Ch.239Side Story 3: Ladies Night (2)

# Ladies Nights 2

“There’s really something special about drinking away from home.”

Himena said with a flushed face, already on her second gin and tonic despite being there for less than an hour.

“Right? It has a bit of an Irish feel, and it’s cozy too. Plus, it’s not that far from home.”

Judy smiled broadly at Himena from across the table.

The place was quite different from a typical sports bar—it had an old-fashioned, poetic atmosphere that reflected Boston’s historic charm.

Under the soft orange lighting, the four women had each ordered their favorite drinks and were thoroughly immersed in both the ambiance and the alcohol.

“I’d like to come here with Dexter often.”

“Do you really have to mention Dexter during ladies’ night?”

“What is he, Voldemort? It’s not like he’s someone we can’t mention.”

As Jesse and Himena kept bickering, Emily, who had been quiet in the corner, finally spoke up.

“The drink is good.”

“Oh, sweetie, our Emily. Are you drinking a lot? Hmm?”

Emily was sipping a low-alcohol cocktail, and Jesse patted her on the bottom while speaking to her.

“It’s not that the alcohol is good, and why would you tell me to drink a lot?”

“So it’s bad? If alcohol is so bad, why did we come here to drink?”

“I meant drink in moderation. Not to the point of getting completely wasted.”

“You two are going to end up fighting.”

“We’re not fighting.”

“That’s right. Why would we fight?”

In the midst of their conversation, a man with a sleazy smile approached their table.

“Hello, ladies.”

Jesse stared at him blankly before looking him up and down. Seeing Jesse’s reaction, Himena, Judy, and Emily all turned to stare at the man as well.

He was handsome enough to make someone fall for him at first glance.

Of course, that would have been before the four women met Dexter.

Jesse, who was completely smitten with Dexter, along with the other three women, turned their heads away coldly.

“Not interested.”

The rejection was so icy it could almost be felt in the air.

The three women were shocked enough to gape at Jesse’s blunt dismissal.

The man, who had never been rejected so explicitly before, stood dazed for a moment before turning away in embarrassment and heading elsewhere.

Jesse snickered as she watched him leave, pointing at him with her thumb.

“I might have been tempted before meeting Dexter. I wonder what would have happened if Dexter were here?”

“He definitely would have told him to get lost with just a look. What’s it called? Killing intent? Something like that, with intimidating pressure.”

“Right, he definitely would have. Dexter has that side to him, you know. He gets fiercely angry when someone tries to move in on what’s his.”

“He’s fine with small things, but he always gets mad about things he considers important.”

“Things he considers important?”

In response to Judy’s question, Jesse recalled a past incident.

“Actually, Dexter didn’t really have any hobbies when he was in Las Vegas or after coming here, right? At most, he just worked out.”

“These days he’s collecting some old comic books, isn’t he? I saw him rummaging through boxes in the attic looking for comics the other day.”

“That’s right. He does that, but suddenly he started collecting toys too.”

“Toys? Oh, could it be those toy cars?”

“Exactly. You know, Hot Wheels and stuff like that. The ones they advertise on TV.”

“When did he start collecting those?”

“I think he picked it up from that correctional officer he used to work with. They still keep in touch regularly.”

“From what I know, he’s collected about 300 of them. Probably around 312 in two days.”

When Emily provided such a precise number, Jesse blinked in surprise and asked:

“How do you know that?”

“There’s a bookshelf in the attic covered with an old cloth.”

“There is?”

“That’s where he keeps them. All neatly arranged. Dexter has this peculiar habit of storing things in the attic. The whiskey his father left behind is there too.”

The three women exchanged startled glances, having forgotten that Emily was one of the greatest thieves of the century, even if she claimed to have cut back on stealing recently.

Moreover, from the way she spoke, it seemed she likely knew about all the other items the women had hidden around the house.

Then Himena cautiously asked:

“…Um, do you know where the thing I gave to Judy is?”

“Wait, why are you asking Emily about that…?”

“Hmm, it’s in the old tea tin case hidden behind the rabbit doll.”

“How did you know that?!”

“It was hidden in such an obvious place that I couldn’t help but notice.”

“Wait, what did Himena give to Judy that she had to hide so carefully?”

“That’s… mmph.”

“At least talk about it at home! There are so many people here, it’s embarrassing…!”

As Judy’s face quickly turned red, Jesse smiled mischievously.

“What, is it something that shouldn’t be discovered? Since Himena gave it as a gift, I doubt it’s anything illegal…”

Judy fidgeted nervously while Jesse grinned.

“It’s something naughty, isn’t it? Something to comfort yourself at night…”

“Blabababa!”

Judy reached across the table to forcibly cover Jesse’s mouth, making strange noises.

“I told you not to say it!”

“What is it, something really big? Or something small? If it fits in a tea tin, it can’t be that big.”

“I said don’t talk about it! Don’t be curious either!”

“Then I’ll just ask the person who gave the gift. What is it? What kind of gift makes her act like this?”

“Come on, it’s no fun if I tell you. It would be more interesting for Jesse to find out from Judy directly.”

“…You people seem to enjoy others’ weaknesses.”

As the four women continued their lively chatter, two men approached their table.

Unlike the handsome man who had approached earlier, these two looked visibly sleazy at first glance.

“Looks like more guys coming to hit on us.”

Emily was the first to spot the two men.

“Just when we were trying to have some fun, someone has to ruin the mood.”

“Should I handle this one? After seeing how Jesse rejected that guy earlier with such icy coldness that it gave me chills…”

“So what? If we don’t reject them firmly, they’ll just hang around asking for a chance to sit with us.”

Finally, one of the two men approached Jesse, who was sitting on the outer edge.

“Damn, you’re hot.”

The man blatantly stared at Jesse’s chest as he spoke.

He was on a completely different level from the man who had approached earlier—not just unattractive, but carrying himself as if he thought he was good-looking.

The man beside him had a similar appearance but looked ever so slightly, just slightly better.

In the end, both were about the same level.

“Haven’t seen you around here before. Are you visiting?”

“We just came out for drinks after a long time. We’d appreciate it if you could go somewhere else.”

“That makes it even better.”

Unlike Jesse, Himena had politely tried to reject them, but it wasn’t working.

The two men pulled chairs from an empty table nearby and forcibly tried to join them.

“See, I told you we need to be harsh.”

“I’m just at that pleasantly tipsy point where I don’t want to be mean.”

“Can you even enjoy your drink next to a pile of crap?”

When Jesse openly referred to the two men as “piles of crap,” they bristled with anger.

“What did you say?”

“I said ‘pile of crap.’ Can’t you understand? We’re having a good time by ourselves, why are you bothering us?”

The two men blinked a few times, not immediately comprehending Jesse’s verbal assault.

Then they scowled.

“What the fuck, you think you’re too good for us because you’ve got a decent face?”

“With a face like yours, you must have 20/20 vision? Good for you having great eyesight with that busted face, moron.”

“What the… are you some kind of venomous lesbian?”

“I’d rather be a lesbian than get screwed by you. I bet your mom declared herself a lesbian after giving birth to you.”

“You fucking bitch, I’ve had enough!”

“Shut your trap. Want me to yank those pathetic balls between your legs? I’ll pull them off and shove them up your ass, then stick my hand in your mouth. Why? Because you’ll have to spit both balls out through your mouth!”

Jesse bellowed, snorted once, then looked the two men up and down with narrowed eyes.

“I wouldn’t sleep with you even if you gave me a million dollars right now. Get lost.”

The handsome man who had been rejected by Jesse earlier was secretly listening to the conversation and thought admiringly:

‘At least she rejected me politely.’

The two men’s faces turned red, and they looked ready to flip the table, but the burly bartender was watching them.

There was a hint that if they caused trouble, they might get hit with the dented metal baseball bat leaning against the bar.

“Bunch of sluts!”

With that parting shot, the two men left the bar, and Himena, her face flushed, chuckled and said:

“Jesse, you’re insane. Where did you learn to talk like that?”

“What do you mean? I spent years in prison. I’ve heard enough cursing to last a lifetime.”

Emily nodded at Jesse’s response.

“She really knows how to curse properly.”

“Wow, Jesse is definitely the scariest person…”

Judy, who rarely cursed, was visibly shaken.

“Let’s stop talking about those idiots. They’re ruining the taste of our drinks.”

“Excuse me…”

“Yes?”

When Jesse turned her head, a bar employee wearing an apron was smiling as she placed four cocktails on their table.

“The customers at that table over there said they found you refreshing and asked me to bring these to you.”

Jesse looked at the table the employee pointed to, where a mild-mannered middle-aged couple smiled and raised their glasses in greeting.

“I was just cursing like usual, and now I get free drinks. Thank you!”

Jesse beamed happily as she raised her new glass in acknowledgment.

“Wait, was my voice that loud? Did the customers at the opposite table hear what I said?”

“The place went quiet after you started cursing. Even the bartender was standing there with his mouth open.”

After taking a sip of her cocktail, Jesse glanced toward the bartender, who was wiping glasses while looking fondly at their table.

“Damn… now I’ll be known as the foul-mouthed woman in Boston too.”

“What do you mean? Were you like that in Ohio too?”

“My temper doesn’t just disappear.”

“True enough.”

When Himena readily agreed, Jesse made a disgruntled face and sipped her cocktail.

There’s a saying that alcohol is sweet only to the happy.

The four women drank until they became happy, and naturally, the alcohol turned sweet.

Along with that, the women’s conditions were gradually deteriorating.

“How am I going to survive three weeks… hiiing… I’m doomed…”

“I have to wait two weeks too…”

“I get to start… tomorrow… so wonderful…”

“Damn… even stealing Dexter’s bedside spot…”

In the end, even the normally rational Judy was poking at the salted peanuts served as bar snacks and picking fights.

“Why are peanuts… long and round… just like me…”

“What are you saying… Judy’s really drunk too, seriously…”

Himena giggled at Judy’s behavior and checked her wristwatch, which showed it was 10 o’clock.

It was about time to leave.

“Everyone had a good time drinking… let’s get up now. Time to go home.”

Jesse stretched her drowsy body and looked at Himena through half-closed eyes.

“Yawn, so who gets to sleep next to Dexter tonight…?”

“According to the schedule, since Jesse has to wait the longest… Jesse gets to sleep next to him tonight…”

“Yesss…”

“Tch, I want to sleep next to Dexter too…”

“Emily, you can start tomorrow. Just be patient a little longer.”

Even though Boston is a big city, it’s not good to walk the streets at night carelessly.

After Himena paid the bill and asked the bartender to call a taxi, they went outside the bar to catch some fresh air and sober up a bit.

“Ahh… it’s been a while since I drank like this.”

As the cool air pierced her lungs despite it being summer, Himena smiled and exhaled a sigh mixed with alcohol.

“What… why are you standing there looking so melancholy…?”

“I’m not being melancholy, I’m just standing here.”

Jesse, Judy, and Emily followed Himena out in a line.

Judy, who had drunk more than usual, was staggering, while Emily held her up as they exited the bar.

“That’s the bitch.”

Though somewhat overshadowed by Dexter, Himena was still a capable OSA agent.

Catching the small, sinister male voice, Himena touched the handbag on her shoulder and whispered:

“Jesse, snap out of it.”

“Huh…?”

“I think someone’s watching us.”

As soon as those words left Himena’s mouth, Jesse’s alcohol-clouded mind began to clear.

“…What kind of guy?”

“Don’t turn around, but he’s about 5’9″. There’s a car with the engine running behind him.”

Hearing Himena’s serious tone, Judy blinked slowly as she thought, then said:

“Could it be one of those guys who tried to hit on us and got cursed out by Jesse…?”

“Either way, it looks like we’re going to have trouble…”

“Why?”

“Because he and the car are slowly coming toward us.”

“I guess being nice was the mistake.”

Jesse also forced herself to clear her head of the alcohol, as did Judy and Emily.

“I’m guessing this won’t be resolved with kind words…?”

“We’ll have to stomp them out.”

Himena took a small expandable baton from her handbag and passed it to Jesse, while she slipped on brass knuckles.

Judy watched Himena and pulled out a long, palm-sized object from her handbag, while Emily quietly took out a round object from inside her jacket.

Seeing everyone readily producing weapons, Himena let out an exasperated laugh.

“We’re too violent.”

“Can’t we try talking first…?”

As Judy gripped the black object in her hand, Himena sighed and said:

“I wish they felt the same way.”

Something in the approaching man’s hand glinted in the moonlight.

‘A knife?’

It seemed that a normal conversation was out of the question.

Himena gripped her brass knuckles tightly, her body tense.