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Hope waved her free hand carelessly. “No, nothing like that. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time, trying to break it up and got hit with a flailing arm. But these two aren’t the kind of people we want in our bar, especially with the divers coming over soon. Can you guys come help?”
Alex turned to Jack, his eyes blazing even as his face remained expressionless. Jack took an involuntary step back. Whoa, that’s a change. “Can you handle yourself in a fight if it comes to that?”
Jack snorted, already itching to mix it up. “Please, I’m from Texas. Come on.” He jumped out of the boat and strode up the pier, his feet thwacking on the boards. He had to glance behind to verify his boss was following—Alex hardly made any sound. Jack had no idea whether the man could fight. Is that why you asked me about it? Don’t worry, I’ll show you how it’s done. No local troublemakers were going to cause a scene in Jack’s newly adopted home.
Loud voices could be heard before he reached the edge of the pool bar with its thatch roof and tables nestled in the sand. A man dressed in a muscle shirt that read Pirates Forever stood with his legs apart and arms crossed over his chest, inches away from Clark Bailey, the bartender, who held both arms out in a calming gesture. The troublemaker’s hair was a muddy brown, truly craptastic mullet. A dark, burly man with a large hoop through his right ear was tugging on his buddy’s arm. Pirate Dude was the one with the loud voice. Earring was much quieter as he glanced quickly around the bar before saying in a Caribbean accent, “Come on, screw the orders. Let’s get out of here. I think this is that place.”
Jack stormed up to Pirate Dude, getting between him and Clark. The guy was a couple of inches taller, but that didn’t matter when his blood was up. “What’s your problem, man? People are just trying to relax here. It’s time to hit the road.”
“Maybe I don’t want to hit the road.” Pirate Dude sneered at Jack and hooked his thumb at the newly installed banner, which read Half Moon Bay Resort—Home to St. Croix’s Best Bartender! “The famous bartender is being an asshole. He needs to apologize and give me a free drink or I’m gonna kick his ass for him.”
Hope appeared in Jack’s peripheral vision, placing the ice on a red mark on her cheek. Fury roiled Jack’s gut as he looked back and forth between the two troublemakers. “You’re the ones who are gonna get your asses kicked. Did one of you hit Hope?”
A shadow fell across him as Alex joined his side and spoke in a soft, seething voice. “That’s what I’d like to know. And I have absolutely no intention of asking nicely. Which one of you two is responsible for the bruise on my wife’s cheek?”
A remarkable change overtook the two men. Earring’s eyes got huge as he tugged even harder on Pirate Dude’s arm, who wasn’t looking so tough anymore. Confused, Jack turned to Alex. He mirrored Pirate Dude’s position from a few moments before, standing tall and aggressive, and his eyes belonged to someone Jack had never seen before. The temperature could have dropped ten degrees, and a shiver ran down his spine as he watched Alex.
A sheen of sweat dotted Earring’s forehead. “Come on, man! I told you this was the place. That’s the dude who took down Charles. We need to split!”
Pirate Dude took several steps back and deflated, focusing on Alex. “No one hit her, I swear. I had no idea she was behind me. I don’t go around beating on women. And I really didn’t know she was your wife. We’ll leave now.”
Alex took a step toward him, a pulse throbbing in his temple. Hope strode forward and placed a restraining hand on his forearm. “Honey, please. They’re leaving. Let them go.”
His furious eyes lasered into the two men, who continued backing up.
Earring held out a hand. “Relax, man. We’re out of here, ok?” The two men scurried for the exit.
Jack’s adrenaline was fading, but his fists were still clenched at his sides. He took several steps down the path just to make sure they were gone before turning back. Alex was still completely motionless, his eyes focused on where the men had disappeared. Hope murmured softly to him. His chest moved back and forth like a bellows, and Jack tried to make sense of what had just happened. Alex had always been friendly and approachable, but right now, he was anything but.
What the hell? Pirate Dude was about to mix it up with me until he saw Alex. Then he couldn’t get away fast enough.
Alex took a deep breath and nodded at Hope. Then his face smoothed as he looked around the bar, as if surprised other people were there. A few guests were scattered about, and his menacing demeanor disappeared, now replaced with his usual confident, authoritative countenance. Alex was one of those guys people noticed. “Ok, folks. Looks like the show’s over. Sorry. It’s rare, but sometimes we get people like that in here. Bars tend to attract troublemakers.” The guests went back to their drinks as he turned to Jack. “Can you finish at the pier? I need to take Hope home and make sure everything’s ok.”
Hope sighed, the ice bag now at her side. She had a small red mark on her cheek, but it wasn’t turning into anything more. “I’m fine. I already told you that.”
Alex whipped his head to her. “I know you did. But I need to know.” Their glances held for a long moment before Hope nodded.
Jack spoke up. “I’ll finish. Don’t worry about it. You two take off.”
Alex met his eyes and nodded. “Thanks.”
Hope turned to the bartender. “Give everyone a free round, Clark.”
He nodded, already behind the bar. Alex wrapped his arm around Hope’s shoulders, pulling her tightly against him as they headed out.
Jack approached the bar, waving off the beer Clark held up since he was still on duty. “Does this kind of thing happen often?”
Clark gave him a tight smile. “No, thank God. It’s been a long time since we’ve had to get Alex involved. Thanks for your help. You guys got back just in time.”
Jack nodded, then left the bar to finish cleaning up. Get Alex involved? What does that mean? There was more to Half Moon Bay than he had guessed.
* * *
It didn’t take Jack long to get things rinsed and put away. He winced as he carried off a five-gallon bucket of fresh water they kept on board, heat flaming up his face involuntarily. Dumping a full container over Hope’s gorgeous sister hadn’t been one of his smoother moments. There weren’t many moments in his life when he’d wished a trap door would just open and he could disappear, but that was one. When she and Hope had walked down the steps from the spa that day, he hadn’t even noticed Hope. Sara had been all long, brown hair and glorious curves.
But his wince turned into an irritated scowl at how she’d treated him before she left the island. Not one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Good thing she’s gone and far away from here.
And beautiful or not, he wasn’t sure he was ready to get involved again. He’d been divorced for over two years, but the sting of being left still hadn’t abated. But at least the ordeal had provided the push he’d needed to move and start working as a divemaster, pretty much his dream job. Well, except for the pay. And that’s why I have two jobs. But if he could get more hours at Half Moon Bay, maybe he’d only need one.
