Page 77 of Inflict

Fear.

She was scared of the man, perhaps because it was her nature, or a learned trait. Connor wasn’t entirely sure, but it wasn’t hard to figure out that she didn’t enjoy or want the attention the guest was lavishing on her. One look at her face said it all.

Rage churned heavily in Connor’s gut as he headed toward Evelyn and the unknown man. Connor rounded the back of the couch, just behind where the fool was sitting, as Evelyn caught his eye again.

He wasn’t sure what she was more worried about; what he might do, or what her unwanted companion was attempting to do.

“Let me buy you a drink,” the guy said. “Bet it’ll loosen you up enough to talk, beautiful.”

Nope.

Connor bent down, resting his arms along the back of the couch, gaining the fool’s attention. “Leave.”

He didn’t give warnings.

He didn’t make nice.

He wasn’t the type.

“Pardon?” the guy asked, looking over his shoulder to find Connor staring straight at him.

“Leave,” Connor demanded again.

The guy chuckled, which only served to piss Connor off even more than he already was. He wasn’t a joke, and he wasn’t about to be treated like one.

“Listen, man, we’re just having a conversation,” the guy said. “Back off a little.”

His hand came up fast, his fingers stroking Evelyn’s cheek with a gentle touch. It didn’t matter how soft the man was, she flinched, and Connor exploded.

Connor grabbed a fistful of the man’s hair at the crown of his head at the same time he moved around the side of the seat. The guy’s shouts and Connor’s sudden, violent action caused the singers on stage to quiet, and likely gained the attention of the one bouncer at the door. Connor didn’t care.

Before the guy could even think to fight back, Connor brought the man’s face crashing down into the wee, round table in front of the seating area. The bottles, shots, and wine glasses jumped, tumbling and shattering on the floor.

Blood bloomed from the fool’s face, spilling across the table.

Connor smashed the guy’s face into the table one more time, just for good measure. The arsehole wasn’t dead, but he sure as hell looked a wee bit worse for wear, and wouldn’t feel very feckin’ good come morning.

Bending down, Connor told the bleeding idiot, “Next time you’re told to leave, just do that. Someone else might not be as kind as I was tonight.”

Connor let the guy go, and the useless sack of shite fell to the floor, unmoving. Likely unconscious, not that it made much of a difference now.

“All right, you need to leave!” shouted the oncoming bouncer.

Connor held a hand out to a stunned, silent Evelyn who was still sitting where she had been when he left her. “Come on, lass. Seems we need to go.”

Evelyn glanced up at him. “Did you kill him?”

“No.”

“How do you know?”

He did look a wee bit dead.

“He’s still bleeding, ain’t he?”

Evelyn’s burst of nervous laughter made Connor smile. He grabbed her hand and pulled her from the couch with a wink, stepping over the bloody, prone form of the man on the floor. Seeing the bouncer coming their way, and blocking off the direct path to the front entrance at the same time, Connor looked for an alternative route.

“Exit,” he said with a nod in the direction they needed to go.