you?”
Darin clenched his fist. “The kind that’s going to smash your face into the wall.”
“Come on.” Luigi started to dance around like a boxer while he made hand signs for Darin to come get him. “It will please me to breaka your nose.”
Gina grabbed the cabbie’s sleeve and said something in Italian. Distracted for the moment, he didn’t see Darin’s fist before it crashed into his face. He stumbled backward. Darin was about to take another jab at him, but Mike stepped in to break it up.
The blow landed on the side of his jaw. His head whipped to the side. The punch hurt like a son of a bitch. He saw Darin draw back for another swing at him, but Gina swung her purse into Darin’s face. The bag was too small to do any damage, but it momentarily stunned him. Long enough for Mike to grab his arm and yank it up behind his back.
Luigi lunged forward to take advantage of Darin’s immobility. Mike pulled him back in time but lost hold of his arm. Dammit. Mike had not wanted to do this…
Darin aimed for his face and Mike had no choice. He flipped him over so that he lay prone, and then put his knee on the bigger man’s back.
“What the hell did you just do?”
A uniformed policeman frowned at the dazed and incapacitated Darin, who had at least fifty pounds on Mike. Two more officers carrying nightsticks came in behind the first cop and eyed Mike with malice.
“Was that karate?” the shorter one asked as he got out handcuffs.
“Whoa!” Mike got off Darin. “This isn’t how it looks.”
All three officers chuckled. “Gee, I never heard that one before. What about you fellows?” the first one said.
“Let me explain.” Gina stepped in between Mike and the cop with cuffs. “Please.”
“I want these deadbeats arrested.” Darin got up off the floor and tugged down his tuxedo jacket sleeves. “I’m the manager here and they tried to skip out on their tab.”
“Bull!” Mike started to get in his face, but then thought better of it. “You gouged us and you know it.”
“Everybody shut up.” The officer with the potbelly turned to Gina. “Except you, little lady. What do you have to say?”
“This is a terrible, terrible mistake. We were on our way to get the money to get my ring back when Luigi turned the car around and—”
“Are you Luigi?” the officer asked Mike.
“No, Luigi’s the cabdriver,” Mike said, and turned to Luigi—except the man wasn’t there. He’d disappeared. Mike swore.
The cop narrowed his gaze. “Watch your mouth, young man.”
Gina gasped. “Luigi left?” She spun around looking for him. Flustered, she alternated between English and Italian until the officer finally told her he’d heard enough.
“Tell you what,” he said, flipping open the cuffs. “I’m gonna let you explain it all to the judge.”
“D OES IT HURT ?” Gina touched Mike’s jaw and he flinched.
Then he jerked away from her. “What do you think?”
She pressed her lips together. He had been in a bad mood ever since they’d left the police station. How many times did she have to say she was sorry? She had already explained she had not asked Luigi to go back to the club. He had surprised her, too.
“I’d better go before your uncle gets home.” He started to get up from the couch, but she clutched his arm.
“I know you are angry with me, but please do not leave yet.”
He sighed and settled back down. “I’m not angry. I just don’t want your uncle to see me with a bruised and swollen jaw. Nor do I want to explain why I’ve been sitting in jail for the past two hours.”
“We will not tell him.” She lightly trailed a finger across the bluish skin that stretched across his jawbone. And then she leaned over and kissed it.
“Hey.”
“What?” She pursed her lips in a fake pout. “I am trying to make you all better.”
“Yeah, well, I think you caused enough trouble for one night.” He tried to get up again, but she stopped him.
“I thought you
Darin clenched his fist. “The kind that’s going to smash your face into the wall.”
“Come on.” Luigi started to dance around like a boxer while he made hand signs for Darin to come get him. “It will please me to breaka your nose.”
Gina grabbed the cabbie’s sleeve and said something in Italian. Distracted for the moment, he didn’t see Darin’s fist before it crashed into his face. He stumbled backward. Darin was about to take another jab at him, but Mike stepped in to break it up.
The blow landed on the side of his jaw. His head whipped to the side. The punch hurt like a son of a bitch. He saw Darin draw back for another swing at him, but Gina swung her purse into Darin’s face. The bag was too small to do any damage, but it momentarily stunned him. Long enough for Mike to grab his arm and yank it up behind his back.
Luigi lunged forward to take advantage of Darin’s immobility. Mike pulled him back in time but lost hold of his arm. Dammit. Mike had not wanted to do this…
Darin aimed for his face and Mike had no choice. He flipped him over so that he lay prone, and then put his knee on the bigger man’s back.
“What the hell did you just do?”
A uniformed policeman frowned at the dazed and incapacitated Darin, who had at least fifty pounds on Mike. Two more officers carrying nightsticks came in behind the first cop and eyed Mike with malice.
“Was that karate?” the shorter one asked as he got out handcuffs.
“Whoa!” Mike got off Darin. “This isn’t how it looks.”
All three officers chuckled. “Gee, I never heard that one before. What about you fellows?” the first one said.
“Let me explain.” Gina stepped in between Mike and the cop with cuffs. “Please.”
“I want these deadbeats arrested.” Darin got up off the floor and tugged down his tuxedo jacket sleeves. “I’m the manager here and they tried to skip out on their tab.”
“Bull!” Mike started to get in his face, but then thought better of it. “You gouged us and you know it.”
“Everybody shut up.” The officer with the potbelly turned to Gina. “Except you, little lady. What do you have to say?”
“This is a terrible, terrible mistake. We were on our way to get the money to get my ring back when Luigi turned the car around and—”
“Are you Luigi?” the officer asked Mike.
“No, Luigi’s the cabdriver,” Mike said, and turned to Luigi—except the man wasn’t there. He’d disappeared. Mike swore.
The cop narrowed his gaze. “Watch your mouth, young man.”
Gina gasped. “Luigi left?” She spun around looking for him. Flustered, she alternated between English and Italian until the officer finally told her he’d heard enough.
“Tell you what,” he said, flipping open the cuffs. “I’m gonna let you explain it all to the judge.”
“D OES IT HURT ?” Gina touched Mike’s jaw and he flinched.
Then he jerked away from her. “What do you think?”
She pressed her lips together. He had been in a bad mood ever since they’d left the police station. How many times did she have to say she was sorry? She had already explained she had not asked Luigi to go back to the club. He had surprised her, too.
“I’d better go before your uncle gets home.” He started to get up from the couch, but she clutched his arm.
“I know you are angry with me, but please do not leave yet.”
He sighed and settled back down. “I’m not angry. I just don’t want your uncle to see me with a bruised and swollen jaw. Nor do I want to explain why I’ve been sitting in jail for the past two hours.”
“We will not tell him.” She lightly trailed a finger across the bluish skin that stretched across his jawbone. And then she leaned over and kissed it.
“Hey.”
“What?” She pursed her lips in a fake pout. “I am trying to make you all better.”
“Yeah, well, I think you caused enough trouble for one night.” He tried to get up again, but she stopped him.
“I thought you
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