AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What did you call her?” A muscle in Nathan’s jaw jumped as he glared daggers at Matt.
He might not respect me, but I was used to it. I was a woman in what was still considered a man’s field. And a Latina.
I drank in hatred and disrespect like water. If he’d been someone important, I would have said something. But this guy wasn’t even a blip in my life. Yelling at him would be a waste of my time and energy. He wouldn’t change.
But neither man was backing down. “I called her a little bitch cunt because that’s what she is.”
The words were hardly out of his mouth when Nathan lunged. I screamed in shock and jumped in front of him. Not because Matt didn’t deserve another punch to the face, but because I didn’t want to see Nathan hurt.
“Don’t, please.” He stilled as I placed a hand to his chest. It heaved below my palm as he took an unsteady breath. His intense gaze focused on me.
I whispered so only he could hear. “He’s not worth it.”
“Oh, is she yours?” Matt snickered, not having a single self-preservation skill. “I thought you were one of those freaks who didn’t fuck.” His nasty, beady eyes flicked to me. “Maybe I was right.”
That’s it.
Before either of them could move, I whipped around. Pain exploded down my palm as I slapped that smug look off his face. It wasn’t his dismissal of me that had me acting in violence. It was how he treated Nathan. Someone so kind he’d saved a stranger.
“Shut your mouth before I do something more permanent.” The slap had opened up his cut. Blood bloomed on his lip as he sat frozen in shock. “And I won’t fix you up this time.”
His eyes narrowed into slits. “Just wait till they’re not here to protect you.”
“I can protect myself.” Without thinking, I pulled the gun from my sweatshirt pocket with my left hand. The other still stung. “I assure you, I know how to use it.”
“What the fuck?” Matt stumbled, tripping off the exam table. He bumped into a chair and it crashed to the ground with a deafening sound.
Seeing his fear gave me back the little piece of my self-confidence he’d tried to strip away. It healed a part of my soul I didn’t think could ever be fixed.
15
Nathan
Flames licked at my organs. They burned my thoughts. A red tint coated my vision.
I tried to breathe past the unfamiliar rage. Tried to push aside this desire to see more of Matt’s blood on the floor. All of it.
I wondered what it would feel like coating my hands. Would that make this fire inside me die? Would I be able to take a breath without it piercing my lungs?
I was moving towards him before I could think about it. My mind was deciding in an instant. There was none of the looping thought processes I normally had. It was focused on one thing. Protecting Lark.
“Don’t, please.” Her lyrical voice cut through the red haze. Her soft palm on my chest made it easier to breathe.
But then Matt was talking again. Disrespecting her. I didn’t care what he said about me. It was something I was used to, even from our men. If we got rid of everyone who called me a freak, we wouldn’t have employees.
I saw the flames overtake Lark’s gaze. It was so fast I couldn’t catch her in time. Then she was swinging on Matt. I heard them arguing, but all I could see was the pink tint on her palm. She was hurt.
My mind remained scattered. Without thinking, I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back to my chest. Grasping her wrist, I brought her hand to my mouth.
Her gaze swung to me. Her lips parted on a gasp as I kissed her palm again. The flames in her eyes shifted, and I liked it. I liked how she was looking at me, even though I couldn’t identify the emotion.
“What is going on?” Vander shouted from the doorway. Lark turned her head to stare at him and the connection between us was severed.
“The bitch has a gun,” Matt said.
“Be smart. Take her suggestion and shut the fuck up.” Cole grumbled as he sat down on the couch. “He’s being his usual asshole self.”
Matt grunted his disagreement as he stood from where he’d fallen on the opposite side of the table. I pulled Lark with me as I stepped back. I wanted her further away from him.
