Jesus. Fuck. Why was he having thoughts like that?
A car screeched around the corner and with a scowl, he stepped forward protectively.
“Oh, that’s Manuel. He’s my ride.” He turned to watch her waving at the man who was half-leaning out the window.
While he was still driving.
“That’s not a damn taxi,” he stated. There was no signage on it.
“Yes, it is. Manuel just started his own taxi company. I think it’s rather entrepreneurial of him. He’s crazy cheap. I told him he needs to raise his prices.”
Yeah, he’d bet he was cheap.
Millie stepped forward and he reached out to clasp her arm. “No.”
“No?” She glared up at him. “Manuel drove me here. He’s perfectly safe.”
“Millie!” Manuel called out. He’d finally come to a stop, but he was hanging even further out of his window. “Let’s go. Wheel of Fortune is on.”
“Ooh, I love Wheel of Fortune.”
“You’re coming with me,” Spike told her.
“Uh, no thank you. Manuel is already here. I can’t turn him away. Besides, we’re neighbors.”
They were neighbors? That made him feel a bit better. Obviously, she knew him and was trying to help him in his new business venture. Fuck it. He really had other places to be right now.
She slid out of his hold and turned to look at him. “Nice to meet you.”
Was she nuts?
She must have realized what she’d said was kind of ridiculous because she turned away and walked quickly towards the ‘taxi’ while he stood there and ground his teeth together.
Not your girl. Not your problem.
As she reached the back of the car, he found himself stepping forward and grabbing hold of the door, opening it.
“Oh, thank you.”
He was an idiot. Why didn’t he just walk off?
“Hey there, big man,” the driver said. “You want a ride as well?”
Spike turned and glared at the guy. He sat back in his seat. “You fucking drive her home safely.”
“Sure. Sure. I always drive safe.”
“Safer than you were just driving?”
“Yeah, yeah, man, for sure!”
He took a step back as she wound down the back window. “Oh, wait, I forgot to tell you about…”
Turning, he strode away. Without a backward glance.
Thank God he’d never see that crazy lunatic again.
6