"Charles," Mackenzie said, her smile fading as she crossed her arms over her stomach. "What are you doing here?"
"That's a good question," he said. "I'm a busy man, but I had to drop everything and fly down here after you. After," he added, "I told you not to leave the city." Mackenzie raised her chin a notch. "Mother is furious," Charles continued. "You missed the bridal shower the ladies from the Art Society arranged for you. Mother was horribly embarrassed."
Mack's chin rose another notch. "Had she bothered to inform me of her plans, I might have been there," she said, regally.
"And on top of all that," Charles said, ignoring her remark, "when I get here, you're nowhere to be found. I've been here since noon waiting on you to show up."
"I went to lunch with Alex and we decided to do some shopping," she told him. Alex stepped forward and extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Alex McLean. Mack's told me a lot about you," he said, trying to be civil for Mack's sake.
Charles shook his hand reluctantly, a look on his face as if he had smelled something foul. "Another cousin?" he said disdainfully.
"Alex is a friend of the family," Mackenzie said, laying her hand on AJ's arm. "I've known him all my life," she exaggerated slightly.
Charles eyes widened with outrage when he saw the tattoo on Mackenzie's stomach. "What lunacy possessed you to do a low-class thing like getting a tattoo?" he shouted. Mackenzie felt AJ tense beside her and heard Howie groan. She was just grateful Charles couldn't see the matching tattoo on AJ's stomach.
"AJ," she said, fishing in her purse for her extra set of car keys, "would you and Howie mind picking up my car for me?" AJ looked at Charles and then back at Mack. "Are you going to be okay here?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah, I'll be fine," she said, trying to reassure him. He stared at her for a moment before accepting the keys she held out. "Come on, D," he said to Howie, "let's go." Howie hugged Mackenzie as he left. "I guess the tattoo was for my benefit?" he asked, laughing quietly in her ear. "Yeah," she smiled sadly, "but I think the joke was on me."
As the door closed behind the two men, Charles walked over to Mackenzie and grasped her arm in a painful grip. "You look like a cheap slut," he said derisively. "What in the hell is going on with you?" he demanded. Mack looked over at her aunt and cousin, Polly. They looked as uncomfortable and embarrassed as she felt. "Charles," she said, "can we continue this somewhere else? I think we've imposed on my family enough for one day," she told him.
"Fine," he agreed. "I've got us booked on an eight o'clock flight back to New York anyway," he informed her.
*************************************************
"So you haven't talked to her since this afternoon?" Kevin asked AJ. They were in AJ's car headed for one of their favorite night spots. Alex shook his head. "Her fiancé's car was still at her house when Howie and I dropped off her car," he told him, "but we didn't think it would be a good idea to go in. And Polly said they had a flight booked to New York for tonight."
"Do you think she went back with him?" Kevin asked.
"I don't know," AJ admitted. "I would think she'd have called her family if she did decide to leave, but they haven't heard from her."
"Shit!" Kevin yelled as he grabbed on to the door handle. "What the hell are you doing, Bone?" he said as AJ whipped the car around in a U-turn.
"I thought I saw Mackenzie's car parked at the Maverick," he said.
"The Maverick?" Kevin said. "Are you sure? I mean that's a pretty rough place. From what you said about her boyfriend, he doesn't strike me as the type to go to a place like that."
AJ pulled into the parking lot and pointed. "There," he said, "I'm sure that's her car." He pulled into a spot. "You coming?" he asked as he got out of the car.
"I've got your back, Bro," Kevin said, following AJ.
As they entered the bar, AJ scanned the room searching for Mackenzie. "I don't see her," Kevin said.
"Over there," AJ said pointing across the room. "She's shooting pool."
"I still don't see her," Kevin said.
"The table in the very back," AJ told him.
"I thought she had blond hair," Kevin said, confused.
"Well, now she's a redhead," AJ said. "Oh, shit!" he cried, taking off at a run.
Mackenzie giggled as she felt herself being lifted onto the pool table. "I can't make my shot from up here," she protested, laughing.
"Baby, I've got a new game for us to play," the man she'd been shooting pool with told her. He stepped between her legs, spreading them wide and causing her skirt to ride up on her hips. He put one hand on her thigh and slid the other up her shirt and under her bra, squeezing her breast. She winced in pain and tried to push his hand away. He laughed. "Honey, you're about to find out what it's like to have a real man between your legs" he said, fumbling with his zipper.
"Take your hands off of her," AJ said.
The man turned his head and grinned. "Is this your whore?" he said. "Don't worry. I'll teach her a few new tricks for you. But you're gonna be sharing her with me tonight."
"I don't think so," Kevin said, stepping up beside AJ.
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