Alex settled into her seat, comfortable alone, a beer glass heavy in her hand. She wasn’t exactly here for a relaxing night at her favorite bar but it wasn’t entirely official. They’d been trying to build a case on Ethan Carrera for a few months now, after an ex of his had come in filing a report about his abuse. He’d been linked back to more than one case and everything about him seemed to point to a more serious kind of offender than even just the bad boyfriend with a bad temper. But given the nature of Alex’s work, she usually preferred to spend as much time with a serial offender in their most natural places, observing them from afar even when they weren’t doing anything. On top of the cases and report that Ethan came up in regarding women, he was also tied in more than one place to some big name crime families in the city, laundering and business stuff. He was smart, the kind of smart that made a sociopathic narcissist even more dangerous. She knew he had a girlfriend too, based on the trailing she’d been doing lately. A small girl, well dressed, freckled, tired looking. James Belrose, another product of money and local well connected families. If Alex had to guess, he liked her for her knee socks and the way she always held cigarettes between her fingers like a seasoned pro despite her innocent dimples. There was something about her that seemed so wide eyed but worn down and resilient. Alex stayed out of view, sitting in her own quiet booth, watching them both between sips of her heavy IPA.
“I’m just going to go.” James slid off the stool she was sitting on, her voice exhausted with the quiet argument they’d been having. It wasn’t common for her and Ethan to fight. They mostly just talked about politics or literature and had a lot of sex. But he was insistent that she seemed ‘distant’ tonight, that she didn’t seem like she wanted to be there. James hadn’t felt that that was the case but it devolved into a fight fast, in lower tones, hushed and whispered. Neither of them were the type to make scenes. But the moment she slid off her chair, Ethan gripped her forearm. “James don’t be stupid.” There was something gentle in his tone but it was mixed with anger, a little louder than before. She tugged her arm away. “Maybe you’re right okay? Maybe I’m tired. You stay. I’ll get a cab.” Ethan only readjusted, grabbing her arm again, tighter this time. “I’m not going to sit here alone like some chump. You’re my girlfriend.” Something about his tone and his grip were more jarring than usual and James reacted fast, shoving his chest hard with both of her palms. “Let go of me.” Her voice was firm but the push was hard, scared, frantic. The heightened emotion even for just that second was enough to unravel Ethan who brought the back of his hand across her face so fast he even surprised himself.
