16Toby found Alexei in the club car. He was slumped over the bar, flanked by a half-empty decanter and a fully empty glass.
“Alexei?” Toby tried, sitting down on a leather stool next to him.
“I don’t wanna see him,” Alexei muttered after briefly looking up. He lowered his head back down on his folded arms.
“See who?” Toby glanced around for the bartender and found that the entire place was empty. He shrugged and poured an amber liquid from the decanter into Alexei’s glass, swirling it around and taking a sip.
“You know who . . .” He raised his head enough to be heard.
“What happened?”
“We got in a fight.” Alexei buried his face back in his arms.
“He hit you?”
“No . . .” the muffled voice slurred. Suddenly he sat up. He swayed a little then steadied himself as he faced Toby. His ski
