In this chapter Joe and Alexis have had a break up, but Joe refuses to give up on her.
Happy reading!
It had been
weeks and still he came… Every night and
that particular night was no different. He
was waiting for her outside the bar as she stepped out onto the sidewalk and
saw him; she could recognize him anywhere- even in the dark. She could make out his silhouette, the cowboy
hat, his hulking frame, arms crossed over his chest leaning against the shiny
pickup truck.
Any other man
she could possibly consider a stalker at this point, but not Joe. There was a part of her that wanted to run to
him every single night and throw herself into his arms and beg him to take her back. He was making this break up terribly hard on her. It had been two weeks. Any other man would have given up by now. She ducked her head and realized that he had
positioned himself so that she would have to walk past him on her way home.
“What are you
doing here?” She snapped as soon as she
saw him.
“The Lord
sent me.” He said and when she ignored him he decided to continue. “I told you I don’t like you walking home
alone this late at night.” He growled as
she trudged past him.
She didn’t
answer. Maybe if she ignored him he’d go
away. Instead, he fell into step beside
her. Joe decided to push the issue while
he was at it. “I’ve also told you I
don’t like you working at this bar. It’s
too dangerous.”
“Joe…” She whined, exasperated by his patience. She’d been mean, she’d cursed him, she’d done
everything short of having him arrested and he was still here. Whining was her last resort. “How many times have I told you… we’re not
together…I’m not the girl for you.”
“Looks like you’d know by now that I
don’t give up so easily. I told you I
would pursue you. I wouldn’t give up
until you agreed to marry me. You knew that going into the game.”
“This…” She stopped long enough to turn to him and
give him a deadly look in the dim light.
“Is not a game, Joe! This is real
life! And in real life, you’re a
preacher and I’m a bartender and we can’t…” Her voice cracked, and the tears
threatened to come. “There’s no happily
ever after for us! I can not marry
you Joe!”
Even though
she’d like to; she wanted to. If he’d
had a different kind of life she would have already been his wife but what
would marrying a woman like her do to him?
She had been around long enough to figure out that people at his church
considered her a harlot, and there were quite a few who disapproved enough of
their being together that if he pursued her they would ask for his
resignation. Why couldn’t he see
that? She was doing it for him!
“Please… Joe…
go home… forget me.” She pleaded.
“Look me in
the eyes and tell me that.” He said
calmly and put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him.
Her face
twisted with anger and frustration. “GO!
HOME! AND! FORGET! ME!” She screamed in
his face.
He sighed,
and he didn’t move his hands from her shoulders. “I can’t.”
He said almost plaintively. “I
love you.”
She looked
away. She loved him too.
“And you love
me too. Look me in the eyes and tell me
you don’t and I’ll leave you alone.”
She took a
deep breath and squared her shoulders, she had to be strong. Maybe she’d break his heart, but it was far
better. She opened her mouth to tell the biggest and hardest lie of her whole
life but then someone said something behind Joe and the words stuck in her
mouth.
A man stood
on the street behind them. Joe turned
and held up his hand. “It’s okay buddy.” He said and then turned his attention back to
Alexis who had a shocked and confused look on her face. There was a thrill of excitement as Joe
considered that perhaps he had gotten through to her at last.
The man spoke
in Spanish again and again Joe waved him off.
“Yeah, yeah whatever Pedro. Just
walking the little lady home.”
He looked
back down at Alexis, angry for this intrusion.
She was removing her earrings, her eyes fixed on the man behind
him.
“What are you
doing?” He snapped.
“Give him
your wallet, Joe,” she said weakly but
calmly.
“Why?”
“Because…” she said slowly. “He has a knife and he wants it.”
Joe spun
around and pushed Alexis behind him and mentally he sized the man up. He realized he wasn’t a man at all; he was
just a kid who probably didn’t weigh more than a buck fifty. His clothes were too big like the kids liked
to wear them these days. He produced a rather large knife but Joe
thought to himself that he had one bigger than that in his tackle box in the
back of his truck.
“He’s just a
kid. It’s okay. I can take him.” He
whispered and she stared at him in disbelief.
“Buddy, you need to turn around right now ‘afore you get hurt. Just go on...”
“He says to
give him your wallet and whatever is in your pockets or he’ll cut you.” Alexis’
voice trembled with fear.
She spoke to
him holding her trembling hands in front of her holding her purse with whatever
tips she had made from that night. She
waved the money at him.
“Give him everything in your pockets.” She told him.
“Tell him he
ain’t gettin’ it. Ain’t gettin’ yours
either so put it back up.”
The kid spoke
again.
“He said
he’ll kill you!” Alexis’ voice rose to a
scream.
“Tell him… he
AIN’T GETTIN’ WHAT’S IN MY POCKET SO RUN ALONG BEFORE HE GETS HURT!”
Alexis jabbered and he caught one word- loco-
and the kid laughed and started in their direction. “I’m warning you kid…” He growled and he reached into his front
pocket and Alexis let out a sigh of relief.
Finally, he was coming to his senses but instead he pressed something
into her hands.
“Take my
keys, and when I tell you…run to my truck… Lock yourself in and call the
police.”
“Joe!” She protested. “Just give him your wallet!”
The kid
yelled again and Alexis tried to hand him her purse she spoke to him in Spanish
and Joe had no idea what she was saying.
Joe stepped between the two of them and he pushed her out of the way as
the kid lunged at the two of them.
He could see
the streetlight glimmer on the blade of the knife as he pushed Alexis out of
the way; he felt it slice through his shirt and across his chest as he jumped
away.
“Alexis…RUN!” He screamed and she did, as fast as her heels
could carry her.
Joe and his assailant
circled each other in the dimly lit street.
“All right buddy…” He warned. “Let’s see what you got…”
The boy
laughed. “You’re crazy, old man.”
Joe’s eyes
narrowed. “So you do speak English.” He
growled. “Good. ‘Cause I got a couple of things to say to you…”
Alexis made
it to the truck and realized she didn’t know what key to use. Oh God, she prayed why does he have so many
keys? Her hands were shaking so badly
she could hardly hold them still much less push the key into the lock but
finally it slid inside and she turned it.
She jumped inside and pushed the locks down.
“Call the police.”
A voice told her.
She groped in
the darkness for her purse and that was when she realized that she had dropped
her purse with the cell phone inside on the sidewalk behind Joe.
She screamed
out in frustration and then she knew what she needed to do. She put the key into the ignition and
started the truck. It was a stick and
she couldn’t drive a stick but somehow she got it into reverse and the tires
screamed as she backed up. Please, God, help me! She begged the empty truck cab. Help me and I’ll do whatever you want me to
do! She had no idea how to get it into gear and
she pulled on the gearstick like a madwoman and almost by luck it lurched
forward and she gunned it in the direction of Joe and his attacker.
Joe heard his
truck hit the curb as it roared to life and barreled down the street in his
direction. He wondered what on earth she
could be doing and but then he heard the roar of the engine and the sickening
sound of tires as she hit the median.
“Good Lord! She’s
going to run us over!” He grabbed the
kid and screamed at him and the look of sheer terror on Joe’s face must have
been enough to convince him that she would do it. They both ran for their lives as the truck
hit the curb and bounced up on the sidewalk.
She missed a tree and the two men by a couple inches and almost drove it
right into a bookstore window but she slammed on the brakes in the nick of
time. Both men looked over at her in amazement before looking back at each
other and resuming their struggle. Though she didn’t run over the mugger, almost
hitting him with Joe’s truck distracted him just long enough for Joe to knock
the knife out of his hands and twist his arm behind his back.
“Better be
still.” He warned but the kid was
stubborn and he fought him. It was a bad idea to fight a guy who’d grown up
roping calves and riding bulls.
Joe felt a
crack as he twisted the kid’s arm and pushed him to the ground and he hoped
that Alexis had enough sense about her not to run them over.
Joe pinned
the kid to the ground, his knee in the kid’s back. His good arm, the one that
wasn’t broken he held behind his back.
Alexis was
beside him, a screaming, crying mess.
“Get a rope
out ‘a my truck. It’s under the
seat!” He gasped.
“What are you
going to do with it?” Alexis screamed.
“I’m going to
tie him up dummy!” He shot back at
her. “Do it!”
Alexis scurried away and groped under his
seat, after what seemed like an eternity she brought him the rope.
“I’m gonna…
tie you up… This arm’s… broken… so if
you don’t want the other one… broken… then you need to be still… till the cops
get here… Okay?” He told the kid calmly
between ragged breaths. He looked back down at the kid underneath him as he
wrapped the rope around him. He had a captive audience, literally. What else would a preacher do?
“Has anyone
ever told you that Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life?”
“Something something something” in Spanish. The kid said and then added: “You’re both crazy.”
“You have no
idea Pedro. Besides, you started it.”
Joe winced as he looked at the gash.
“And you had the good sense to try to rob a preacher instead of someone
who would have killed you. You know
where you’d been if I’d pulled out a gun or let my crazy girlfriend run you
over?”
Pedro didn’t
answer. At least he assumed his name was
Pedro since he hadn’t told him otherwise.
“Well you’d
have been dead Pedro. What then genius?
Huh? You know what happens to you when
you die?”
“I don’t have
to listen to your sermon, Preacher!” The
boy snapped. “I want my lawyer.”
“Well
tough. You tried to mug a preacher and
you’re gonna sit through the sermon, at least till the cops get here and throw
you in jail!”
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