Chapter 10: Dan

As I left the club that Friday night, I was more afraid than I'd ever been in my life. I jumped in my car as a couple of my guys were pointing at a set of tail lights receding into the night. I didn't know what kind of car it was and I didn't care. Whoever did this couldn't possibly get away and when I caught them, it was over. I left the parking lot in a scream of tortured rubber. As soon as I got on the road I pressed the gas pedal to the floor and listened to the supercharger's whine. I was catching up to the car so fast that I passed another car that had some of my guys in it. I was about to hit my nitrous-oxide, when I saw that the car had slowed down and pulled into a driveway. I didn't want to let them know I was on to them so I continued down the road to the next house.

I got out of my Mustang and ran back to the house. I walked into the house ready to kill. As I looked around, I heard a door slam in the back. I didn't see Alex anywhere. All I saw was a bunch of excited guys, drawing cards. At this point none of the guys there were paying me any attention. To them I was just another guy. I started for the door and one of the guys grabbed my arm.

"Hey asshole, who said you get to go first?" he said. "I won the fucking draw so I get to go after Brian is done. So just sit down and take a number!"

I grabbed a heavy wine bottle off the table and broke it on the side of his head. He collapsed and fell in a puddle at my feet. As I glared around the room there was silence for a second and time seemed to slow down. I heard a voice that seemed to be almost comically slow say, "Oh shit, it's him!" I grabbed another guy by his neck and choke slammed him through the card table they were drawing cards on. The room started to clear with all of the guys running for the exit. I opened the door silently just in time to see my Alex, barely on her feet, fight off Brian Austin. She slumped down into a chair and if I wasn't so pissed it would have been funny. Brian was trying to take her bra off, and she wasn't having it.

"Not your titties," she slurred. I'd seen Alex drunk before, but this was beyond alcohol. Whatever they had in her she was fighting with everything she had.

"Dan's titties," she said.

"Just for tonight, I'm Dan," leered Brian. He was so intent on his conquest, that he didn't realize I was making my way up behind him.

"You're not Dan," laughed Alex. "There's Dan, my Dan."

Brian turned around but he was too late. My punch caught him in the side of his head, twisting him around. Then I kicked him in the side. I was sure I heard ribs snap. He was gasping for air and holding his chest when I kicked him in the nuts. Then I felt my arms being grabbed from behind and I was pulled away from Brian.

"Stop it. You're going to kill him."

"That was the plan", I told the officer. The cop just looked at his partner and said "We didn't hear that."

I went over to Alex and took off my shirt and covered her with it. 2 EMTs came in and sat her down. They looked into her eyes and took her vitals.

"She's on something," one of them said. "We'd better transport her to the hospital."

The officer who'd grabbed me said, "And we're taking him down to the station to answer a few questions."

Greg stormed into the room and started talking to the officers, who nodded.

"We'll be right outside," said the officer.

"Dan, drink this," said Greg, handing me a small vial of clear liquid.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Do you want to go to jail?" he asked.

I drank the vial down. It tasted like cleaning solution. Greg opened the door and the officers stepped back in. They handcuffed me and started to put me in squad car.

"Wait," Greg said. He called the EMTs over. "Take a sample of his blood too," he said.

One of the techs ran back to the truck and came back with a needle.

"Roll up your sleeve sir," he said.

Greg smiled as the squad car pulled out of the driveway.

My arm stung like hell from the needle but I had other considerations. I needed to find out what was going on with Alex first and foremost. Some of those drugs can have long lasting effects on the mental status of the victims. I also wondered why I was going to jail.

Everything was cleared up over the next few hours. Alex was being kept in the hospital over night for observation. She wanted to see me badly, but they wouldn't let her out until follow up tests were done in the morning.

Right then, I wasn't being charged with anything, but there was the possibility of 3 or 4 assault cases against me, plus the speeding and reckless driving thing.

It basically looked like I just went nuts in the café and knocked the shit out of my ex-wife for no reason. I then supposedly jumped into the car and drove away, speeding.

I drove to someone's home, invaded a private party and then assaulted 3 men there. I was at that time being held for questioning only, with charges to follow.

Darla came to see me. Her left eye was swollen shut.

"Are you OK?" I asked.

"Much better now," she said.

"Did they give you pain killers for the eye?" I asked. "Was that what made you feel better?"

"Nope, seeing the asshole that hit me, in the hospital after you got done with him," she smiled. "Now that made me better. Alex is frantic." she said quietly.

"She doesn't understand why you aren't with her."

"They're holding me for questioning." I said.

"Oh I'd better go tell her that now," she said.

"Why does she think I haven't been there?" I asked.