She’d kept a subtle eye on him since, but other than devouring three of her extra-large burgers and a mountain of fries around dinner time, he hadn’t done anything worth remarking on. Just sat there and drank slowly but steadily, without getting obviously drunk. Either he had an amazing tolerance, or all that mass burned up the alcohol as fast as he drank it. Or else he’d simply fall over as soon as he finally stood up. She’d seen that happen too.
By mid-evening, she’d almost stopped worrying about him when he suddenly appeared down at the other end of the bar, somehow moving so smoothly she hadn’t even seen him get off of his stool. He stood next to a couple who’d come in a few minutes before; Bethany thought they looked vaguely familiar, so probably locals, but not regulars.
Please don’t let him be hitting on some other guy’s date, she thought, edging slowly in that direction. That’s all I need.
But Alexei’s expression was composed and his posture seemed purposely unaggressive as he said casually to the woman, “I don’t think you want to drink that wine.”
Bethany blinked. Admittedly, the house red wasn’t exactly a prime vintage, but it wasn’t that bad. She stopped where she was, waiting to see what happened.
“I beg your pardon?” the woman, a pretty blond in her mid-twenties said.
“I don’t think you want to drink that wine,” Alexei repeated in the same calm tone. “Your date put something in it.”
“What?” The woman looked from Alexei to her companion. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Sorry,” Alexei said. “I was looking in the mirror and I distinctly saw him drop something in your glass.” He nodded at the man she was with, an attractive, slightly preppy sort with neatly trimmed hair and wire-rimmed glasses. “Nice job, by the way, distracting her by pointing at that fancy car as it went by. Smooth.”
The preppy guy sputtered. “I did no such thing. You’re drunk. Go bother someone else.”
Bethany moved to stand in front of the couple, and looked Alexei in the eye. He gazed back unflinchingly, as if daring her to take his word for it.
“Well, isn’t this just a wee bit awkward,” Bethany said, purposely broadening her accent even more than it already had since she’d returned home to live with her dad. She gave the couple her brightest smile, flashing her dimples at the man for good measure. “But it’s easily resolved, isn’t it?” She turned to the man. “All you have to do is take a drink from her glass. If there’s nothing wrong with it, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind a small sip. Then this helpful gentleman can return to his seat and we can all go back to having a nice peaceful evening.”
The man gave a small but noticeable flinch. “Uh, no. Sorry, but I don’t like wine.” He gestured at the beer mug sitting in front of him.
The blond stared at him. “Gary, what are you talking about? You had wine at the party we went to last week at Steve’s house. You went on and on about how important it was to pair just the right cheese with it.”
Alexei crossed his huge arms across his chest, making the muscles bulge, although he didn’t say a word.
“Fine,” Gary said, rolling his eyes. “You’re all making a fuss about nothing.” He reached over to pick up the wine, but somehow knocked it over instead, spilling red liquid over the scarred surface of the bar. “Oops. Sorry.”
His date’s face turned ashen. “Oh my god, Gary. You did put something in my drink. I can’t believe it.”
“It was an accident,” Gary said. “I didn’t spill it on purpose. And I certainly didn’t try and drug you. Stop being such a baby.” A petulant expression marred his previously attractive features.
“Do you know this guy?” Alexei asked. “Enough to trust him?”
Silent tears slid down the girl’s face. “He’s my best friend. I’ve known him for years.” She shook her head. “I thought I could trust him with my life. Apparently I was wrong.”
Bethany picked up the glass and gestured at the small puddle of wine on the counter. “Do you want me to call the cops? I’m guessing they could still get enough evidence from that mess and whatever is left in the bottom of this.”
The blond shook her head. “No,” she whispered, barely loud enough to be heard. “I just never want to see him again.”
“You heard the lady, Gary,” Bethany said. “Get the hell out of my bar.” She thought for a second and whipped out her phone as he stood up, snapping a quick photo of his smug smile.
“Hey,” he said. “What are you doing?” He reached out a hand to grab at the phone, but Bethany pulled it out of his reach.
“Here’s the thing, Gary,” she said. “Cape Cod is practically an island. It’s not very big, and you’d be surprised how many people in my business know each other. I’m going to send this picture out to everyone I know who owns a bar, tavern, pub, or hotel, and ask them to send it out to everyone else they know. By the end of the evening, you won’t be able to buy a drink from Provincetown to Boston. Now get the hell out of my bar.”
Alexei stalked over to stand behind the smaller man, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll escort this boy out the door. You know, just in case he has a tough time finding his way.”
Bethany gave him a hard look. He stared blandly back.
“Uh huh,” she said. “Try not to do any permanent damage. I already have enough of a mess to clean up in here.” She started mopping up the spilled wine, ignoring Gary’s shouted protestations as Alexei half walked-half carried him outside. The few other patrons in the place acted as if nothing were happening. Just another Friday night at the Hook and Anchor.
“Are you going to be okay?” Bethany asked the girl. “Is there someone I can call for you?”
The girl pulled out her phone with fingers that shook. “I’ve got a friend who lives near here. She’ll come pick me up when I tell her what happened.”
She wiped away tears with the napkin Bethany handed her. “I just can’t believe he was going to do that to me. I mean, I knew Gary kind of had a crush on me, but we’ve been joking about it for years. I never thought he’d stoop to something like drugging me. If it hadn’t been for that big guy spotting him…” she shuddered. “And to think, when I saw him, I was thought he was the scary one.”
There was a series of loud crashes and a bang from outside, then silence, followed by the sound of squealing tires as a car peeled out of the lot. A minute later, Alexei sauntered back into the bar and sat back down on his stool as if nothing had happened.
Bethany walked over and set a beer in front of him.
“What’s this for?” Alexei asked, looking at the beer bottle. He still had part of one left.
“Consider it a reward,” Bethany said. “You did good.” She nodded at his battered knuckles. “I hope you didn’t do anything too drastic, although God knows the kid deserved it.”
Alexei shrugged, a movement that reminded her of a video she’d once seen of a mountain during an earthquake. “He’ll live.” He thought for a moment. “But you might need a new garbage can.”
Bethany raised an eyebrow. “You dumped him in a garbage can? Fitting, but my cans are metal. I don’t see how that would hurt one.”