Page 79 of Hard Bargain

The thought slipped through his mind before he could stop it.

Dominic blinked once. What the hell was that? He dragged his attention away, annoyed with himself for letting it register at all.

Across the table, the dancer Knox had kissed smiled at him. “You ditched me earlier,” she pouted.

Knox gave her a quick, distracted smile that didn't reach his eyes. “Just needed a minute.”

He looked like he was about to say something to his friends, mouth already opening. Then his eyes moved to a point behind Dominic. Whatever he saw there wiped everything else off his face in an instant. Knox’s body reacted before his voice did. He was already moving out of the booth before he shouted, “Dominic—”

The warning tore out of him a fraction of a second too late.

Instinct took over.

Dominic twisted sideways just as someone lunged, the flash of steel catching the light before the blade came down. The movement was fast—clumsy with desperation, but close enough to matter. He turned his body, but the knife still found him. Steel dragged across his upper arm in a sharp burning line.

Pain registered distantly. What mattered was the hand holding the knife. Dominic caught the attacker’s wrist before the man could recover and drive the blade forward again. Their momentum carried them into the table, glasses shattering under the impact as Dominic slammed the man’s arm down hard. The knife slipped free and clattered across the floor.

For a second, the club hadn’t caught up to what was happening. The music still thundered through the speakers, dancers moving on stage like nothing had changed.

Then Cassian moved. “What the fuck?” He came over the booth in a single motion, grabbed the attacker by the collar and drove his fist into the side of the man’s head with brutal efficiency. Bone cracked audibly over the music. The man staggered, but Dominic already had him, twisting the arm he was holding and forcing him down across the table. Liquor spilled across the surface as the man’s chest hit hard.

Now the room reacted. Someone screamed. People nearby pushed away from the booth in a sudden ripple of movement.

The attacker tried to wrench free, panic flashing across his face now that the momentum of the strike had failed. Dominic drove his forearm across the man’s throat and pinned him. “Stupid move,” he said.

The man spat blood.

Dominic tightened his grip until the thrashing stopped and the choking started instead.

Security forced their way through the crowd. “Take him,” Dominic said.

Two guards grabbed the attacker and hauled him upright. His feet dragged against the floor as they pulled him away, face swelling where Cassian had hit him. Cassian fell into step beside them, rolling his sleeves up like he was anticipating the next part.

Dominic straightened. Now that the adrenaline was fading, the cut along his arm had begun to throb properly. Blood was seeping through the sleeve, darkening the fabric in an unmistakable stain.

The club had dissolved into chaos around them. People were shouting, trying to see what had happened. The sudden silence where the music had been made the whole room feel wrong, everything buzzing with a frightened confusion.

Unacceptable.

He caught Missy’s eye behind the bar and crooked a finger. She came over quickly, pale but composed enough to keep moving.

“Music back on,” he said. “Send drinks out. On the house for the next round. Make sure they stay. Make sure they want to come back.” He paused. “Tell the girls there’s a bonus tonight if everyone keeps smiling.”

She nodded, turning away to start barking instructions to the staff.

The music started again, and servers moved through the crowd with fresh trays as the first round of free liquor began to circulate. Conversation rose in cautious bursts, laughter following a moment later as people decided the night wasn’t over after all.

Knox was still standing where he had been. He hadn’t moved when the crowd scattered. While everyone else had backed away from the violence, Knox had remained in place. Now he crossed the space between them without hesitation. His attention went straight to Dominic’s arm and his eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”

“I’ve had worse,” Dominic said, glancing down at the sleeve almost absently. At least the fabric was soaking up the blood instead of letting it drip onto the floor. He wouldn’t have long before that changed, though. He needed to get out of here.

Knox didn’t look convinced.

For a moment neither of them moved. The space between them felt strangely still. The memory of Knox’s voice cut through his mind. The warning had most likely saved him from more harm, but he shouldn’t have needed the warning at all. He’d let himself get distracted by a pair of blue eyes and a mouth he was trying really hard not to notice. He had no business thinking about such things in the middle of a room full of possible threats. That carelessness could have gotten him killed.

That was inexcusable.

Knox was watching him, an unsettled expression playing across his features.