The Keeping(99)
Initially, she’d been stunned, lying on the floor, not sure what was going on around her. Dimly, she’d been aware of a roaring noise and a rush of movement... When she’d managed to sit up and look around, Ryne had already been across the room seeming intent on giving payback for the punch he’d received. Meanwhile fights were breaking out all over the room. Having never been in the middle of a brawl, it had held a sort of macabre fascination. Fists were flying; furniture was being knocked over and thrown about. Grunts and shouts; blood and saliva, spilt drinks... The sights and sounds had been overwhelming and she’d done her best to scuttle backwards towards the relative safety of the bar. Searching the sea of angry faces, she’d spotted Bryan and Daniel. They were making their way over to Ryne, probably planning on restraining him. Unfortunately, she lost sight of them when Armand had stepped in front of her.
The bar tender must have watched the whole incident start and was aware that she was on the floor somewhere. He’d pushed the crowd away from her, effortlessly lifting her to sit safely on top of the bar before wading into the various skirmishes, yanking the participants apart by the scruffs of their necks. Mel was so engrossed with what was going on around her that it had taken a few minutes before she noticed the nerve endings in her arm had started to protest. Glancing down, she saw her arm was covered in fresh blood—much of it hers, not just Ryne’s. The cut had begun to throb and burn painfully. Tears pricked her eyes and were sliding down her face by the time Lucy, who’d just arrived for her shift, rushed over to check on her.
Grabbing a towel from behind the bar, Lucy had helped stem the bleeding and then led her to a relatively quiet area near the back. Once there, she’d cleaned the cut before applying bandages and then offering a ride home. Mel declined, not feeling up to answering the slew of questions that were probably percolating in the waitress’s mind.
As she’d made her way towards the door she’d paused once to scan the crowd. Most of the fights had wound down and many of the former participants were helping to tidy up, merely avoiding the few who were still pushing and shoving each other. Surprisingly, there had been laughter coming from various locations, as if it had all been in good fun. Even Armand had chuckled once or twice, though his expression soured when he spotted the cracked frame on one of his paintings.
She’d watched as Bryan approached Armand and placed what appeared to be a consoling arm on his shoulders, while talking quietly. Armand nodded and took the painting down, tenderly cradling it in his arms. As he headed towards the bar, he’d called out a crowd-pleasing statement. “A free drink for everyone. Bryan is buying!”
The patrons had cheered and gathered around the young man, thumping him on the back. Bryan smiled in return, giving high fives and looking thoroughly at home being in the thick of things. Mel searched the crowd again for signs of Ryne or Daniel, but neither appeared to be there. A faint wave of concern swept over her, but she ignored it. They must be all right or Bryan wouldn’t be buying drinks. Besides, she was disgusted with Ryne and he didn’t deserve her interest.
Over the heads of those gathered, Bryan suddenly looked up and made eye contact with Mel. Even from a distance, she could sense his concern for her, so she’d nodded and given him a half smile as a means of reassurance. Slowly he’d nodded back and she was sure he was trying to convey that the other two men were fine. Someone jostled him and he’d turned away, switching his attention to those crowded around him.
Mel chose to leave then. She wondered why Bryan was buying everyone a drink, but decided it was all part of some strange male bonding ritual and really none of her business.
*****
When she’d finished reminiscing about the previous night’s escapade, Mel rinsed out her coffee cup before gathering her supplies for the day. She checked that she had her list of questions for Ryne then shouldered her purse and headed towards the car with a determined stride. Thankfully she’d left her laptop at the Gazette over night; it made for one less thing to carry when she only had one fully functioning arm.
As she drove into town, she gave herself a mental pep talk. Today was the day. No more delays. No more distractions. Ryne Taylor was going to answer her questions whether he liked it or not. She was sick and tired of his little games. It didn’t matter how charming and sexy he was, there was no way she was putting up with his avoidance tactics any longer. Obviously, he was only interested in her for sex; last night had proved that. Oh, he’d warned her. Lucy had warned her. She’d even warned herself. She’d have to give the devil his due, he excelled in the love making department, but he was definitely not interested in anything deeper. But some crazy little corner of her mind had hung on to the hope that Ryne really did have feelings for her. Well, she thought, that certainly wasn’t the case.