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He plays with the end of my hair and smiles. The coldness in his eyes makes my stomach clench. “I’m only here to warn you. Don’t fall for his lies, Little Peach. You seem like a sweet girl. I’d hate for you to be his next victim.”
I tilt my head as a thought occurs to me. “Luke would have given you the money to save your mom.”
His eyes narrow to slits. “Another lie.”
“I’m sorry your mom died, but you can’t blame Luke for your problems.” I realize my mistake too late. He grabs my throat and pins me against the wall, fire in his icy gaze.
He speaks low into my ear. His grip is firm, but not painful. I grab his arm as I run through the options Brando taught me.
“I could take good care of you, Little Peach. Leave him,” he says, his tone ominous. He leans back to stare at me and loosens his grip. I’m about to knee him in the balls when the door to the lobby opens down the hall. Scotty winks before he releases me and hustles out the door he came through, just as Mark appears.
He frowns as he takes me in, leaning against the wall taking deep breaths now that the danger has passed. “What happened?”
I point at the door. “Scotty.”
He curses and disappears through the door before I can blink. I straighten and adjust my clothing while I try to get my thoughts under control. Luke warned me Scotty would try to get in my head. I can’t let him do that. A minute later the door down the hall bursts open and quick steps reveal Luke, alarm on his face. He wraps me up and I let the tears fall.
“Are you ok?”
I nod. “Scotty was here. He didn’t hurt me.”
Mark reappears, his face a thundercloud. He shakes his head at Luke. “I lost him.”
A woman enters and startles at the presence of two men in the ladies restroom. Luke puts his arm around my shoulders and guides me to the lobby. We find a quiet corner and he pulls me down to sit on the cushioned bench.
“What did he say to you?”
“He told me a bunch of lies to get me to leave you."
Luke sighs and pulls me into his side. “I’m so sorry, babe.”
I shake my head and take a deep breath, swiping away a few tears. “It’s ok. He’s gone. He can try to intimidate me all he wants. It won’t work.”
“Why don’t we call it a night?” Luke says.
I shake my head no. “I won’t let him ruin our good time. Let’s go back to the party.”
Luke glances at Mark. They wear matching worried frowns. “Are you sure?”
I nod. “Yes. Just…” I take his hand. “Don’t let me out of your sight.”
He hesitates, then sighs. “Alright. But say the word and we’re out of here."
We turn as Brody approaches. “I leave you for one minute…” he says, shaking his head. He frowns at our serious expressions. “You guys ok?”
“Scotty cornered her in the bathroom,” Luke says.
“Jesus. Dude must have a death wish." He kneels in front of me. "Are you alright?“
I nod and he smiles. "Are you guys done for the night, or do I get the pleasure of dancing with the prettiest woman in the room again?”
I blush at the compliment and turn to Luke. He takes me by the hand, kissing my knuckles. “Only after she dances with me first.”
We return to the ballroom and the more I dance, the more I forget Scotty. It was scary, but Luke would never let anything happen to me. I was ready to defend myself, thanks to my lessons with Brando. The thought settles my mind. I’m no longer the damsel in distress Luke met in the alleyway. I shimmy and groove to the fun music, dancing with different Marines who sure know how to have a good time. They’re all friendly and respectful, and an hour later my encounter with Scotty seems like a distant nightmare.
