From A to Z - Angel Reyes

Chapter 17

Before heading off to Campbell's in a drunken rage, Bob and Angel were just talking. After dinner the four of them sat together chatting until Zara and Holly went into the house. They claimed mosquitos were chasing them away but Zara wanted to talk more in-depth with her mother about Angel and they couldn't do that in the yard. While Zara swooned and babbled on lightheartedly, Angel and Bob's conversation drew darker.

"Holly tells me Josh Campbell's been causing some problems with Zara," Bob said, testing the waters with Angel.

"He was coming around," Angel said vaguely, "I don't think he's bothered her in the last week or two though."

"He's been calling Holly," Bob said. "It was fairly normal while they were together, I thought it was fucking weird but Holly and Zara didn't mind. After they split up Holly didn't like it but she didn't say anything. Once you came around she tried to get him to stop but she said he didn't listen."

"He's a piece of shit," Angel growled. "I know he said some shit to her back in February, really

upset her."

"She told her mother he's been poking around," Bob told Angel. "She tell you that?"

Angel wished he knew Campbell would be a topic so they could have gotten their stories straight but he was going to have to wing it. "Little bit, reaching out and shit. She probably downplayed it so I wouldn't go after him."

"That's what a smug prick like that needs," Bob said venomously. "I never liked him. I could see his bullshit act. You know where he lives?"

"Actually, I do," he said quietly.

"Is there batting cages or a driving range around here?"

"Yeah," Angel said suspiciously. "What are you thinking?"

"Let's go grab a bucket of balls and see if we can't work out some aggression that way."

Angel was taken aback. Bob seemed like a calm guy, even docile, but suddenly he's discussing jumping Zara's ex-boyfriend for some pretty minor transgressions. It was vague and veiled but Angel knew exactly what was in Bob's head. Of course, Angel agreed despite his hesitations. He was drunk and already harboring his own issues with Campbell, Bob just served as an accelerant.

"I'm down," Angel said, downing the rest of his beer.

—

"And then he starts digging into Zara," Angel explains. "Making this bullshit video about drugs at El Centro and using her picture, like she's some dealer or addict," Angel grumbled.

"Screw this, we're gonna talk to him." Bob swung the club at the nearly empty bucket sending it flying across the green.

"No, no, no," Angel said. "We can't go after him."

"Why? Did she make you promise you'd leave him alone?" Bob asked knowing his daughter would do exactly that and Angel would try his best to repeat her wishes. "That's why he's doing this. That's why he won't leave my girls alone," Bob ranted on and on.

There was nothing Angel could think to say in that drunken, furious moment. Despite trying to talk Bob down he wanted to go after Campbell even more.

"Alright," Angel grunted. "Let's go."

And go they did. They arrived at Campbell's and simply knocked on the door. When he answered, Angel grabbed him by his shirt and threw him into the house.

"Hey, Mr. Osbourne," he chuckled nervously. "What's uh, what's going on?"

"You know what's going on," Angel growled, waiting for Bob to take the lead.