Jet shut off his pocket TV and put it back in his pocket.
"Okay, back to the ship until later tonight." He said as he started walking off. Alex followed at his side and put on her sunglasses.
"Okay, we know I'm good, right?" she asked happily and assuringly. She smiled beautifully in the morning sun. Jet smiled too.
"Yes, you're good. Now we have to practice for tonight, so we know what exactly to do later on. It'd be a little awkward if you kept looking around for him to walk into the bar, so I'll think of something to say that gives you the cue he's in the bar." He said as they headed for the docks once again. They got back and relaxed for the rest of the night. When it was about 7:00 or so, they got ready yet again. Alex wore the same thing, as did Jet and they were out the door and on their way to the bar at 7:15.
"Okay, so what's the phrase to cue me?" Alex asked as the bar came into their sight.
"I'll start asking you about what songs you want to do for the next album. That's pretty good, don't you think?" he asked. Alex though.
"Yea, it'll work." She said.
"And about this place, order whatever you want. We have plenty of money so don't worry about price, okay?" he said as they drew closer.
"Okay. Just remember you said that." She said as he opened the door for her. As her eyes adjusted to the darkened area, she saw that there were two bars, on either side of a huge dance floor. The place wasn't packed, but it wasn't empty either. The music was at a good volume for conversation but louder on the dance floor. Jet and Alex walked in and sat at the bar closer to the door, Jet sitting so he could see the door as people gradually came in.
"What'll it be?" the bartender asked. He was scruffy, but cute.
"I'll have a whisky sour." Jet said as he looked at Alex.
"A twisted tea, please." She said with a smile. The bartender nodded and walked off.
"I told you order what you want, we can handle the expense!" he said.
"And I wanted a twisted tea! Calm down Jet, you're freaking out." She said trying to calm him down. The drinks came and they sat a while just talking. It was getting late and still no Zeke. They didn't want to leave, but the place was starting to fill and get busy. With a sigh, Jet went to stand when his eyes fixed onto something.
"So, uh, what kind of music…err, songs do you want for the next album?" he stuttered. Alex casually picked up her drink and smiled.
"I don't know. Maybe some kind of acoustic rock." She said. She could feel her knees shaking as she filled with anxiousness.
"He's coming this way, cut to the chase." He said trying to smile. Alex got the idea. She worked up some quick tears and stood quickly with drink in hand.
"Damn you!" she screamed. Anyone in earshot turned to listen, including their bounty head.
"Hon, I'm sorry!" he said trying to be sincere. It looked so real.
"No, this was the last straw!" she said as she spilled the drink on him and her fake tears started to flow. "The marriage is off and I never want to see you again!" She yelled. He came close and hugged her.
"I'll be out back in 5 minutes." He whispered into her ear.
"Gotcha." She whispered back before pushing him off. "No! No more! I hate you!" she screamed with tears pouring down her cheeks. He tossed a bill onto the bar to pay for the drinks and then walked out of the bar. Alex sat back down and wiped her tears away, still acting upset. A few moments later, she felt a hand on her back. She pretended to think it was Jet and whipped around. "Jet!" she said angrily.
"No, I'm not your guy friend." Said Zeke with a smile as he sat beside her in Jet's seat. The plan was working perfectly.
"Oh, I'm sorry mister…" she said to set him up.
"Zeke, Zeke Diboa. I noticed you this morning in the diner with that guy." He said still rubbing her back and trying to calm her down.
"That was you? I thought you looked familiar." She said as she used a napkin to dry her eyes.
"Yea, what were you doing with him anyway? Is he your big brother or something?" he asked.
"He was my fiancée. Until he told me about him and some younger girl named Tyler just a few minutes ago." She said with a sniffle.
"You're fiancée? He's got to be over 40! How old are you?" he asked.
"I just turned 23. Jet is much older, I know, but we had so much in common and now I don't know how to go back home." She said becoming upset again.
"Shhh…it's alright. You could spend the night with me. if you think it'll give your friend time to cool off." He suggested with a cool smile. Alex tried to smile and nodded.
"Okay, maybe that'll help." She said as she stood. She walked toward the coatroom and got her coat when she turned to look at Zeke, he had grabbed his hair and held it as if he was going to wear it in a ponytail. It was then it hit Alex…was he the guy? The guy she wanted to forget so badly? He looked at her and released his hair with a smile. Alex almost forgot what she was doing.
"Come on, let's go." He said as he escorted her towards the front door. Alex stopped.
"Wait, he'll be out front waiting for me. Is there a back way out of here to the alley around back?" she asked. Zeke looked around.
"Yea, it's back this way." He said as he led her through a huge crowd. Alex looked at him from the side and from the back and couldn't help but think about her sickening past experiences. He led her to a fire exit and stood by the door.
"Is this it?" she asked. He nodded.
"Yep, shall we go?" he asked as he put his hand on the fire bar. He pushed and the door opened, letting them both into the back alley. The moonlight shone down and lit the area dimly. "Well, now that I have you to myself…" He said with a smile as the door shut.
"What?" Alex asked trying to play naïve. He grabbed her arms and forced her up against the wall of the building. Holding her hands above her with one hand, he cupped his other over her mouth to silence her screaming.
"Here's a little advice honey, never leave a shady bar with a shady character." He said with a smile as he licked the side of her face. Alex had heard that before from the man she wanted to forget only years before. She thought he was put away and she'd never see him again! No, this couldn't be him…this couldn't be the guy who raped her 4 years ago!
"Okay, back to the ship until later tonight." He said as he started walking off. Alex followed at his side and put on her sunglasses.
"Okay, we know I'm good, right?" she asked happily and assuringly. She smiled beautifully in the morning sun. Jet smiled too.
"Yes, you're good. Now we have to practice for tonight, so we know what exactly to do later on. It'd be a little awkward if you kept looking around for him to walk into the bar, so I'll think of something to say that gives you the cue he's in the bar." He said as they headed for the docks once again. They got back and relaxed for the rest of the night. When it was about 7:00 or so, they got ready yet again. Alex wore the same thing, as did Jet and they were out the door and on their way to the bar at 7:15.
"Okay, so what's the phrase to cue me?" Alex asked as the bar came into their sight.
"I'll start asking you about what songs you want to do for the next album. That's pretty good, don't you think?" he asked. Alex though.
"Yea, it'll work." She said.
"And about this place, order whatever you want. We have plenty of money so don't worry about price, okay?" he said as they drew closer.
"Okay. Just remember you said that." She said as he opened the door for her. As her eyes adjusted to the darkened area, she saw that there were two bars, on either side of a huge dance floor. The place wasn't packed, but it wasn't empty either. The music was at a good volume for conversation but louder on the dance floor. Jet and Alex walked in and sat at the bar closer to the door, Jet sitting so he could see the door as people gradually came in.
"What'll it be?" the bartender asked. He was scruffy, but cute.
"I'll have a whisky sour." Jet said as he looked at Alex.
"A twisted tea, please." She said with a smile. The bartender nodded and walked off.
"I told you order what you want, we can handle the expense!" he said.
"And I wanted a twisted tea! Calm down Jet, you're freaking out." She said trying to calm him down. The drinks came and they sat a while just talking. It was getting late and still no Zeke. They didn't want to leave, but the place was starting to fill and get busy. With a sigh, Jet went to stand when his eyes fixed onto something.
"So, uh, what kind of music…err, songs do you want for the next album?" he stuttered. Alex casually picked up her drink and smiled.
"I don't know. Maybe some kind of acoustic rock." She said. She could feel her knees shaking as she filled with anxiousness.
"He's coming this way, cut to the chase." He said trying to smile. Alex got the idea. She worked up some quick tears and stood quickly with drink in hand.
"Damn you!" she screamed. Anyone in earshot turned to listen, including their bounty head.
"Hon, I'm sorry!" he said trying to be sincere. It looked so real.
"No, this was the last straw!" she said as she spilled the drink on him and her fake tears started to flow. "The marriage is off and I never want to see you again!" She yelled. He came close and hugged her.
"I'll be out back in 5 minutes." He whispered into her ear.
"Gotcha." She whispered back before pushing him off. "No! No more! I hate you!" she screamed with tears pouring down her cheeks. He tossed a bill onto the bar to pay for the drinks and then walked out of the bar. Alex sat back down and wiped her tears away, still acting upset. A few moments later, she felt a hand on her back. She pretended to think it was Jet and whipped around. "Jet!" she said angrily.
"No, I'm not your guy friend." Said Zeke with a smile as he sat beside her in Jet's seat. The plan was working perfectly.
"Oh, I'm sorry mister…" she said to set him up.
"Zeke, Zeke Diboa. I noticed you this morning in the diner with that guy." He said still rubbing her back and trying to calm her down.
"That was you? I thought you looked familiar." She said as she used a napkin to dry her eyes.
"Yea, what were you doing with him anyway? Is he your big brother or something?" he asked.
"He was my fiancée. Until he told me about him and some younger girl named Tyler just a few minutes ago." She said with a sniffle.
"You're fiancée? He's got to be over 40! How old are you?" he asked.
"I just turned 23. Jet is much older, I know, but we had so much in common and now I don't know how to go back home." She said becoming upset again.
"Shhh…it's alright. You could spend the night with me. if you think it'll give your friend time to cool off." He suggested with a cool smile. Alex tried to smile and nodded.
"Okay, maybe that'll help." She said as she stood. She walked toward the coatroom and got her coat when she turned to look at Zeke, he had grabbed his hair and held it as if he was going to wear it in a ponytail. It was then it hit Alex…was he the guy? The guy she wanted to forget so badly? He looked at her and released his hair with a smile. Alex almost forgot what she was doing.
"Come on, let's go." He said as he escorted her towards the front door. Alex stopped.
"Wait, he'll be out front waiting for me. Is there a back way out of here to the alley around back?" she asked. Zeke looked around.
"Yea, it's back this way." He said as he led her through a huge crowd. Alex looked at him from the side and from the back and couldn't help but think about her sickening past experiences. He led her to a fire exit and stood by the door.
"Is this it?" she asked. He nodded.
"Yep, shall we go?" he asked as he put his hand on the fire bar. He pushed and the door opened, letting them both into the back alley. The moonlight shone down and lit the area dimly. "Well, now that I have you to myself…" He said with a smile as the door shut.
"What?" Alex asked trying to play naïve. He grabbed her arms and forced her up against the wall of the building. Holding her hands above her with one hand, he cupped his other over her mouth to silence her screaming.
"Here's a little advice honey, never leave a shady bar with a shady character." He said with a smile as he licked the side of her face. Alex had heard that before from the man she wanted to forget only years before. She thought he was put away and she'd never see him again! No, this couldn't be him…this couldn't be the guy who raped her 4 years ago!