I clicked the button, but it was still programmed for the East Coast. I tried to figure out how to switch it, but between the alcohol, the lights, and the music, I couldn’t get a clear focus on anything. I took a deep breath and tossed the phone back in my purse. I needed to get the hell out of this club and get some fresh air.
I pushed through the crowd, trying to keep my feet firmly planted below me. I wobbled back and forth, the alcohol getting stronger in my system with every step. By the time I made it to the door, I burst out into the cool air and took in a deep, steadying breath. I was so angry with myself. How had I not thought that Nick would abandon me all over again? To be fair, I had no intention of letting him touch me at all. I was mostly using him as a way to get out of my own head for a bit. Still, he had brought me out here, gotten me drunk, and then started hitting on another woman. I stepped to the side to get out of the way of the other people exiting the club.
My feet were freaking killing me so I leaned down, not giving two shits, and took off my heels. The cold cement under my feet sent a chill up my arms, and I realized it was colder tonight than I had ever remembered San Diego feeling like. I had only been gone three years, but I had immersed myself in college, forgetting all about this place until I drove back over the San Diego bridge.
I looked around me at the people walking from the bars. The lights from the signs and street lights made me even dizzier so I started walking down the block, not even sure where it was that I was going. I looked down at my phone and realized I had hit a wrong button, so I fumbled with my phone to close it out. I walked toward a large planter on the sidewalk and sat down on the edge of it. I set my phone in my lap, looking around for a cab.
“Finding a cab in the Gaslamp Quarter shouldn’t be this damn hard,” I muttered out loud to myself.
I sat there for several minutes just looking around. Five frat boys joked their way up the street, and I looked in the other direction, trying not to catch their attention. But sitting here drunk and cold in a skimpy little dress was a bit more than noticeable.
“Look what we got here,” the guy in the front said, staring me up and down. “What are you doing out here all by yourself pretty girl?”
“Leave me alone,” I said angrily.
“Whoa,” one said, and they all laughed. “She’s got that Latin spice in her.”
“Don’t,” I said, slapping one guy’s hand away and turning as another scooted up next to me on the planter, putting his arm around me. “Get the fuck off of me, asshole. I don’t need your help, nor do I want you anywhere near me.”
I stood up and found myself being circled by these assholes. My heart began to beat wildly in my chest as my already dizzy vision got worse. I couldn’t focus on any of their faces, but I could hear them laughing and taunting me. Suddenly, one of them grabbed me and pulled me against him. I put my hand on his chest and pushed hard, trying to get away.
“Let go of me,” I yelled out. “Get your hands off of me.”
“I like a girl that struggles,” he said, laughing.
The squeal of tires cut through the night, and the guy dropped me before stepping back and watching as Nathan jumped from his sports car and barreled toward them. He grabbed the guy by his shirt collar and threw him to the ground. He turned toward the other guys with his fists clenched. I had never seen him so angry before, not even during the millions of fights he had with his brother growing up.
“The lady said to leave her alone,” he growled. “Now get out of here before I kick all your ass
es.”
One of the guys made a move at Nathan, and Nathan punched him square in the jaw. The frat guy dropped to the sidewalk. That one punch was enough to drain the fight from the rest of them. They gathered up their fallen friends, backed up slowly, and then took off down the street.
I looked up at Nathan from the place I had fallen, and his face softened. He reached down and helped me to my feet, picking up my shoes and taking me around the waist. I didn’t know how in the world Nathan found me or even spotted me over here, but I was so glad to see him. He ushered me to the car and helped me in the seat, leaning over to buckle my seatbelt. He closed my door and got in on the other side, reaching back and handing me his jacket. I shivered in the seat, and he reached over and turned the heat on. We sat there for several minutes, letting the car and my body warm up.
All kinds of thoughts were swirling through my head, and I couldn’t get a grasp on reality. I had drunk more than I ever had at one time, and all I wanted to do was sober up. It was like fate that Nathan had been here, had found me, and was saving me yet again from the trouble his brother had put me in. I knew at that moment, I would never trust Nick again, not even to have lunch with him. He didn’t care about me and Maria was right, at least about Nick.
He was using me as a pawn to get to his brother. He wanted to hurt Nathan and make him angry, and by doing that, he had pushed Nathan away from me. I took a deep breath, trying to sober myself up, knowing I was going to have to explain to Nathan how I got out here and why I was stranded without a way home. I knew he was going to be furious so I wanted him to start driving before I told him. Otherwise, he might go in the club and drag his brother out by the neck. The last thing I wanted out of all of this was to make things even worse between them. Nathan kept talking about his mother being disappointed, and I knew that if her and my parents were watching right now, they would be absolutely mortified at how I was acting.
I laid my head back on the headrest and breathed deeply, ready to tell Nathan everything.
Chapter Nine
Nathan
“So, I was really feeling down about everything that has happened, and Nick called me up,” she said, explaining what happened.
“Wait, what does Nick have to do with this?” I asked, as I drove down the street and away from the crowds.
“He asked if I wanted to go out to the club,” she said. “I just wanted to feel better so I said sure. He picked me up and took me there. Well, once we were there, he started feeding me drinks. When we were out on the dancefloor, he got really grabby, and I slapped him away.”
“Let me guess, he got pissed,” I said getting angry.
“He went over to VIP and started hooking up with this tall blonde chick,” she explained. “So, I tried to call Maria for a ride, and she didn’t answer. I tried to use the Uber app but I was too drunk to figure it out. I stopped and sat down, trying to find a cab, but there weren’t any. Then those guys came along, and well, you know the rest.”
I gritted my teeth and gripped onto the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles began to turn white. My idiot brother, too self-absorbed to care about anyone else, put Ronni in a situation where she could have gotten hurt, or worse. He abandoned her in the middle of the city at night, drunk as hell, and didn’t care enough to make sure she even got a cab back home.
It was a good thing I had pulled away from the club already because everything in me wanted to go in there and drag him out by his skinny fucking neck. Just wait until I get my damn hands on him and let our father know what kind of man he has turned into. If he thinks I’m going to sit back and keep my mouth shut any longer to avoid his embarrassment, he has another thing coming.