Crew, p.11
Crew, page 11
He’d been so upset over dealing with the blackmail notes and hadn’t known what he was going to do about it. Finally, he’d turned to Darla. It was the best decision he’d ever made.
Their wine was delivered and Jason most definitely picked two excellent bottles. The women gushed over the flavor, telling Jason he was a perfect waiter. They ordered appetizers and enough food for ten people. Jason looked at the table, obviously wondering where he’d put all of the platters.
“Jason, let’s cut that order in half,” Crew said with a laugh. “But definitely bring a couple more bottles of wine.”
“Sure thing,” Jason said before walking away.
“I think we could’ve eaten all of that food,” Darla said.
“We could’ve come close, but I like to be able to walk,” Crew told her.
“True. That much pasta might make us immobile,” Daisy said.
“We don’t want to be immobile,” Hudson said. “I like when you’re bendy.” He waggled his brows at his wife.
“We’re going to get kicked out of here,” Crew said with a laugh. “Or frighten other patrons.”
“Ah, it’s fun to be adventurous,” Darla told him. “And even if someone manages to hear something, they’ll either have a great story for later, or they’ll forget all about it by the end of the night.”
“I love that you don’t care what people think,” Crew said. “It shocks me to say that; I’ve always cared about people’s opinions of me. But being with you makes me rethink that.”
“Good. I think we can meet in the middle, because you help me see that life doesn’t have to be all fun and games,” Darla told him. “I’m kinda falling for you, Crew.”
“Yeah, the feeling’s mutual,” he said.
Daisy laughed. “You two are adorable. I love it.” She gave Crew a wide smile. “Okay, Crew, I don’t know enough about you except what Darla tells me, and some of that can’t be repeated at this table, so why don’t you share some interesting facts about yourself,” she said before sipping her wine.
Crew didn’t want to know what couldn’t be repeated at the table. Darla wouldn’t talk about their sex life, right? No way. Women didn’t talk about sex with other women. From the gleam in Daisy’s and Darla’s eyes, he was afraid he had that one wrong. He’d rather live in the dark.
“I’m an open book,” he told her. He wasn’t exactly an open book, but he hoped with his brother there, Daisy would show him some mercy.
“Where have you traveled? What have you done in life? Have you always wanted to be a psychologist? Did you choose that profession because your brothers are all crazy?” Daisy fired off.
Crew sent an SOS signal to Darla with his eyes and she reached over and patted his leg, but the look in her gaze told him she wasn’t going to rescue him. He was on his own.
“I’ve done a decent amount of traveling,” he began. “One place I haven’t gone yet is Greece. I’d really like to go there.”
“Oh, me too. After I watched Mama Mia, I’ve been determined to go. I haven’t managed to do it yet,” Darla exclaimed. “Maybe this year. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”
“I’ll take you,” Crew said before he could think twice about taking it back.
“Oh, I want to go too,” Daisy said. Let’s plan a trip.”
“We’ll talk more about it,” Darla said as she patted his leg again, as if letting him know she was very aware he’d simply puked out the words before giving himself time to think. The fact that she was giving him an out irritated him. He wasn’t sure why. He’d instantly regretted saying them. He should just leave it alone, and go on to answer the next question. That’s not what happened though.
“Why don’t you want to plan the trip now?” he asked.
She seemed shocked by his words. “I have to put in for time off and do some planning. And a vacation like that isn’t cheap,” Darla told him. He opened his mouth and she glared at him. “If you dare say you’ll pay for it, I might punch you in the throat. I’ve always taken care of myself, and I’m still perfectly capable of doing that. It’s a trip I’ve wanted to do for a while and I’ll do it. But I have to do some research first,” she finished, firmly putting him in his place.
Crew was stunned at how much he liked this woman. The more she spoke, the more he liked her. He’d gone from being horrified he’d invited her on the trip to determined he’d take her, all in the span of a few seconds. He had a feeling she’d be tying him in knots for as long as he was with her.
Crew decided to move on to the next question. “Yes, I definitely became a psychologist because of my crazy family,” he told Daisy.
“I knew it,” she said. “It’s okay, I like a little crazy in my life. Normal is too boring.” She leaned over and kissed Hudson, who seemed more than pleased to kiss her back.
Crew was about to go on when Darla glanced up to the front of the restaurant. She looked confused for a second, then she tensed, and her face washed out of all color. Crew, Daisy, and Hudson all turned to see what had caused that reaction.
Daisy immediately turned back to Darla and reached over the table, grabbing her arm. “It’s okay, he won’t get near you,” Daisy promised.
Hudson tensed. “No, he won’t,” Crew’s brother said.
“Who in the hell is that?” Crew asked, staring from the man who’d just spotted them. Darla went from scared to ticked in a matter of seconds.
The man was wearing a business suit, his slick hair pushed back, and he was walking through the restaurant as if he owned the place, coming straight toward them.
“I was with Daisy and Darla several months ago when this asshole approached saying he had a claim over Darla. I knocked him out,” Hudson quickly told his brother.
“Good job,” Crew said.
Crew looked over the man. He wasn’t exactly small, but he wasn’t overly intimidating either, not that Crew had a worry. But he could see how the women would feel alarmed. Men like him were easy to call out; they had big egos and nothing to back them. This guy looked like he enjoyed intimidating people, especially women. It probably fed his screwed-up brain.
When he was a few feet away both Crew and Hudson rose at the same time. They weren’t going to sit below this man, and it appeared he was looking for trouble. As they faced him, the man’s eyes narrowed, his gaze leaving Darla’s for a short while to size up Crew and Hudson. A brief flash of recognition sparked in his eyes as he glanced over Hudson. Good, Crew thought, the man would know he’d been knocked out once by his brother, and it surely would happen again if he wanted any kind of trouble.
“Sir, can I help you?” a woman asked as she approached, dressed as one of the cook staff.
“No, stay back,” the man called.
“Sir, people are dining. We don’t want to ruin that experience,” the cook said, not backing away.
“I’m just going to talk to my girlfriend,” the man said. Crew felt rage flow through him. Did this idiot believe what he’d just said? Had he marked some sort of creepy territory thing on Darla? He’d seen it happen before, had counseled patients who thought they were in love and had a claim over the person they were obsessed with. Pulling them from the delusion depended on how far gone a patient was.
The man stopped at their table, his eyes on Darla. She sat back, making sure to stay as far from him as possible.
“I am in no way your girlfriend, Steve. I’ve told you repeatedly to leave me alone. Did the last arrest not convince you of that?” Darla snapped.
The man’s face reddened with rage. Crew didn’t want a fight in the restaurant, but he had a bad feeling one was on the way. If this man attempted to touch Darla in any way, Crew wouldn’t tolerate it. If he said nasty words to her, Crew would have to set him straight.
Steve took a menacing step toward Darla, and Crew blocked him, holding out a hand and stopping him. Steve looked at Crew incredulously as if completely shocked someone had gotten in his way. Crew wondered how many times Steve had bulldozed his way through a situation.
“I’ll kill you if you get in my way,” Steve said with so much malice in his tone, Crew realized the man might try to carry out this threat. He wasn’t worried, but he had no doubt this man belonged in jail. It was only a matter of time before he did something that couldn’t be undone.
“You’ve been told multiple times to leave Darla alone. Leave now,” Daisy said, a warrior look on her face that made both Crew and Hudson proud. These girls would die for one another, a rare thing indeed.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, Steve, but you have no right to speak to me, and you certainly don’t have the right to frighten all of these people trying to have a nice evening out. I wanted nothing to do with you within five minutes of meeting you. Go away and never talk to me again,” Darla said. Both she and Daisy stood, glaring at the man.
It was four against one. Crew wouldn’t discount either Darla or Daisy. They might be small, but they were warriors.
“You heard the ladies,” Crew said. Hudson just stood there waiting, being a second to his brother. He didn’t need to add fuel to the fire.
Steve’s attention was suddenly focused on Crew, assessing him. Crew gave him a mocking smile and waited to see what the man would do next. He could pretty much predict it. Steve turned back to Darla, giving her a hateful glance. The saying if looks could kill had come about for a specific reason.
“Who in the hell is this guy, Darla? Are you cheating on me?” Steve gasped as if he couldn’t conceive of that happening.
Darla’s eyes widened in shock as if she couldn’t believe what this man was saying. Crew knew how she felt. He’d met with clients who had no idea how a man had become so obsessed with them. And it was clear this Steve was obsessed with Darla.
“Number one, I don’t belong to you, never have, and never will,” she began, her shoulders stiff, her eyes on fire. “Number two, you need to get the hell out of here. If you approach me again I’ll have you thrown in jail. This is clearly harassment.”
The determination in her eyes truly impressed Crew. The fact that she was getting her say was the only reason Crew hadn’t pounded this guy yet. He wanted her to know she was strong enough to defend herself. He was there as backup in case this idiot thought about grabbing her in public.
“You little bitch. Do you have any idea who I am?” he sneered. “You can’t do a thing to me, but trust me I can do whatever I want to you. And I will. You’re mine, and nobody’s going to convince me otherwise.” His fists were clenched, and Crew decided he’d had enough.
“You’ve spoken too long. It’s time to go,” Crew told the man. “Now!” The pure steel in his voice made other men cower. This loser in front of him was too stupid to realize the danger he was in.
“Who’s going to make me?” Steve mocked.
“I love dealing with assholes with more ego than brains,” Crew said. “Let’s go.”
The man tensed, and Crew knew he was about to throw a punch. It was almost laughable. Without much effort, Crew grabbed the man, quickly flipping him around and wrenching one arm up his back, while he grabbed the other, making it impossible for Steve to move in any direction other than the one Crew chose.
“Need help?” Hudson asked, sounding bored. Crew rolled his eyes. Like he’d need help with some idiot like this. He knew better than to turn his back on a crazy person, but he certainly didn’t have to worry about him when he was in front of him. “Good. I’m hungry.” Hudson looked at the girls. “Ladies,” he said, holding out his hand, indicating for them to sit. Their eyes flashed between Hudson and Crew, who was holding Steve. Then Darla shrugged and sat.
“Sounds good to me. I’m hungry too,” Darla said.
“You’re all going to pay for this,” Steve sputtered, spit flying from his mouth as he tried to break the grip Crew had on him.
“Yep, tell it to your lawyer,” Crew said as he began pushing the man to the front of the restaurant.
“I don’t need lawyers. I have other people who will help me take care of you,” Steve snapped.
Crew didn’t doubt the man was telling the truth. A patron opened the door for Crew and he marched Steve outside, not stopping until he was twenty feet from the restaurant. He cranked the man’s arm up a bit higher on his back, making Steve cry out in pain. He leaned in and whispered to him in his most menacing voice.
“I have people too, Steve. And I guarantee my people are far deadlier than yours. Don’t come near Darla again, or you’ll meet them,” Crew promised the man. He cursed at Crew, but Crew felt the shudder of fear pass through his body.
Crew was done with the man. He’d made his point. He pushed him hard and Steve fell from his arms and hit the sidewalk, turning to glare at Crew. “This isn’t the last you’ll see of me,” he promised as he shakily got back to his feet.
“I’m counting on it,” Crew said, making sure the man saw the deadly determination in his eyes. Crew was normally a mellow man, but he’d put in his years in the military and had training. He preferred a mellow existence but would fight for what was important.
Steve decided smartly to not say anything else. He walked to a sleek Mercedes SUV with blacked out windows, climbed in the driver’s side, started it, and whipped out into traffic nearly crashing into another vehicle that laid on its horn. Steve held his hand out the window and flipped the person off. He was a real class act, that was for sure.
When his taillights were long gone, Crew walked back to the restaurant. He knew this man was trouble, but how much trouble? He’d have to ask Brackish to look into him. Some guys were all talk, some weren’t. Crew hadn’t decided about Steve.
When he walked back in the restaurant, conversation stopped as all of the diners looked his way. Their gazes went from weary to happy in a matter of seconds.
“That was bad ass,” some kid said as he stood from his table where it appeared he was dining with his parents. “I so want to learn that arm move.”
“Then join the military,” Crew told him with a smile.
“I’m a senior in high school,” the kid said. “Maybe I will if I can look like you after training.” The kid was tall and lanky, but Crew had no doubt a few years in the military would beef him up quite nicely.
“Good luck,” he told him, meaning it.
A few more people thanked him for defusing the situation as he made his way to his table. Darla looked up at him with a bit of hero-worship on her face and his chest puffed out a bit more than it already was.
“That guy just won’t go away. I like to handle things myself, but he scares me a little,” Darla said as she rose and threw her arms around him. “First, your brother knocks him down a few months ago, and now you’re here to rescue me. I might get used to this,” she told him. She leaned in and kissed him. Warmth flooded him.
There were a few whistles and clapping behind them, and Darla pulled back with a laugh. She turned and took a bow. “Thank you all for coming to the show. It’s not a great dinner without a show,” she said, making several people laugh.
A woman approached them, her smile wide, her eyes sparkling. “You look real familiar,” she said as she looked between Hudson and Crew.
“We’re just out for dinner,” Crew quickly said.
Her eyes narrowed as if she was thinking, and he knew the second comprehension clicked in her eyes. “You’re those Anderson boys who were all over the news when it was discovered you were long lost heirs, aren’t you?”
Hudson laughed as he held out a hand. “We sure are,” he said. “But we had our five seconds of fame already. Now we’re just normal stiffs like the rest of the world. Is this your place?”
She seemed immediately charmed by Hudson. Crew’s brother had a way of doing that with people. Both he and Brandon were incredibly good at charming the daylights out of both the young and old.
“Yes, it is. How did you know?” she asked.
“Well, the apron you’re wearing gives it away,” Hudson told her. She looked down and laughed, as if she’d forgotten she was wearing it. In big, bold letters, it stated, I’M THE BOSS. BACK OFF . . . OR FEEL THE BURN. There was a burned dish below the words.
“This was a gift from one of my cooks who said I was so sweet and mellow I needed something to show I was the boss.”
Both Crew and Hudson laughed hard at her words. “I have a feeling sweet and mellow isn’t used to describe you,” Crew said. She didn’t take offense.
“Well, I really appreciate you getting Steve out of here. He’s been in before and he’s a real pig. He likes to disrupt, and he thinks everyone should bow to him. He’s a damn politician’s kid and he pretty much has free rein wherever he goes. I can’t stand him.”
“A politician’s kid. Lovely,” Crew said.
Darla gasped. “I had no idea. I went out with the man one time and the date lasted about thirty minutes before I made a quick exit. He was a total pig,” Darla said, agreeing with the woman.
“I can see that. I can’t imagine anyone wants a second date with that man.” She shook her head. “But let’s forget all about him. I’m sending out a special treat. Finish your dinner and enjoy your evening. Don’t let that man ruin it.” She didn’t let them respond before she disappeared into the kitchen.
Jason quickly appeared. “You’re in for a real treat. She doesn’t send things out too often,” he told them. “Can I get you more wine?”
Four resounding yesses made Jason laugh as he walked away. Everything went back to normal and Steve was forgotten within minutes.
Crew had learned long ago that the best thing to do in a tense situation was to not focus on the bad. He definitely wanted to get more information on Steve, but he wanted to finish his first official date night with Darla on a positive note. He’d have time to dig into Steve later. Hell, once he put Brackish on it, it would probably be done in minutes. That man was a damn genius.
Their wine was delivered, and Crew filled all of their glasses. “To fantastic and entertaining double dates,” Crew said, making the other three laugh.
