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Between them, Goldie won’t have time to stress while I’m gone.

I squeeze her hand before letting go, pull my keys from my pocket, and head for the door.

CHAPTER 30

SUMNER

Privilege is a stupid fucking name for a club. What kind of asshole does someone have to be to come up with this bullshit?

The place is still closed when I turn into the employee lot behind the building. It’s the middle of the afternoon, so it won’t open for hours yet.

The afternoon sun has baked the asphalt until heat rolls off it in visible waves, and the dumpsters along the back wall smell exactly as bad as I’d expect behind a nightclub in this heat.

Goldie’s directions were right. A silver BMW’s parked near the back of the lot.

I pull into an empty spot a few spaces away, shut off the truck, and sit there while the AC dies and the heat immediately starts creeping in. It only adds to the inferno burning away at me, the one I’ve kept at bay for the last couple of hours.

It’s still contained, but I’m not sure how much longer I can hold it back.

My hands are locked around the steering wheel as I practice box breathing to maintain my composure. When I feel in control, I make myself let go, one finger at a time.

At work I make decisions while adrenaline is trying to convince my body that things need to happen right fucking now even if they don’t. But I’ve got lots of practice. I’m good at controlling it. At staying calm while everything around me goes to shit and deciding exactly what I’m going to do next with a clear head.

Right now, I know exactly what I want to do.

I want to break every finger that touched Goldie. I want to make Grant hurt. I want him trapped and scared the way he made her feel when he wouldn’t let Goldie walk away or threatened her with a battle over the baby.

I also know walking across this parking lot and doing it without Grant laying a hand on me first would be fucking stupid. From what Goldie said, he’s already pissed off.

So I’ll keep pushing.

I’ll remind him of every way Goldie tossed him out like the trash he is and chose me.

All I need is for him to be stupid enough to give me a reason.

One reason to unleash. In defense, of course.

A few minutes later, the metal service door bangs against the brick wall and a guy steps outside with his phone in one hand and keys in the other. The door swings shut behind him.

Between the white linen shirt, tan pants, and designer sunglasses over his eyes, he looks exactly like somebody who works at a place called Privilege.

What did Goldie see in this asshole?

He glances at his phone as he starts across the lot toward the BMW. It’s the only other vehicle here besides my truck, so this has got to be the shithead I’m looking for.

I open my door and step into the heat.

“Grant?”

He looks up and slows when he sees me standing beside the truck. “Yeah?”

I shut the door and walk toward him. “I’m Sumner.”

His mouth tightens. Good, he knows who I am. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I came to find out why the fuck you thought putting your hands on my girlfriend was okay.”

Grant glances toward the closed service door behind him. “She sent you?”