Dante's Angel (5 page)

Walking over,
Dante joined Brix on the patio and sprawled out in chair next to his friend.
Brix lit a cigarette, blowing out smoke as he said, “Stalking your woman again,
boss?”

“Fuck you.”

“You are
pretty, but you’re still not my type.”

“You’re one to
talk, Thor.”

Even in the
dark, Dante could see Brix glaring at him. Admittedly, Dante was a good-looking
man, but there was something about the other man that drove women absolutely
wild. Maybe it was because Brix looked like a Viking warrior of old, or perhaps
it was just because the man kept to himself so much he’d become some sort of
challenge to the females of Breakers. Dante figured it was more likely because
Brix really did look like he could be that damn movie superhero’s twin, and he
took extreme pleasure in teasing his friend about it.

“What are you
doing up?”

Brix took a
deep drag of his cigarette before he answered. “Leg woke me up. Was stretching
it out when I saw you guys walk up. Zoe didn’t seem too happy with you, Fox.”

Dante grunted.
“When is she ever?”

“True.” Brix
studied him for a long moment before asking, “When are you two going to stop
dancing around one another and just give in?”

“Fuck if I
know,” Dante muttered. “That woman is driving me bat-shit crazy.” He started to
say something else, but stopped himself. Even though he was friends with Brix,
his relationship with Zoe was too personal, too intimate to talk about with
anyone else.
 

“That woman
sure does put you in a pisser of a mood most days. The sooner you two finally
get together, the better for everyone at the bar. Just saying.”

“I’ll be sure
to make a note on how this effects all of you,” Dante said dryly.

“Please do.”
Brix flashed a grin his way, then he sobered and his dark-blue eyes took on a
hard edge. “I usually catch Zoe when she goes on her late night walks. I didn’t
hear her tonight.”

That made
Dante scowl. “She does this often? Damn it, Brix. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Brix shrugged.
“Zoe deserves her privacy, same as we all do. She’s only done it a handful of
times over the last few months. I usually follow her to the bar, then wait
until she’s ready to come home.” He paused. “Did you hear her? That girl can
play, can’t she?”

“Yeah, she
can.” Dante brooded in the darkness. He wasn’t surprised that Brix hadn’t said
anything, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t be pissed about it. He felt a surge of
rage that someone else had heard her playing her violin. Selfishly, he’d wanted
that keep it to himself. It wasn’t rational, but then again, he was never
rational when it came to Zoe.

Brix’s lips
twitched, but he held back his smile. Dante had it bad for the little
bartender. Everyone knew it. He usually made it a point to stay out of other
people’s business, but hell, it was getting pretty painful to watch them fumble
around one another.

Giving Dante a
little push, Brix said, “Zoe doesn’t know I’ve been following her. The only
reason I’m telling you now is because I’m gonna be moving into my new house
soon, and I won’t be around when she goes out at night anymore.”

Dante’s jaw
clenched. “Don’t worry about Zoe. I’ll be protecting her from now on.”

Satisfied,
Brix nodded as he leaned back in his chair. “I figured you would.”

Chapter Three

 
“Hey, doll. We need more beer!”

Zoe sighed as
she heard the slurred voice of a drunk frat boy behind her…again.

Spring break
in Breakers was a bitch. On one hand, The Fox Hole was packed nightly for
almost two weeks—which meant the tips were good—but on the other, it meant they
had to deal with drunk college kids that seemed to flock to the small town in
droves.

Since
Breakers, Texas was located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, it was a hot
spot for families and local college kids to rent houses where they could enjoy
the beach and the boardwalk. All the businesses in town benefited from the
influx of tourists, but Zoe had little patience for the idiots that came into
the bar looking for trouble.

A prime
example were the three morons who thought slamming their empty beer bottles on
the bar would give them faster service. Zoe rolled her eyes when they continued
to call out to her as she moved to the computerized system to close out a bill
for another group of customers.

One of the
other bartenders shot her a look of understanding as she moved closer to Zoe in
order to grab a bottle off one of the glass shelves against the wall behind the
bar. “Those three are going to be a problem,” Georgette said, the irritation
clear in her voice even though it was hard to hear her over the music. “They
started off annoying, but now they’ll be lucky if I don’t punch them in their
fucking faces before the night is over.”

Most of the staff
that worked at the bar called Georgette Tate “GT” because of her quick temper
and sharp tongue. GT was a loner, with a hard-ass attitude that made Zoe
envious. She was also a single mother who protected her young daughter like a
lioness would her cub. Perhaps it was that fierceness that made Zoe like her so
much, or maybe it was because Georgette reminded her of someone she used to
care for in the past.

The gorgeous
redhead claimed she didn’t get along with other women, but Georgette had never
been anything but nice to Zoe since they’d met. Both women had secrets, and
perhaps it was their shared caution that made it easier for them to understand
one another. Georgette didn’t talk about her past, but she was a local, and Zoe
had heard bits and pieces about her while working in the bar. She brushed away most
of the rumors, but she couldn’t deny that most of what she’d heard made it
clear GT hadn’t had an easy life.

Now, GT’s
emerald eyes were dark with a simmering annoyance as she served the drinks
she’d just poured. It wasn’t difficult to figure out why. The three drunk
college kids had been hitting on Zoe and GT since they’d sat down, ignoring the
only male bartender that was working at the other end. It had only been a
couple of hours, but the young men had consumed a few shots along with their
beers during that time, getting louder and more obnoxious with each drink.

The women who
worked in the bar were used to men hitting on them, but they didn’t allow
anyone to cross the line to being offensive or abusive. If they were stupid
enough to do that, the women had no problem putting the offenders in their
place…and that was before the male staff members got hold of them. Then it was
game over.

Zoe finished
closing out the tab, then she put the change she’d been given as a tip into the
big glass jar next to the register. “Don’t worry about them, hon. I’ve got them.
At least we’re almost done for the night.”

“Last call
won’t come soon enough with this crowd. Especially those three. God, I can’t
believe it’s only Monday. By the end of the week, I’m gonna want to kill
someone.”

Zoe laughed. “I’ll
probably help you bury the body. Don’t worry about the stupid kids. If they
keep acting up, I’ll call one of the guys over to take care of them.”

Each employee
was fitted with an earpiece that connected to a small black radio that was
hooked onto the waistbands of their pants or skirts. All it took was hitting
the button on the box to open the link to the entire staff. It was a safety
precaution that Zoe was comforted by, even though the system did seem a little
extravagant for a small town bar.

The Fox Hole
was a large, one story building, with the main bar on the left side of the wide
room and a smaller bar in the back, so there was a lot of ground to cover for
the staff on the floor. During the day, the floor was filled with tables for
people to sit and eat at, but when the sun went down, most of the tables were
removed or pushed back to open up the space for dancing and for crowds to
gather.

Next to the
bar was a doorway that led into the kitchens, and across the room were built in
booths for groups of people who wanted a little more privacy. Around the area
were several mounted televisions, so patrons wouldn’t miss their favorite teams
playing a variety of sports. In the back were two pool tables and a couple of dartboards
that always seemed to have a line of people waiting for their chance to play.

There was a
door on the right side of the building that led out to a beer garden area that
was set up with patio tables, which had been closed for the night. People still
used the garden area to duck out for a quick smoke, but staff members made sure
that no one lingered outside where the noise could disturb the neighbors.

Due to the
spring break crowd, two waitresses stood by huge tubs filled with beer bottles
set in ice for anyone who didn’t want to wait in line for a drink at one of the
bars. It was a new addition the past couple of weeks, and one Zoe had fought
Dante to add to the floor. He hadn’t thought it was necessary, but since they
had added the extra beer tubs, the strain on the bartenders had lessened and
their beer sales had doubled.

GT slid away
to take care of a group of people waiting to place their drink orders and Zoe
took a brief moment to glance around the room. She smiled when she saw one of
the staff members carting a case of bottles to one of the beer tub stations.
Making a note to tease Dante about it later, she turned back to the three young
men, struggling to keep her smile in place.

“What can I
get you?”

“A blowjob,”
one of them said, making his friends snicker.

Fed up with
their behavior, Zoe gave them a hard look. “Sorry, boys. The only way I think
any of you’re going to get one of those tonight is if you help each other out.
Now, do you want to order a drink or not?”

It took a
moment for her insult to sink in, then the young man who had spoken sneered at
her. “Come on, babe.” He slapped a hundred-dollar bill on the bar top and
leaned forward close enough she could smell the liquor on his breath. “That
should be enough for you to take care of all three of us. That’s more than
you’ll make serving drinks. You can consider it a bonus.”

She knew
better than to lose her temper with the drunk idiot, but she couldn’t help the
anger that bubbled up inside her like molten lava. Before she could think, she
was reaching out to shove the young man out of her face. “Back the fuck up,
asshole.”

He almost fell,
but held onto the back of the stool in order to right himself so he didn’t
topple to the floor.

GT hurried
over, ready to back Zoe up if she needed it. “Everything okay here?”

“No.”

The drunk’s
friends snickered at the young man righting himself on his chair, which caused
him to sneer at GT and Zoe in an attempt to save face. “Don’t worry, Red. We’ll
pay you too if you wanna join in the action. We’ll show you a real good time. I
think we’re being pretty generous offering to pay for what I’m sure you girls
are used to giving away for free.”

Zoe grabbed
hold of GT’s arm before her fist could make contact with the man’s face. If GT
punched the stupid frat boy, things were going to get ugly quick. It was bad
enough Zoe had shoved the idiot, and she knew it had gained the attention of
the people around them.

Wanting to get
the men out of the bar, Zoe’s other hand reached down to her radio to call for
help. Before she could press the button, a large hand slapped down on the
drunk’s shoulder. She relaxed when she saw the big form of Reggie Jones
standing behind the three troublemakers.

Reggie was one
of the newer bouncers at the bar, aptly nicknamed “Tank” during his time as a
linebacker playing professional football. The man was absolutely huge, with a
shaved head, dark, mahogany-colored skin, and thick arms the size of torpedoes.

He and his wife,
Monique, had moved to town after he’d suffered a serious neck injury during a
game when a brutal tackle had gone wrong. Instead of playing the odds, he’d
retired and taken a position at Fight Hard, training other football players
that came to the gym as well as the local high school team during their summer
session.

Zoe had thought
Reggie’s glamorous wife would have had a difficult time fitting into the small
town, until she’d discovered that Monique was actually one of the owners of the
new spa in town, Magnifique. Knowing her husband well, Mona had encouraged
Reggie to get a position at The Fox Hole as a bouncer a few times a week since
she knew how much he missed busting heads on the playing field. It was
something he did well, and with flourish.

“Hey, there.
How’s it going?” Reggie asked cheerfully, belying the sharp, calculating gleam
in his eyes. He had obviously seen what had happened, and positioned himself
behind the three drunks so he could reach all of them easily.

One of the men
turned and blinked, then his glazed eyes went wide. “You’re the Tank! Oh man, I
saw you play during one of your last games. The Austin Epics’ defensive line
isn’t the same without you this year.”

“Thanks.”
Reggie flashed him a grin. He kept his tone friendly, but there was an obvious
warning in his tone when he spoke again. “You boys wouldn’t happen to be bothering
these ladies, would you? GT, you and Zoe okay?”

The man Zoe
pushed snorted. “Ladies? No lady would be working in a dump like this.”

The other man
who hadn’t spoken yet decided to join in the conversation…foolishly. “GT?” He
snickered. “Yeah, I’ll take her for a ride.”

“Like I
haven’t heard that one before,” Georgette muttered, then glared at Reggie.
“Christ, just punch him already or I will.”

Reggie didn’t
hit the man, but his expression turned hard as stone. It was a look that had terrified
countless men on the football field. He reached out and jerked two of the men
off their bar stools, making them both squeak in alarm. “That’s it. You guys
are done for the night.”

“We aren’t
going anywhere,” the man who had started all the drama said, his voice rising
in anger. He turned, glaring at Zoe as he pointed his finger at her. “This fucking
cunt insulted me, and I’m not leaving until she—”

One second,
the drunk young man was shouting, and the next he was squealing in pain as his
arm was pulled behind his back by the finger he had been pointing at her. An
enraged Dante gripped him by the neck, slamming him face down on the bar top so
the man’s cheek was smashed against the hard surface.

Zoe’s breath
caught. She hadn’t even heard Dante approach. None of them had. But there he was,
his light-blue eyes glittering like twin shards of ice and an enraged snarl on
his lips. He looked like a warrior or some sort of avenging angel. No man had
the right to look so damn good when he was that pissed off…it just wasn’t fair.

She could all
but see the rage emanating from him, and her heart skipped a beat. Not in fear,
but in awe because she knew that Dante took any insult to her personally. She
always felt safe when he was around, and it both terrified and thrilled her.

 
“What the fuck did you call her?” Dante’s low,
menacing tone was enough to penetrate through the drunk haze of the young man
he held.

“Hey! Ease off
man!”

One of the other
men tried to reach out to help his friend, but Reggie held him in place. “You’ve
caused enough trouble. Trust me when I say, you don’t want a piece of that.”

Dante ignored
them, purely focused on the piece of shit he was holding. After he’d walked Zoe
home last night, he had promised himself that he’d try to stay away from her.
It was either that or risk his sanity. He’d been doing a decent job, trying to
keep his distance because he knew if he were anywhere near her, he would want
to kiss her again. Hell, he’d even escaped to his office to do paperwork so he
wouldn’t be tempted, but it had done no damn good.

The memory of
their kiss had been seared into his brain.

Unable to help
himself, he’d kept one of the security monitors he had playing in the
background focused on her. All of the screens were muted, so he missed what was
said. Still, watching Zoe interacting with the three young men had been enough
to put him on alert.

He’d tried to
tell himself she would call for help if needed, but Dante had been up and out
of his chair before he could think as soon as he saw the expression on Zoe’s face
when the little prick had obviously insulted her and she’d shoved him back into
his chair.

The crowd of
people had parted for Dante, as if they had somehow sensed his mood when he had
stormed out of his office. He’d just walked up to the bar when he’d heard the
asshole call Zoe a cunt. Then he’d lost it. The male staff members didn’t take
insults to any of the female staff lightly, but no one fucking insulted Zoe and
got away with it…not while he was around.