The form’s one of our online applications. My mother must have printed it and left on my desk. I can’t believe this crap... and his number’s on here as well. I shake my head take out my cell. Fucker. I want to know where he is and when he’s coming by tonight.
It’s actually ringing.
“Salvation Army, can I help you?”
“Listen, dickhead.”
“Sorry to offend you, pissant, I meant Seven Nation Army. Did you know Jack White used to mispronounce that word, salvation, when he was young?”
Shit, he’s here. He knows what’s on the sound system. I stand and look around the room... Sophia’s still talking to the women, Haverty’s by the bar, where the hell is he?
“Do you trust in me completely for your salvation?”
“You’re not God, Marcus.”
There he is. He has his back against the bar, glass in hand, and is looking into the lounge at my wife, still wearing the sport jacket and jeans he had on at the Arch, but now in a Cardinals hat that covers his blonde hair.
“Nice place you got here, Cove. Good wine too. Expensive though, I should get a discount don’t you think?” he laughs. “And you might want to know that your DJ’s not the most loyal person in the world. All it took was a fifty to get my music...”
“I have your check, come upstairs or get the fuck out.” I look down at Haverty to see that he’s taking a call. He knows he shouldn’t be on his phone unless it’s an emergency.
“This is sad,” Marcus says. “We only saw one another a handful of times during my trip. Perhaps if we’re in the same city again we can go out to a movie together, or fishing, or hang out with your family and play board games, or even better, we can have dinner at your bodyguard’s house. He is your best friend, right?” His eyes are glued to Sophia as he speaks. “How much do you know about James Haverty, Cove?”
“More than you’ll ever know. Don’t even try to fuck with my head.”
“I think you know very little about your alleged best friend whose home you’ve never visited. Your pal. Your protector. I’m trying to teach you a few things about life and you’re fighting me every step of the way, now be a man and take care of your family and friends,” his voice rises over the music and the crowd of people gathered around the bar. “Let me give you a little advice as I continue molding you into the man you need to be for that woman of yours.”
“I’m coming down. You’re just as fucked in the head as...”
“As Paul. I know. That kind of hurts my feelings, dickhead.” He opens fire with his middle finger without even turning his head. “Listen, why the fuck wasn’t I invited to your wedding?”
“Haverty!” I call out over the noise. I want Marcus escorted upstairs but Hav’s still on his goddamn phone and when I yell down to him again, he holds his finger in the air for me to wait. Damn him. I watch as he disappears down the hall to the private rooms, and it’s at that moment my heart stops and my feet become concrete blocks. I can’t move. I’m frozen in place as Marcus turns to me with a wicked grin. Son of a bitch.
“This is gonna be good,” he says and drops me from the line.
“Haverty,” I whisper.
Marcus sets his wine glass on the bar and starts to dance. The hair on the back of my neck rises as he inches closer and closer to my wife. What the fuck’s wrong with me? I said I’d take care of this nutcase.
Hollis becomes aware of the scene but only laughs when he sees him circling Sophia with such pathetic dance moves. He’s a freak around her, like a baby bird flapping it’s wings in a frantic state as it’s learning to fly. A look of fright covers her face when she becomes aware of him, but her expression changes to anger in a split second. She pushes him away only to have her wrist grabbed and her body pulled toward the door.
“Sophia!” I yell, in pursuit down the stairs. My fight response has finally kicked in after five seconds of paralyzing hell. Marcus crushes Hollis against the wall while forcing Sophia out the door; leaving both Hollis and myself stunned by his quick moves. I reach the front, shove my shithead of a doorman out of the way, and charge toward the black Chrysler. “Sophia!” I call out again, only to be horrified when she looks back with her hand up, about to speak, but is pulled into the car and hustled away.
“Fuckin’ A!” I shout. My mother hurries outside to see what happened as I pace and run my hands through my hair. “Fuck! Hollis, you piece of shit! Call the police now!” He takes out his cell as my mother has a worried look on her face. “Now, Hollis! Call the cops!”
“Cove, what happened?” she asks.
“The fucker... goddamn... asshole.” I’m beside myself and can’t get the words out. She wraps her arms around my chest to halt my movement but I break free when I see Haverty step outside. “Where the fuck were you?” I shout and slam him violently against the front of our building. “You asshole, Haverty! Where the fuck did you go?”
“I’m sorry, Cove,” he says in a soft voice. “I need to leave.”
“That’s right, you do, and don’t come back. Get the fuck out of my sight.” I step away in an uncontrollable crazed state, and stroke my hair; the motion that has become my security blanket.
“Haverty,” my mother approaches him in her usual sensitive way. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
“Sophia’s gone, mother! Shit, Haverty, give me the keys to the Escalade.”
She turns to Haverty and rubs his shoulder then looks at me, torn as to what to do. I can see now in his wounded eyes that something’s gone terribly wrong. What’s going on?
Our customers start to gather outside as a police car pulls alongside the bar. Haverty has the keys to the Escalade in hand and disappears around the corner without saying another word.
He’s gone, along with my wife.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
My finger circles the rim of the coffee mug as I gaze out into the wet streets from the front window of the Scarlett. It’s a habit that appears whenever I’m nervous or distraught, and right now, that’s putting things mildly. To hold Sophia, to have her safe in my arms would be all I’d ever need for the rest of my life.
Rain started to fall and everyone gathered inside to speak to the cops. I went straight for the bar, only to throw the shot glass against the wall in frustration. It was my mother who sat me down with the coffee, and who is staying by my side, rubbing my back, offering comfort and strength to a man who’s nothing more than a helpless prick.
“I should’ve jumped over the balcony to stop him.”
“What, and break your leg? Be realistic,” she says.
“No, I didn’t act. I was my usual asinine self, and then I treated Haverty like a piece of shit.”
My parents and I have all tried calling Haverty’s cell, but haven’t had any luck. He’s never done this before, just walked away without telling me why, and now I have him on my mind, along with Sophia.
The police are still questioning a few of our customers, and most are saying they didn’t see or hear a thing. Everyone’s eyeing me as if I’ve gone mad. I’ve heard of this happening before... someone gets beat up, or kidnapped and people don’t do shit. They stand around like statues, watch, and then walk away as if it were an everyday occurrence. A desensitized generation of robots; deadened and numb.
When my father arrived, he immediately started shutting the place down for the night, and now he’s making sure the remaining people are on their way out.
The cops separated us for questioning, but I overheard Hollis say he didn’t react because he thought ‘the guy’ was just goofing around and didn’t perceive the situation as dangerous, that my wife never called out for help or screamed. What the fuck?
“Just find her, alright? She’s carrying our child.” I cut one of the officers off as I’m being asked the same questions I was twenty minutes ago.