Chapter 4

Kate was in shock. She gasped for air and the adrenaline rushed fiercely through her veins.

"OH, YOU BASTARD! ASSHOLE!", she yelled, rushing furiously at him.

Mike and Maxine caught red handed, turned around flabbergasted. "Kate, I… it's not what…", he started to say, but he could never finish his sentence as Kate's right hand slapped him violently across the face.

Kate walked away in a rage, but she suddenly stopped, remembering something. She took off her engagement ring and her wedding ring from her finger. She turned around and threw them at Maxine with all her might.

"THIS IS FOR YOU, BITCH! GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE WITH THAT MORON!", she yelled.

The rings hit Maxine right in the face.

With tears in her eyes, Kate, hampered by her long dress, ran as fast as she could to the table where her purse lay. She snatched it away and left.

After a few steps outside she realised that her long wedding dress was hampering her walk and in a fit of rage she untied the bottom and threw it away which allowed her to walk more easily and faster.

Bomber had seen it all and couldn't believe her eyes. The fairy tail was gone! Unfortunately, the alcohol she had ingested prevented her from chasing after Kate. But, seeing Mike rub his cheek and Maxine picking up the rings brought her back to reality. She sobered up, returned to the party to search for Nikki. She was not only her friend but also Kate's maid of honour. She might help.

The DJ was still playing slow dances and the area was lit by subdued lights. She scanned the dance floor and saw Nikki dancing with Charge, her head resting on his chest.

Bomber grimaced.

Shit! She must be plastered to dance like that with Charge. She's useless!

She looked back at Maxine and Mike who were leaving the party.

Oh shit! Now what? Robert?

She saw Robert sitting with a dazed look, explaining something to 2Dads who looked at him like a baby in front of a musical mobile.

Damn, nothing on that side either.

Then, she noticed a tall man sitting at the bar.

Dutchy! Yes!

She rushed over to him.

He was sitting on a bar stool, one arm resting on the counter. He was still wearing his jacket, he had opened the first three buttons of his shirt and his tie hung like a rope around his neck.

"Dutchy, I need you!", she said.

He rolled his eyes, "Bomb, not now!", he muttered.

"Dutchy, I need your help", she said.

"Nah, come back tomorrow, maybe. I'm not in the mood, even far from that!", he grumbled tongue sticking.

Rebecca frowned and looked at him, her head tilted.

You're drunk. It's unusual. Normally you have everything under control. What's the matter mate?

She took a deep, annoyed breath.

"Dylan! I need you! Really!", she said sternly.

He raised his eyebrows, "Huh? This is the first time you call me by my first name. Is there fire? Has the World War Three broken out?"

"Dylan, come on! It's serious! It's about Kate!", she said, pulling by the sleeve.

He frowned and got off the bar stool, "Huh? What do you mean? Kate? What happened to her?", he asked alerted.

Rebecca sighed. He was listening now.

"I saw Maxine and Mike kissing and heard her tell him that she loved him. Kate saw and heard it too".

He scowled, "What? What are you saying?", he asked baffled.

"Yes, I was not dreaming. She slapped him across the face and threw her rings at Maxine's head. Then she grabbed her purse and ran away", She said without stopping once.

Suddenly he stood up and bashed on the bar with his fist. "Bloody bastard. I'll beat all the crap out of him. Where's that asshole!", he said angrily.

"Dylan don't do that! They are officers! Kate is my main concern. She ran away and I'm worried", Rebecca said, holding him by the sleeve.

"Did you say something?", he asked.

Rebecca shook her head, "No. I was in shock and remained rooted on the spot".

"Okay, okay. I can't let this happen. I'll go after her", he said and ran out without looking back.

Rebecca's shoulders slumped and she sighed.

"What the fuck is his?", she muttered, looking at the bartender. "Can you give me two expresso, please!"

"Here you go ma'am", the man said after a few minutes, placing two cups in front of Rebecca who was rubbing her temples to try to put her thoughts back into place.

"Thank you" , she replied, taking the first cup to smell the aroma. She took two sips, closed her eyes and sighed.

What was that? I still can't believe it. Mike cheating on Kate even before the end of the day. But that means he and Knocker had already had an affair when he met Kate! Shit, what a scum! And I thought he was a stand-up guy. Jeez!

She emptied her first cup.

And Dutchy ran out without saying what he was going to do. Looking for Kate, of course. But will he come back? Will he call me? And what if he encounters Mike? Brrr, I don't want to think about it. I just hope that he won't do anything stupid!

She took a sip from the other cup.

Hmm, I'm starting to feel better. Why did I drink so much? I could have done something if I had been more sober. I have to tell Niki. She'll probably know what to do. She's Kate's best friend.

She emptied her second cup and looked around.

Where is she? Ah there!

Rebecca stood up and walked over to Nikki who saw her.

"Aaaah Becca! There you are! I was already missing you. Let's dance, drink and laugh!", she slurred.

"Nik, we have a problem", Rebecca started, but she was interrupted.

"No problem tonight Bec. It's party time! Let's dance, drink and laugh", Nikki said, tongue sticking.

"Nikki, listen to me, we have a problem. Kate's gone. She ran away and so did Mike", Rebecca said, but she was interrupted again.

"Oooh Bec, I expected more from you. Of course they are away. They want to consolidate their marriage with a good fuck and maybe I want it too", Nikki jabbered.

Rebecca grabbed her wrist, "No Nik! Kate ran away after seeing Mike kiss Knocker. We need to do something!"

"Not now Becca, do you know what? I'll get you a cocktail. You want to be kissed too, that's it. Let's chase some guys who want to kiss us", she babbled.

"Oh you!", Rebecca said angrily and left Nikki. She walked straight to her table to grab her purse and headed for Robert. She took his wrist, "Rob, come, the party's over. Let's go"

"Huh? Where?", he replied heavily drunk.

"At home".

"Why and which one?"

"My house. I just want to keep you from doing something you'll regret afterwards", she said, watching him to stand up.

2Dads roared with laughter, "There you go RO. Bye bye freedom when a woman is involved".

"Get lost! You moron!", Rebecca snapped, slapping him on the top of the head, but 2Dads couldn't stop laughing.

"Why…why are you in such a hurry?", Robert mumbled following Rebecca who was still holding his hand.

"I'll explain that to you tomorrow when you're sober", she said.

"TAXI!", she yelled, waving her arm.

The next morning in Rebecca's kitchen.

"Here you go", Rebecca said, putting a cup of coffee on the table in front of Robert who was rubbing his face.

"Hmmm, thanks", he mumbled as he watched her dressed in a Chinese dressing gown and barefoot.

She sat down across from him with another cup.

"Cheers".

"Cheers", he replied faintly before taking a sip.

She looked at him.

Why did I take him home?

Hmm, good question. He's a weird guy. Asocial. But, there's something, I don't know what. I can't be mad at him for long. He's honest and says what he thinks. I like that. Whatever happens, it seems to me that I'm the person he can talk to. He also takes care of me. He also got me out of that swamp.

Deep down inside, I have to admit that I like him. I can rely on him.

But, I need that little extra to… yeah, to what?

"How do you feel?", she asked.

"Nah, it could be better. Headache", he said, rubbing his forehead.

"Take a painkiller. The box is on the kitchen counter", she replied before taking a sip.

"Yeah and another coffee", Robert said, standing up.

He poured himself another cup, "You?", he asked.

"No, thank you. I still have some", she said holding the cup in both hands, staring at the opposite wall.

He looked at her, in her Chinese dressing gown and tangled hair. She hadn't combed it yet. He smiled and ruffled it. "You're so cute like that", he said.

"Huh? My hair isn't combed and I haven't had a shower yet", Rebecca replied, surprised.

"Well, your tangled hair makes you cute", he said as he sat down and looked at her.

She looked at him surprised.

He thinks I'm cute because my hair is tangled. I didn't expect that from Rob. He has always been a no-nonsense man and now he dares to say something about my hair. Not just saying something, but complimenting me on something ordinary. I like that. Maybe, we are more than friends! Maybe this is the little extra I'm waiting for!

She smiled back, "Thank you!"

"Why did we leave hastily yesterday?"

"Because for most of them the party turned out to be a drinking contest and for others a drama", she sighed.

"Drama? What happened", he asked, frowning.

"I saw Maxine and Mike kissing and heard her tell him that she loved him. And Kate saw and heard it too. She slapped him across the face threw her rings at Maxine's head. Then, she ran off and disappeared".

"Huh? Jeez! This sounds like a bad soap opera. It sucks", he said, rubbing his temples.

"It sucks? That's an understatement. I told Dutchy and he left immediately to look for Kate. He was drunk and not really happy. I don't know why. I tried to tell Nikki, but she was plastered too. She didn't even want to listen to me", said an irritated Rebecca.

"Pfft, what a story! Did you say something to her? ", Robert asked.

Rebecca grimaced, "No. It happened too fast and I didn't expect it at all. Moreover, I have to admit that I wasn't really sober either. But, my happiness quickly vanished and I sobered up immediately".

"Now what? "

"I'll try to call Kate and I'll also try to reach Dutchy to know if he has found her. And I have to tell Nikki. I bet she doesn't know it yet", she said grumbling the last part, looking around for her smartphone.

Robert looked at his watch, "If you want to be lucky, wait a little bit before to call her. Have a shower first".

"Hmm, you might be right. And besides, I'll feel better after having a good shower", she said, standing up.

Twenty minutes later, she was back.

"Rob, your turn. I've put a set of towels for you in the bathroom. Now, I'll try to reach Kate".

"Yep, thanks", he said and he headed for the bathroom.

Rebecca took her phone and selected Kate's number. She didn't take the call and Rebecca left a message, "Hey Kate, it's Rebecca. If I can help you with what happened yesterday, I'm here for you. If you want to talk about it, just call me back."

She chose Dylan's number and waited. No reaction. She also left a message, "Hey Dutchy. It's Bomber. Did you succeed in finding Kate? Could you call me back? Thanks a lot".

She made a face and looked at her watch.

Two shots in the dark! It's not that early huh? Nikki.

She dialled Nikki's number and waited.

"Uh? Heeeelloooo", she heard at the other end of the line".

Finally!

"Nik! It's me, Becca. Listen, we need to talk. It's about Kate. I tried yesterday evening, but…", Rebecca said, agitated.

"Becca, wait, wait, hold on a sec! Stop rambling. I don't know yet what time it is or distinguish the top from the bottom and I feel far from well", Nikki interrupted faintly.

"Yeah, and where did this come from? Yesterday, there was more alcohol than blood in your veins. I know a good remedy. Make yourself a nice breakfast with bacon, eggs, a tomato, beans in tomato sauce, mushrooms and a parmesan topping ", Rebecca said.

"Huh? Mushrooms? Parmesaaaan? Ooooooh!", she heard at the other end of the line and then she heard a thud as if the phone was falling on the ground.

"Nikki? "

"Nik?"

Nothing more and Rebecca ended the call. She put the device on the table and poured herself another cup of coffee.

Robert came back into the room, "And?", he asked.

"Three shots in the dark. Although I was in contact with Nikki, I felt like she wasn't online yet", she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh-hu and what did you say?"

"That she should make herself a good English breakfast with mushrooms and parmesan topping", she said smirking.

He raised his eyebrows, "Mushrooms and parmesan topping? Isn't that too exaggerated?"

She looked at him in her most innocent manner, "Is it?"

He nodded, "Yes, definitely!"

"Oh? I wasn't aware of it", she said before taking a sip.

He shook his head, "Brown, you're mean. Really!"

Her phone buzzed and she pressed the reply key seeing it was Nikki.

"Hey, I lost you", she said innocently.

"Oh, shut up, you naughty creature. Because of your breakfast suggestion, I threw up my guts!", Nikki grumbled.

"Well, do you feel better now?", Rebecca asked.

"Pfft, more or less, but I can't say I'm in good shape. My head is still banging", Nikki said faintly.

"I told you I had a good remedy. It was also a little revenge for letting me down yesterday with the problem", Rebecca said sharply.

"Sorry, sorry, that bloody party. What's the problem?", Nikki asked.

"Kate saw Mike and Maxine kissing passionately and she heard Maxine say that she loved him".

"WHAT?", Nikki exclaimed.

"Yes, she slapped Mike into tomorrow and threw her rings at Maxine's head. Then, she ran away. I told Dutchy about it and he immediately went in search for her. Moreover, he didn't look happy, just like he didn't want to party", she said.

"Ooh shit. It doesn't improve the headache. And I didn't know. Fuck! Why wasn't I by her side to help her", Nikki grumbled angrily at herself.

"I've tried to contact Kate or Dutchy before, but neither of them answers my calls".

"Listen, I'm going to try to be a human being again and then I'll go to see Kate. I'll let you know, but now I need coffee and painkillers", Nikki said.

"All right. Good luck", Rebecca said ending the call.

"And?", Robert asked.

"She's going to Kate's today and will call me back".

"Okay, let's hope. But, have no illusions. I wouldn't be surprised if Kate disappeared".

"Oh Rob, why can't you be more optimistic!", she replied, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

End Flashback

To be continued