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Liam peered at him. “I might be tempted to beat you ugly so that she’d never want you, but I swear I’d never kill you. That’s just bad form.” Liam frowned at Hammer. “There’s only one person that I’d like to unload a forty-five on, and that’s her dad.”
“Here. Here.” He agreed, raising his bottle and clinking it against his old friend’s.
“Neither one of you paid attention to her hands when she came in, did you?” Beck piped up.
Both he and Liam turned. The burly sadist wore a grave expression.
“Her hands?” he asked, wondering what part of the conversation had slipped past him.
“Yeah. She went to visit her father yesterday.”
Hammer’s heart nearly stopped.
“What the bloody… You’re serious?” Liam blinked.
“You’d better not be,” Hammer warned.
When Beck gave a curt nod, he felt as if he’d been blown clear to the other side of the room. Anger burst in his veins. Raine had gone back to that shithole, to see that animal, without him. She could have been hurt. Or Bill Kendall could have killed her.
With cold precision, Hammer turned his head, leveling Beck with an icy glare. “Why?”
“Do you really have to ask?” Beck sent him a mocking stare.
No. Hammer had known she’d eventually seek out Bill for answers, vindication…closure. But damn it, he’d imagined he’d be beside Raine, supporting and protecting her. “You didn’t fucking let her go alone, did you?”
“Of course not, ass-hat.”
“Tell us what happened before I beat the truth out of you,” Liam demanded.
Beck shook his head. “Whatever. You’re so… what is it you guys across the pond call it? Pissed. Yeah. You’re so pissed drunk, you couldn’t beat yourself off.”
“I’m Irish, not English, you bloody twit,” Liam growled. “And yes, I could, if I wanted to.” He scoffed, drinking down more Scotch. “But I don’t. And don’t change the subject.”
“Did Bill touch her?” Hammer added. “If he did, you’re taking me there right now so I can plant a bullet in his miserable head.”
“Settle down, Lone Ranger. I already covered that contingency.” Beck gave him a condescending pat on the shoulder. “I had my gun out and sited right between the son of a bitch’s eyes every fucking second. But she didn’t need me. You remember those self-defense classes you enrolled her in years ago?”
“Yeah.” It took him a minute for the puzzle pieces to fall into place, but when they did, Hammer grinned. “She kicked his ass, didn’t she?”
“Like a ninja.” Beck grinned.
“Fuck, yeah!” Hammer cheered. “That’s my girl.”
“She’s my girl, motherfucker,” Liam insisted, slurring.
“She was. And she could kick your ass, too. ‘Cause I got her lessons,” he preened.
“Jesus, I wish I was recording this. All the fet folk we know would howl.” Beck laughed.
“Shut up and tell us what happened when you took her to see that fucker,” Hammer snapped.
“She slayed her dragon, more or less. It was good for her. You know, you two aren’t the only ones who care about her.”
Liam stood, wobbling, looking ready for a fight. “You better not have fucking touched her!”
“Yeah.” Hammer felt his skull about to explode and reached out to throttle Beck.
The other man shoved him away. “I didn’t. Jesus, you idiots… Give it a rest. I’m tempted to lay you both out cold, but you’re both too drunk to fight.”
Hammer glanced at a weaving Liam. Sadly, Beck was right. Besides, unloading all the fury roiling inside him onto the doctor wouldn’t help anything. He’d already seen vividly that displacing his guilt and anger led to bad things. He had to buck up and fly right.
“Sorry, man. Thank you for keeping her safe. Now tell me what happened. Details!” Hammer slammed his bottle on the bar.
“Did you hear what she said to that sniveling douchebag?” Liam prodded.
“Oh, yeah. Raine let old Bill know, in no uncertain terms, that he was a steaming pile of dog shit.” A smile tugged at the corners of Beck’s lips. “You two would have been proud.”
“Good lass,” Liam whispered. “But what the devil would we have done if he’d hurt her?”
Something clogged Hammer’s throat. Maybe it was too much anger, or the booze talking, or simply relief that Raine had come home, where she belonged. His eyes stung.
“Don’t even think that. But I can guarantee they’d never find a single part of Bill’s body.” Hammer reached up and gave Liam’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “The question we should be asking, since Raine’s plan sucks, is what’s the best way to help her?”
When he felt a slap upside his head, Hammer turned to find Seth delivering the same smack to Liam.
“Good to hear you say that, Macen,” the other man announced from behind him. “Because after talking to Raine, I know.”
“How?” Hammer bristled. “You’ve known her all of five fucking minutes and suddenly you can read her mind?”
“Pretty much.”
Liam turned and steadied himself on the bar, wagging his finger at Seth. “If you fucking touched her...”
