Page 43 of All for Love

KODY

Ishowed up at the location Mercedes had dropped me, frowning when I realized it was a pretty seedy, ramshackle club in a part of town I wouldn’t even walk alone in at night. People were pouring out of it like ants, escaping now that they’d had a few drinks after the band had probably finished playing.

There was a poster for a grunge band I’d heard of but didn’t really know up against the crumbling wall outside, and it seemed they’d had a gig here earlier. The music echoing from inside was a mix of hard rock, electronic, and something else I couldn’t quite make out.

I frowned. What the fuck would Mercedes be doing at a place like this?

Before I’d come, I’d texted her back, thinking at first it’d been a mistake and that she’d meant to send the location to someone else. When I’d called and she didn’t answer, I’d begun to worry, and eventually, I’d hopped in my car.

My own date earlier hadn’t gone well, so I’d been at home, contemplating why I’d bailed early on dinner with a socialite I’d had a thing with a while back. The truth was that the lovely Tatiana, gorgeous as she was, had failed to capture my attention.

So while I could’ve been in bed with her by now, I’d barely finished my drink before I made up an excuse to leave, and now, here I was instead; wondering what the hell I was doing outside a shady club sober and before midnight.

I wandered into the venue, looking around until I spotted her talking to a tall, lanky guy with broad shoulders who seemed way too intense even from a distance. He was staring into her eyes from only about an inch away from her face, but strangely, her body was angled away from his.

She’d also pulled back about as far as she could, standing on her heels in an attempt to get away from him. I knew right away he had to be Ben, the guy who’d copped a feel under the guise of teaching her how to bowl.

Mercedes looked drop dead gorgeous tonight, so I didn’t blame him for wanting to get close, but still. Take the hint, dude.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d have said she was here against her will. That was how rigid her posture was.

She’d dropped me her location for a reason. I doubted she’d simply wanted me to know where she was or to come so I’d see her on this date. At the thought, my hackles rose.

Between her posture, the closed-off expression on her face, and the location, I had a suspicion she didn’t want to be here. Somehow, he was keeping her longer than she’d wanted to be kept.

My muscles bunched as I made my way through the crowd, my features arranged in a tight scowl. It was only once I got closer that I realized there had to be a better way to play this. If I went up to them ready to fight, then there would be a brawl.

If things ended that way anyhow, then fine, but I was in sweatpants and I’d rather just get her out of here than make a big scene about it. Deciding to pretend to be someone else who knew her, I hoped that would be enough to get her away from him without tipping him off to the fact that she’d sent an SOS.

I had no idea how much this guy knew about her, why he made her so uncomfortable that she’d reached out to me—of all people—or how involved she was with him. All things considered, it seemed best to play it cool, get her out of the situation, and then find out what had happened all without stirring too much shit.

If she was worried enough to have reached out to me and he knew where she lived, the last thing I wanted was to extract her from this situation only to have him show up pissed at her house later on. I’d been in a fight or two in my day, but I didn’t pick them and I didn’t get some kind of perverse, masculine thrill from being in one.

I was perfectly comfortable with my strength and capabilities without having to prove them in common bar brawls. However, standing down didn’t come easy to me when someone was being threatened. While I still didn’t know for a fact that was what was happening here, her demeanor made it unlikely that it was anything else.

So we’ll try this the polite way, and if that doesn’t work, then we’ll resort to barroom tactics.Walking up to them, I made sure to slow down to do a disbelieving double-take, my eyes widening as they caught Mercedes’s.

When I saw the flash of dizzying relief in her eyes, my insides turned to steel. Something had gone wrong on this date—wrong enough for her to have turned to her worst enemy and sometimes fuck buddy for help—and my fists clenched at my sides.

Feigning surprise at seeing her here, I approached them with a smile and what I hoped was a harmless demeanor. “Mercedes? Is that you? What on earth are you doing in a place like this?”

As soon as I was within arm’s reach, she grabbed hold of me, flashing me a grateful smile as she went along with the act. “It’s so good to see you. I came to watch the band. Did you see them?”

“No, I got here too late, unfortunately.”

She held on to me like I was a life raft and she’d gone overboard in a storm, and my stomach burned with anger. It sped through my veins and made me question my decision not to punch the guy, but pissed as I was that he’d scared her like this, my first objective was to get her out of here without frightening her further.

“That’s a pity,” she said, turning to me while still holding on to my arm. “They were good. I think you’d have enjoyed the show.”

“I’m sure. I’ll have to catch them next time.” I extracted my arm from her grasp to sling it around her shoulders, pulling her into me as protectiveness flared up inside. “Well, show’s over. What do you say we get out of here?”

“Gladly—”

“Who the hell is this?” Ben narrowed his eyes and glowered at me, his jaw tight and his body held rigidly as he turned to face me. “We’re on a date, buddy. She’s not going anywhere with you.” As he said it, he reached out to grab her arm. “Our date isn’t over yet, honey.”

“Yes, it is.” I put my hand on his and none too gently forced his fingers open and away. Shoving him off, I readjusted my own grip on her, putting her slightly behind me. I took a step forward and let go of her shoulders. “If she wants to come with me, she will. That’s the end of it. Say goodbye, Ben.”

He didn’t even seem to notice I’d known his name even if we hadn’t been introduced. His eyes burned with rage as they fixed on Mercedes behind me. “I had no idea you were such a slut. Out on a date with me, and then going home with some other guy.”