“Jesus Christ, Xander,” Kian murmurs. “You’re fucking thinking about it.”
Quinn smiles and greets one of the floating bartenders, who works in all the bars throughout their shift, relieving the permanent employees to go on their breaks.
Where is she going? Maybe I should follow her. Would she be pissed if I did?
Caleb, one of our long-time security guards and a partner of Savage Entertainment, glances up from the conversation he’s in with Beckett and the group of women. He watches Quinn weave through the sea of people before he looks to me. I don’t know how he does it. How he’s so in tune with everything that’s happening without making it obvious that he’s paying attention. It’s why he’s so fucking good and now owns shares in our business.
I shake my head and start to rise to follow her myself, but I’m abruptly stopped as Jordyn comes up to me, definitely not walking a straight line.
“Well, I can’t wait to hear the story as to why you’ve been staring at my new bestie like an unhinged stalker all night, but,” Jordyn sways a little, no longer wearing her shoes. Cash carries them while keeping a hand on her hip to steady her. “He’s making me go home because he says I’ve had too much to drink and thinks I’m gonna end up being sick tonight. He doesn’t know that, though,” she slurs as she waves a hand around dismissively.
Cash rolls his eyes, but the corners of his mouth twitch as he stares at Jordyn like the obsessed prick that he is.
“I think Quinn likes you,” Jordyn announces loud enough that I’m pretty sure the whole fucking bar heard. Then she throws an arm around my shoulder, which she’s only able to do because I’m sitting and she’s standing. Even then, she’s having to reach, and I hate to admit that it amuses me.
“Quinn doesn’t like me. But Cash is right, you should probably go home and go to bed.”
Jordyn scoffs, then sticks her tongue out at me. “Boo. Party pooper. Fine, but we are having family dinner tomorrow night. A real one. Six o’clock. Don’t be late.”
I snort and move around her, taking off in the direction Quinn went. There’s an employee restroom over there, which is probably where she went since she’s been running her sexy ass off for hours while drinking from a bottle of water whenever she got the chance.
As I turn the corner to head down a hall that is somewhat hidden, raised voices echo in the narrow space.
“Don’t touch me! Stop it!”
Not just any voice.
My girl’s voice.
My heartbeat thunders in my ears, and I run toward her. Whoever is touching her is dead.
When I see her, I speed up. She’s trying to push a man twice her size off her. The guy from the bar who told her she had a beautiful smile. I heard him say it, and I nearly killed him right then. I should have.
With my hands wrapped around his neck, I throw him to the ground as Quinn screams in surprise and crouches to the floor, crying. I want to go to her, to pick her up and hold her. First, I have to handle this guy.
Once, twice, three times, I hit him in the face, bones crunching with each blow. Blood flies, but I don’t see it. All I see is black. Not red. No. This isn’t my usual anger. This is pure, murderous fucking rage that won’t end until he’s dead.
“Xander!” Quinn screams.
Footsteps pound on the floor as people run toward us. My brothers. Kian goes to Quinn, while Cash and Beckett grab me, pulling me off the son of a bitch.
“Dude, you can’t kill him here,” Cash says as I try to get free from their hold. “We’ll handle him out in the desert. Go to Quinn. She needs you.”
I hear her name, and instantly, I move. Kian is kneeling, looking at her face. Her lip is cut, and both cheeks are wet with tears. Thank fuck she’s mostly physically okay, but mentally…
“Come here, baby,” I murmur, scooping her into my arms.
“I’ll have a car outside the west private exit,” Cash says, holding his phone.
Everything blurs as Cash and Kian lead us out of one of the dozens of exits we have. Quinn clings to me.
“I can walk,” she says shakily.
“No.”
She’s not going anywhere except staying in my arms. She’ll be lucky if I let her out of my sight after tonight.
Kian opens the back door of one of the Escalades that’s waiting. As gently as possible, I climb in, trying not to jostle her in case she’s hurt.
