeping late that morning. When he woke, his energy and outlook on life were both down, no doubt because of the young girl he’d saved from physical harm but couldn’t do much for her future.
And of course, he missed Sunstra.
“Shall we just go on back to Bangkok, boy?” he asked Digger.
Whether Digger understood the question or was just his normal, happy-go-lucky self, he widened his mouth in a dog smile and wagged his tail. Rex took it for an affirmative and called for his car to be brought around.
On the drive back, he did everything he could to keep his mind off the events of the previous night and early morning, with limited success. If that was not enough to be upsetting, he couldn’t stop thinking about Sunstra. He had confused himself so much about her he didn’t know what to think anymore. One moment he knew he was not ready to settle down and pursue a serious relationship with her, and the next moment he missed her and couldn’t stop thinking of her. On the one hand he knew he shouldn’t give her false signals unless he was ready to love her, on the other hand he thought it was too late, he was already in love with her.<
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But how the hell would I know anything about love? I thought I loved Jessie, but I dumped her. Now I think I love Sunstra, but I can’t tell her. What’s wrong with you, Rex Dalton? Seems like you should rather go and see a shrink than a cosmetic surgeon.
Rex tried, for a while, to think of it as a mission, a mission to sort out this emotional seesaw about the relationship with Sunstra. But that didn't work. There was no target to be the focus of his wrath. There was only this target with the most beautiful eyes, a knee-buckling smile, and a personality to match. Nobody to kill, only somebody to love or not.
Damn, ordinary life is stressful, if you ask me.
Between that and the traffic, he was no closer to an answer, and in a foul mood, by the time he got back. So he was in no way willing to put up with Marcel Arts, who accosted him at the entrance to the apartment building.
“Not right now, Arts,” he snapped.
“Jeez, who pissed in your coffee?” the kid remarked. But, fortunately for him, he went on by without bothering Rex any further.
After getting Digger and his overnight kit into the apartment, Rex felt bad about his surliness. He promised himself he’d make it up to the kid the next time he saw him.
Rex decided that his mood would be much improved if he could see Sunstra. Since it was a Saturday, he gave her a call and suggested a picnic, and he was happy that she accepted. Apparently, their awkward conversation of a few days ago hadn’t discouraged her from seeing him. He’d never, not since losing his parents, had a friend who wasn’t also a comrade in arms until meeting the Gyan family and Aarav Patel in India.
It didn’t keep him from understanding that sooner or later he’d have to decide what to do with his life. He was too young to spend the rest of his life on his own, with no purpose other than to visit interesting historical places and, it seemed, stumbling upon unwanted trouble. But he decided for today, he’d enjoy Sunstra’s and Digger’s company, put last night’s events out of his mind, and avoid thinking about the future.
The picnic in the park and Digger’s antics as they watched him play with the kong and a Frisbee morphed into another dinner invitation, and Rex accepted. When Digger resumed his habit of walking between them, he barely noticed. He didn’t realize the questions in his mind since the fight in Pattaya were distracting him, because they’d sunk into his subconscious.
Late in the afternoon, Sunstra asked Rex to take her home so she could start some dinner preparations, and suggested he get a little rest because he seemed tired. He hadn’t told her about his fight in Pattaya. She’d been so spooked by her own close call that he didn’t think it was a great idea to tell her about another one. Besides, he couldn’t have told the story without appearing to pat himself on the back for saving the girl. That was the last thing he’d want anyone to take from the story. It wasn’t about him—it was about the girl’s vulnerability and his worry that she hadn’t learned her lesson.
After dropping her off, he went home, took a rare nap, and then a shower to wake himself up. At the time she’d told him to come over, he knocked on her door with a bottle of wine in one hand and a bouquet of colorful flowers in the other.
Sunstra had outdone herself with the meal. Rex had learned proper table manners in Thailand and put no more than two spoonsful of rice on his plate, but he was happy for the dictum that one could go back for more as many times as he wanted. Sunstra kept bringing out dish after dish, reminiscent of Rekha’s mother at every meal she’d prepared for him. Each was more delicious than the last, and some were spicy enough to require more than a sip of wine to cool his taste buds.
At the end of the evening, something in Sunstra’s eyes led Rex to stand and kiss her, passionately. Digger immediately made his objections known. As the kiss lingered, Digger’s growls turned to a bark and he pushed himself between them, quite forcefully.
Rex wasn’t drunk, but his inhibitions were definitely lowered, and Sunstra’s eager return of the kiss encouraged him. He told her he’d be right back, led Digger out into the hallway, and took a moment to admonish the dog.
“Buddy, you know nothing about human romance. I know you don’t have a girlfriend, and you might be jealous because I’ve got one. But if you want a girl, go find your own. You are not a relationship counselor, either. Now leave me to at least decide who I like and who I don’t like. Okay?”
Digger’s growl ended with a sharp yelp, but Rex didn’t care. He went back inside, shutting the door firmly in Digger’s face.
However, his hopes for the evening were dashed when he’d barely taken the first step back to Sunstra before Digger set up a racket. He ignored it, and Digger didn’t stop. The neighbors must have gotten fed-up and complained. Not long after, he and Sunstra were interrupted by a knock on the door. When Sunstra opened it, it was an unamused policeman.
Digger was still going on, nonstop.
“You will quiet your dog, right now, or we will take him and you into custody,” the officer said.
With a regretful glance at Sunstra, Rex stepped forward and took responsibility. “I’m sorry, that’s my fault. I’ll keep him quiet.”
Under the watchful frown of the police, Rex again apologized to Sunstra, took polite leave of her with no physical demonstration, and led Digger away.
Rex was too annoyed and busy with Digger to see the big smile breaking across Sunstra’s face as they walked away.
When they were in the tuk-tuk, Rex wasn’t as polite when he gave Digger a piece of his mind and let him know he wasn’t too pleased with his behavior and the frustrating outcome of what promised to be a very nice and romantic evening—all because of a damn dog who couldn’t behave himself.
Digger heard him out, replied with a low growl, turned his head out of the tuk tuk, and lolled his tongue out.
End of conversation.
***
THE NEXT MORNING, a Sunday, Rex was still annoyed with Digger for his interrupted night with Sunstra, and he had a slight headache from consuming a little more wine than usual. As he ruminated on the events of the previous night, he was confused about Sunstra’s mixed messages, and he wondered if she was confused about his.
Rex decided the cure for both his grumpy mood and his headache would be a nice massage. He cautiously opened his door and looked down the hallway. The coast was clear—Marcel’s apartment door was closed. Unfortunately, the coast wasn’t completely clear. He and Digger encountered Marcel in the foyer, and there was no way they could avoid him.
Marcel was in full voice, haranguing one of the other residents, a frail-looking older woman, about hiring him to accompany her anywhere she needed to go, so he could protect her. From the look on her face, Rex thought it might be prudent to lure Marcel away from her, before she pulled a sawed-off shotgun from her enormous purse and let Marcel know what she thought of his suggestions.
Sighing with resignation, he called out, “Hey, Marcel, sorry about yesterday.”
Marcel turned to him immediately, and the woman sent Rex a grateful glance and scurried away while she had the chance. Marcel barely noticed her departure. He was striding across the foyer floor, his hand outstretched.
“Hi, neighbor! No problem. Let’s shake on it.”
Rex stretched out his hand and suddenly found himself twisted in a one-eighty, his right forearm and hand flush against his back.
“Digger, OUT,” he yelled, just before Marcel would have lost a leg. Rex had at least three ways out of Marcel’s grip. All three would have caused him serious injury, the least of which would have been a broken elbow, but it would have been better than the smashed knee or the crashed larynx, come to think of it. The best however, was to just play along for now and not injure the boy.
Digger obeyed, but his tense stance, raised hackles, and vicious growling got Marcel’s attention. He let go of Rex and stepped back, his hands up in a gesture of acceptance.
“Hey, no harm, no foul, right? Just a little demo about how friendly-looking people can be dangerous. What’s with
the dog, man? I wasn’t going to hurt you.”
Rex quieted Digger and smiled calmly at Marcel. “I understood you wouldn’t, but the dog didn’t. He’s trained to react to threats against me. As you can see, I don’t need to know self-defense. I have Digger for that.”
“But dude, he may not always be with you. Let me show you just a few moves, seriously.”
Rex knew his real feelings about it must have been showing in his eyes. He was having a challenging time restraining himself from bursting into laughter. Only the close call to Marcel, which he didn’t seem to even recognize, kept him from doing so.
“No, really, Marcel. I can’t stand violence. I don’t even watch violent sports. I can barely watch baseball, and basketball is out of the question. All that hitting and shoving, running and diving—not for me. I prefer to watch ballet and listen to opera. Only the non-violent ones, though.”
Marcel’s jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious.”
“Yes, I am. That’s why I’m here in Thailand—the Land of Smiles— where the people are known to be the friendliest on earth. I just like to visit historical places on my vacations, sort of a busman’s holiday, if you know what I mean.”
From his blank expression, it was clear Marcel had no idea what the expression meant to practice one’s profession even on holiday. Rex didn’t enlighten him.
“If you’ll excuse me, Marcel, I’m on my way to have a massage. I was driving most of yesterday and the day before; need to get the stress out of my body.”
Marcel gave Rex a searching look, apparently still trying to figure out if what he’d said about his favorite pursuits was true. He glanced nervously at Digger, who had stopped growling but continued to stand with barely-restrained tension and stare at him intensely. He took another step back.