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While I was looking at the guys out one corner of my eye, I was still keeping my sisters in my line of sight, so I knew exactly when Whitney moved. She was sitting beside the window, with Amanda blocking her in, but she didn’t let that stop her as she jumped across our baby sister, her nails going for my face.
I stepped back at the last second, making her fall against Amanda, pushing the younger girl out of the booth and onto her ass. She yelped in surprise, while Whitney screeched at me in a voice so high it was a wonder it didn’t break the glass in the windows.
The commotion had the rest of the diner turning to see what was going on.
She righted herself and jumped to her feet, coming toward me with a look of pure venomous hate on her face that was so similar to my own. “You fucking little slut. Wait until I get my hands on you. I’ll make you wish you were never born.”
“Whitney,” a deep voice barked her name from the front entrance, making everyone’s head snap around, including my own.
Seeing Raider striding toward us had me backing up even more. The evidence of his fight with Colt that morning showed in his split lip and a large bruise high on his jaw. He moved smoothly, so I didn’t think he had been too hurt from their brawl. Then again, I figured Raider was probably use to tussles like that.
Most of the fight left my sister’s face. She tried to put on a seductive look, but Raider barely looked at her as he kept walking past her, only stopping when he was mere
inches from me.
He lifted one of his huge hands, skimming a finger down my cheek before smoothing a lock of my hair back behind my ear. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
My mouth fell open in surprise at both his tender touch and how he had ignored all three of my sisters. In the past, I had been the one being ignored over those three. Hell, over any other woman.
I heard odd choking noises coming from my sisters and chanced a look in their direction to find them just as surprised as I was. Whitney looked hurt that he had ignored her, a pout on her lips that made her look like a petulant little girl rather than the twenty-seven-year-old woman she actually was.
Belatedly, I stepped back from Raider before I could enjoy the feel of his callused finger caressing down my neck. Before I could take more than two steps, however, he caught my fingers and pulled me back toward him.
“Quinn.” With his other hand, he caught my chin, tilting it up so he could look into my eyes. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you?”
Remembering that my mouth was still gaping open, I snapped it shut and found myself nodding. “I’m fine. She didn’t touch me.”
“Good.” He moved his fingers from my chin to cup my neck. “Are you finished? Aggie said you were off at four. It’s just after that now.”
“I …” I didn’t know how to answer him. Or why, more to the point, he had called Aggie to find out what time I got off work.
“She’s good to go,” Aggie called out from the kitchen. “We got her tables covered. Take her home, make her rest. She looks like a puff of wind could knock her over right now.”
Raider’s eyes skimmed over my face, his green orbs darkening from their usual olive-jade color to moss. “Let’s go, sweetheart.”
“I was going to stay a few extra hours to make up for the time I missed this morning,” I tried to argue.
He only shook his head, a grim but determined look on his face. “No. Grab your things. I’ll drive you home.”
“But … I drove myself.”
“I know. I had Raven drop me off so I could drive you.” He took my hand, linking our fingers, and pulled me past my sisters, who still had their mouths gaped open.
As we neared the entrance, Aggie came out from the back with my purse in her hands. “Take tomorrow off, Quinn,” she commanded with a small smile. “The place won’t fall into the poor house without you for one day.”
“But—”
“See you, Aggie.” Raider tucked me close before I could argue further and opened the door.
“You drive safely with my girl in there with you, Raider Hannigan.”
He tipped his head at her. “You don’t need to worry about that, Ag. I got precious cargo to take care of.”
Chapter 21
Raider
In the parking lot, I opened the passenger door and helped her inside. She still had that dazed look on her face, as if she thought she was in a dream or some shit. Regret burned through me that she was so stunned I would treat her so gentle. I hated that I had wasted so many years with her, that I had ran in the other direction from what I had suspected we could have all along, but had been too much of a pussy to give it a chance.
