"Please put something on," he said quietly and I immediately put the yellow sweater back on and then squatted down in front of Josh.
"I'm fine, really," I whispered, putting my hand on his cheek...
"It's almost a gift, isn't it?"
"What?" I asked uncertainly and he immediately shook his head in desperation.
"This self-shit and the fact that you also think I would buy it from you."
"You know what?" I then got angry that I couldn't seem to protect him from himself. "Do what you want, but if you really like me, then you keep your feet still and do nothing!"
I put so much anger and determination into my voice that he scrutinized me for a while before standing up and pulling my arms up with him.
"You don't want to be helped, fine. Then be happy and leave me alone! Don't expect anything anymore! I can't take it anymore, Love! You won't let anything, protect a psychopath and always treat me like a little boy !"
He ran past me, slamming the door loudly and I just ran after him, lost in thought. I really wanted to make sure he was going to leave Pablo alone. Ronald with a hole in his head was bad enough despite being a shit, but introducing Josh to me with that was unbearable.
"There she is and you're already shining brighter than the sun."
Pablo sat at the counter with Estebar while Josh stared behind and began polishing glasses. I felt like shit, but at least we were all alive.
"Come here," Pablo then ordered and patted his lap a few times, on which I reluctantly sat down with a mock smile.
I avoided looking at Esteban and Josh, but Pablo put on a show again, like everything he put on.
"You know, my queen was mad at me. She didn't get the attention she deserved, but we made love like husband and wife and now everything is fine."
His words disgusted me and when I heard another glass burst, I looked shocked at Josh, who was standing there frozen with blood running down his hands.
Esteban and Pablo also looked over at him, the second of whom immediately reacted furiously.
"Can't you even polish glasses now?"
My gaze fell back to Esteban while Pablo kept talking to Josh, his hands tightening around my waist.
It was only then that I realized how tense Esteban's entire posture was. You could clearly see how fast he was breathing and his gaze seemed to be covered with sheer hatred...
"Hey Pablo," a man suddenly greeted us, whose eyes seemed to be focused on mine.
"Hey, Nenad," he greeted the stranger, pushing me off his lap as he did so. "Love, this is Nenad. Be nice to him."
At that moment Esteban jumped up from his stool so hastily that it fell loudly to the ground and disappeared past us up the stairs, while Josh wrapped his bloody hands in a towel and ran backstage.
"My God," Pablo choked out and then stood behind the bar himself while I turned to Nenad and tried to block out everything else. I functioned like a machine and was unable to even think straight.
"You're much prettier than Pablo said," he gave me a dirty grin and wanted to grab my hand, but suddenly his arm was pulled away from me.
"If you touch her even once, I'll break all your bones!!!"
"What the shit?" Pablo growled, stepping out from behind the counter while I held my breath and looked straight into Esteban's eyes, who was shaking all over with anger.
"What the shit is?!", he raised his voice and stood forehead with his brother, causing me to back away immediately and start shaking uncontrollably.
"You said yourself that she should take care of me for the week and now claim that privilege," Esteban growled and then turned away from his brother to take my hand.
"Love?" I heard Pablo's voice and looked back at him, my heart racing. "I'll stay here and watch very closely to see if Josh is doing his job well."
He grinned and at that moment knew exactly what he was triggering in me, while Esteban kept pulling me up the stairs by my hand and only stopped when he wanted to open the door.
"I have to go back," I stuttered in panic, but he didn't let me go, even when I resisted more and more. "Esteban!!!! Let me go!" I yelled when I got to the street and immediately felt this biting cold that completely took over me.
"You want to go back?!?!" he yelled in disbelief, pushing my shoulders against the wall behind me. "Did you fuck with him?!" he then asked and I saw how big his pupils suddenly were. Hatred took complete control of him.
"I asked if you fucked him!!!" he yelled even louder and took my chin in his hand, onto which my tears ran down.
"Yes," I breathed desperately, but I didn't want to think about it now. All I could think of was Josh, anything could happen to him at any time, and it was all because of me. "Esteban I have to-"
"Did you want it?!??!" he whispered loudly, shaking more and more violently while his eyes darted over my crying face.
"I... He..." I stuttered and then came the moment when I didn't have the strength to act anymore. I lost any sense of how I was going to get out of all of this, and my eyes fell to the floor in shame as I began to pray for Josh.
"Just tell me if you wanted him to fuck you!" he spoke much calmer now, but his voice still trembled.
"No, I didn't mean to," I breathed, instantly looking up into his eyes, which he closed for a brief second before pulling away from me and drawing a gun.
"Esteban," I screamed in shock and wanted to grab his arm, but he was faster and kicked open one of the double doors with force, through which I ran after him, crying.
"Esteban, please," I spoke to him, but he just kept running down the stairs, pausing briefly to look around the dark club.
My heart was racing and my breathing became ragged and as he walked past the counter I glanced at Josh who was watching Esteban as shocked as I was.
I quickly turned my gaze away from him and followed Esteban through the narrow hallway to the office, where my personal hell had just been.
"What the hell!"
Pablo jumped out of his chair as soon as he saw the gun aimed at him and then drew a gun himself, but he didn't aim it at Esteban, he aimed right at my head.
"The second you start moving your finger, I pulled the trigger," Pablo warned while Esteban glared at him hatefully, his hand holding the gun shaking so badly he had to put both hands on it to straighten it hold.
"Put down your fucking gun!" Pablo yelled, but Esteban didn't move for a while as Pablo slowly walked towards him.
"Bitte leg-"
"Shut up, love. Everything will be fine," Pablo whispered, and then Esteban actually lowered his gun to put it on the floor. He raised his hands in the air in surrender and when Pablo then lowered his gun as well, I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now get the hell out of my shop and never come back!" Pablo ordered and after Esteban gave me an apologetic look, he disappeared through the door behind me.
I knew he didn't want to risk my life and it was totally okay that he left me here alone now.
"Love," I then heard Pablo say my name and looked at him with tears in his eyes. "Get to work and if this happens again, you won't be the one with a gun pointed at."
He picked up Esteban's gun and turned his back on me as I left his office, completely exhausted. I didn't even think about spending my time with this Nenad anymore. Didn't intend to stay any longer either, and had no further plans to put Esteban in such situations. I was sorry enough that he almost shot his own brother because of me.
I quickly walked down the dark hallway to the counter and turned to Josh, who was still staring around in complete confusion.
"If Pablo asks, I'm off with a client, okay?"
He just nodded and I knew he didn't want to talk to me right now after everything that had happened, so I just grabbed the phone that was behind him and called a cab.
With one last look around the club, which didn't seem very busy, I climbed the stairs and waited for my taxi, which I got into as soon as it pulled up.
"Good evening, where are you going?" the fat driver asked in a friendly manner, looking at me in the rear-view mirror.
"Just follow the road into the forest," I said exhaustedly, and then rested my head against the glass to watch, completely exhausted, as more and more trees appeared around us...
Whether that was the right decision?