Colt’s jaw flexed, she almost missed it in the low light.
“No, Hugo, it’s alright, I know him, this is Colt-”
“How?” Hugo interrupted, looking at April incredulously.
“Ah... he was a friend of my father’s-” April tried to be diplomatic, defuse the situation. Her eyes flitted between the two men. Hugo was shorter, softer, cleanly shaven, cold, stiff. Unwelcoming, unaccepting. Colt was pulsing with heat, bringing thunderous darkness, his appearance was undeniably a mess. A hot mess. Tall and strong, and angry, and full of life.
“I’m going and I’m taking April with me,” Colt stated simply.
“What is the meaning of this?” Hugo was going red with rage now. He was realizing people were looking and he was embarrassed.
Whereas Colt was just focused solely on her. “Hugo, we need to listen to him, we need to-” She began but Hugo cut her off again.
“Look, I don’t know who you think you are but-” Hugo tried to sound authoritative.
“No, Hugo, it turns out I’m in trouble with some of my father’s... er... associates, and they think they need to collect a debt, that I do not owe, by the way… Colt helped me out yesterday but we need to take him seriously and leave before something bad happens,” she hissed, feeling slightly panicky.
Hugo looked at her like she had uttered something unspeakable. “We are not leaving my business launch. I am not leaving,” he rasped out.
She bit her lip. Colt glanced between the two of them.
Hugo turned to the tray on the bar and swiped up a drink. He paused for dramatic affect and then downed it, smacking his lips.
“I’m not leaving here,” he repeated, dramatically. Too bad the drink he downed was a bright pink Cosmopolitan. It had about as much bad-assery as a puff of candy floss in a summer breeze.
April almost laughed out loud at Hugo’s attempt of bravado. If it wasn’t for the gravity of the situation, she would have guffawed.
Colt looked on without blinking. He gave off an aura of calm, she felt it, soothing her.
Hugo grabbed another drink, another bright pink martini glass. “I said, get out.”
That was his big power play, the final gauntlet that he had laid down. Someone gasped nearby. April was aware people were looking on.
Colt smiled, a curling half-smile. April braced herself. He reached behind the bar and grabbed the first thing he could get his hands on, a very expensive bottle of vodka. He ripped the pourer out with his teeth and took a huge swig. He then backhanded the tray of cocktails off the bar, like swatting a fly, sending ice and glass shattering all over the floor. All over Hugo.
Colt turned to April, like nothing had happened. “Be seeing you soon, Kitten,” he said casually.
He turned and strode out of the hall, bottle of vodka in hand. A security guard tried to catch up with him and stop him by the door. April watched on as Colt spat out a plume of fine mist of vodka at him, through his teeth, covering the security guard in a spray of burning alcohol. The guard cried out and his hands came to his eyes. That had to sting, April thought with a cringe. Colt was free to ball out of the room with no one stopping him.
Now that was a display of bad-assery.
April turned around and saw Hugo, pink liquid staining his once crisp, white shirt. Sticky wetness covering his crotch, dripping down his temple. His eyes were fixed on her, and he was cold with rage.
“You!” he spat.
“Hugo, listen, Colt was being serious, I’m in trouble-”
“I don’t care, April! You’ve ruined the night! My launch-” He took a step forward but slipped in his dress shoes on the wet floor. He went sliding to the side and landed awkwardly on his knee caps. Someone tutted nearby. People looked on in silence.
“Hugo, I’m asking for your help here, I’m asking you to trust me and believe me-”
“April, I’m sorry, but this is nonsense, I don’t want any part in this. Of course I’m not going to just up and leave with you! I think we’ve reached the end of the line here, don’t you?”
She took a breath and then realized what he was saying. “You’re dumping me?” Her voice was high-pitched with disbelief.
“There’s no need to be dramatic, we are obviously at different stages-”
April felt a surge of pure wrath. “I don’t fucking believe this!” she snarled.