Ellen Crosby - The Riesling Retribution

“Get up,” Chance said. “Get up and fight me, old guy.”

“Don’t do it! Chance, Quinn!”

“Get out of here, Lucie,” Chance said. “Get lost and let us finish this.”

As he spoke, Quinn got up. This time Chance was ready. He landed a precise flurry of hooks and jabs before Quinn could raise his fists to defend himself. Quinn staggered backward as blood poured from his nose. Chance went after him, punching him hard in the gut, but when Quinn went down, he managed to take Chance with him. I heard their animal grunts as their fists connected with flesh and bone.

Involuntary manslaughter…was that what they called it when someone died in a fight? This had to stop.

I pulled out my phone and called Benny.

“You and Javier, come quick to the courtyard! They’re killing each other!”

By the time the two of them pulled Quinn and Chance apart, I wanted to call an ambulance. No one would let me.

“You’ll get the sheriff involved.” Quinn’s words were slurred. “Don’t need to do that. Everything’s fine.”

Tyler showed up then, wild-eyed.

“Get the first aid kit,” I said, and he fled.

Quinn had gotten the worst of it, or at least there was more blood on his face and clothes. Benny stood by Chance, who was still doubled over holding his ribs. Quinn lay on the ground as Javier tended to him. I heard him mumble to Javier that he was fine, nothing broken.

“That guy is crazy.” Chance straightened up. He was breathing hard as he pointed at Quinn. “And so are you, Lucie, if you let him work here.”

Quinn groaned and sat up. One eye was swollen and his face looked like a piece of raw meat.

“Get rid of him,” Quinn said and coughed. “He’s trouble.”

“So what’ll it be, Lucie?” Chance’s laugh was harsh and challenging. “You can’t keep both of us around. You know that.”

“No.” My voice sounded far away. “I can’t.”

“You’re not thinking…” Quinn watched me, incredulous. “Come on, Lucie. He’s just messing with your head.”

Chance smiled and winked at me. My eyes traveled from him to Quinn. How had it come to this? Was I really contemplating choosing between them? It was Quinn’s fault for forcing this showdown, wasn’t it? In spite of my feelings for him, I needed to be objective, do what was best for the vineyard, the crew…

“You know, Chance, I really like you.” My voice wavered.

“Aw, Lucie…” Quinn’s eyes were anguished. “I don’t believe this.”

I cleared my throat. “As I was saying, I really like you, Chance. You’ve charmed our customers and the crew likes you, too.”

Chance was grinning now, his eyes holding mine in triumph.

“But I guess I’m just crazy,” I continued, “because ever since you joined us, there has never been so much ill will and so many screwups and mistakes as there have been these last few months. And because you laid it down as he goes or I go, I’m firing you. I want you gone now, Chance. Get your stuff and get out of here.”

Chance’s smile didn’t fade, but something in his eyes went dead as they flickered down to my cane and my deformed foot, before settling on my face.

“If that’s your decision.”

“It is.”

Quinn got up with Javier’s help. “Get out of here. You heard her. You’re fired.”

“Quinn,” I said, “he’s going.”

“Pretty cruel turning me out on the street like this.” Chance stared hard at me. “Especially after your winemaker tried to kill me. That’s not your style, Lucie. You’ve got more class than that, don’t you?”

“I’ll give you two weeks’ severance pay.”

“Make it three. And I’ll overlook the assault charge.”

“Forget it,” Quinn said. “Don’t do it, Lucie.”

Chance shrugged. “Up to you. You know he started it. What I did was only in self-defense.”

“Three weeks,” I said. “I’ve got to write a check and the checkbook’s in my office. Chance, you come with me. Everyone else get back to work.”

Quinn started to protest but I silenced him with a look.

“I can handle this.”

Neither Chance nor I spoke as we walked to the villa. I asked him to wait in the tasting room while I wrote the check. When I came back, he had a bottle of wine in his hand.

“Okay if I take this as a souvenir?”

It was a bottle of Riesling.

“What if I said no?”

“I’d take it anyway.”

He flashed a shadow of the heart-stopping smile and I looked away as I handed him the check. He folded it and put it in his pocket without looking at it.

“You’re making a mistake,” he said, and pulled me into his arms.

Before I could protest his mouth came down hard on mine as he drew me closer in a viselike embrace.

“Chance—”

He loosened his grip on my waist, but it was only to put a finger under my chin and tilt my face to his for another long, bruising kiss. I felt the wine bottle press hard into the small of my back. It hurt. He was making me dizzy, breathless.

“Don’t! You can’t do this.” I put my hands on his chest, gasping, as I tried to push him away.

He laughed and released me. “I just did. I’ll be around for a few days. Then I’m probably leaving town. You could change your mind. We could finish this. I’ve seen the way you look at me, Lucie. I’ve known for a while that you want me.”

He traced his finger down my cheek and my throat. When it moved between my breasts, I caught his hand.

“Stop it, please.”

His laugh was low and seductive. He bit my neck and I stifled a cry at the unexpectedness of the sharp little pain.

“I know what you want, too, baby. And I’m good. I’d undress you nice and slow—”

“That’s enough!”

He laughed again. Then he walked over to the front door and opened it. I thought he’d look back, but he didn’t. I stood there, numb.

How could I have let him do that? Was he right? Had I asked for that kiss?

The door opened again and Benny walked in. How long had I been standing here?

“Jesus, you scared me, Benny!”

“You okay, Lucie? Queen sent me to check on you. Make sure nothing happened.”

My face was scarlet. I moved my hand to my neck to the place Chance had bitten me and pretended to rub it. Had he left a mark?

Benny’s expression was bland.

“Nothing happened,” I said.

He stared at me. “Good.”

We both knew that was a lie.

By the time Benny and I got back to the crush pad, Quinn had cleaned up, changing his bloodstained T-shirt to a clean one. His face looked puffy and he was going to have a hell of a shiner. He moved and looked like a dog that had just dragged itself home from a losing fight.

“Maybe you should go back to your place and get some rest,” I said. “You look like hell.”

“And lose all these grapes? No way.” He glanced up at me and went back to sorting fruit. “I’m sorry I took a swing at him. But he was asking for it.”

He kept concentrating on the grapes, but I could see his Adam’s apple move in his throat. I’d never seen him this uncomfortable before.

“Can I talk to you in private for a minute?” I said.

Benny and Javier glanced up.

“We can take a break, Queen,” Javier said, pulling cigarettes out of his pocket. He looked at Benny. “Vámonos.”

I picked up a bunch of grapes. “I have to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Have you ever threatened to turn any of the day laborers over to the Department of Homeland Security if they didn’t do something you asked them to do?”

“Have I what? What the hell are you talking about? Where’d you get an idea… Chance?” He looked stunned. “He told you that and you believed him?”