something, but Ian interrupted him.
“Yeah, I hear you’re slung quite long between your legs there, mate. Hmmph, I suppose Giner could take that better than the one what was in here whining about you a week or so ago.”
(What the fuck? Who is he talking about?)
Tristan grabbed Ian by the scruff of his neck, lifting him off the ground. His feet dangled several inches above the floor like a puppet. If I hadn’t been so horrified, I would have found it amusing.
“Mr. Hatton, you have been barred from this establishment. If I need to call the authorities to have you removed, I will. You are not to return here again or both Gina and I will file criminal trespassing charges against you. Do you understand?”
“Piss off, mate” Ian sneered, trying to wriggle free from Tristan’s strong grasp. He didn’t succeed. He was forced to look into Tristan’s very green and very angry eyes.
“Gina is carrying my baby. We have proof; you just need to accept that and move on with your life and out of ours. Have I made myself clear?”
(Holy Shit!)
By this time Ian had comprehended that the safest thing to do was to shut the fuck up and leave. He gave Tristan a brief nod. Tristan relaxed his grip; Ian shrugged free of his grasp, smoothing out his jacket as he departed. Tristan followed him down to make sure that he left the establishment.
I went over to where Tylar was filling a mug with draft beer.
“Do you believe that shit?”
“Oh my God Gina, that was hot!”
“No Tylar; I want to know who the bitch was that was in here talking about how Tristan was hung.”
“Oh come on, Gina. Ian was drunk. He was making shit up to start trouble.”
“If that’s the case, then how would he know that Tristan is, well, you know, hung like a freakin’ horse?”
We both started giggling at once.
“Hey,” she said, “Do you suppose that Libby was in here? You know she has an axe to grind still with you and Tristan.”
I considered that for a moment. It did make sense. We hadn’t seen her in a while but that didn’t mean she didn’t occasionally stop in when neither Tristan nor I were here. I mean Ian had been barred for a while yet he had apparently managed to sneak beneath the radar if he was in fact here a week or so ago like he said.
“You’re probably right, Ty.”
Tristan was back up on the mezzanine heading towards the bar. He looked like a man on a mission.
“Tylar, thanks for helping out at the bar. Could you hang around for just a couple of more minutes? I need to talk to Gina.”
“Sure,” she replied, smiling. “Take your time.”
“Come on, Gina,” he said, holding up the counter-top so that I could follow him outside of the bar. He took my hand and pulled me over near a table outside of the immediate bar area. Once then, he turned me to face him.
“Gina, I love you. I don’t care whose baby you are carrying it doesn’t change the fact that I love you . I can’t stand being apart from you. Baby come back - please?"
I looked up into his magnificent eyes and I knew that he meant it. Still, he had put me through some shit. I wasn’t sure he should get off that easily.
“I will think about it, Tristan. I can’t give you an answer right this second. I’m the one that
Learning to Kill: Stories