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She nodded, and we made our way to the packed dance floor to try and find a spot to move freely. The DJ was blending electronic dance music with hip hop, and the crowd was going wild. I was also fairly certain we were the oldest women on the dance floor packed with mostly college kids.
Tuning out the crowd, I finally got into the groove—finding my rhythm and losing myself to the beat. Time was irrelevant as we danced, both of us trying to forget something for as long as we could. I was slammed back to reality, stopping all momentum, when I felt the hairs on the back of my neck, slick with sweat, stand.
“What’s wrong?” Maria tugged at my wrist, urging me to keep dancing.
I spun around, knowing that some-freaking-how they’d tracked us down. The raw, masculine, alpha-energy vibrating around us could only be from those two.
I tipped my head to the side, my eyes landing on Ryan and Enzo standing near the entrance of the club. I shivered at the sight of the two powerful men stalking our way with purposeful strides. Black dress shirts. Dark pants.
“They’re here.” I gulped as shivers crisscrossed over my skin, then I abruptly turned away from the approaching storm at the feel of a hand on my ass—a hand I knew wasn’t Maria’s.
When I pivoted toward the too-young-for-me guy playing grabby hands, he forcefully pinned me to his body in one fast movement.
“Let me go,” I demanded, shoving at his chest, hoping to get him to back off before the two alphas did it for me.
“Come on, I love a good cougar. You could use some young blood in you.” The guy winked, and so help me, I’d have kneed him in the balls if I could’ve gotten in a better position.
Maria noticed the problem, and snatched the man’s arm, trying to unglue him from my body. In his attempt to shove her away, he elbowed her in the face.
Maria cried out in shock, and held her jaw as I struggled to get to her.
“No means no, asshole,” I heard Ryan hiss from behind as he freed me from the man’s grasp. Before I could react, he’d sidestepped me and had the guy on his knees in one quick move. He’d done something to the man’s wrist, and he was twisting it hard from the looks of it.
Ryan bent forward, staring down at the young college-aged kid who had no clue what he’d just stepped in.
I quickly looked over to see Enzo cradling Maria in his arms, protecting her, but his gaze was intensely focused on the kid as if he craved to be the one about to rip him apart instead.
The people on the dance floor finally realized what was going on, and those nearby backed up, not wanting to be part of whatever was happening, but apparently not wanting to miss out on the action either.
“He’s a kid,” I told Ryan, and I reached for his arm at the sound of the man-child moaning from the pain. “Just let him go.” I tugged again. “Please.”
Ryan cocked his head, then finally released him and faced me. “Are you okay?”
I focused on the guy stumbling to his feet, holding his wrist and seething a few obscenities before he hauled ass to the exit. He really had come close to death. If Ryan hadn’t been the one to intervene, Enzo would’ve surely killed him.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, trying to catch my breath.
“Can we go out to the patio?” Maria reached for my arm once Enzo let go of her, his gaze still trained in the direction the man had run.
“Don’t,” I hissed, setting my hand on Enzo’s chest. “You’re not that guy anymore,” I reminded him.
Enzo lowered his face closer to mine so I could hear him growl, “I’ll always be that guy, Nat. That will never change.” Then he snatched Maria’s arm and motioned toward the patio doors.
Ryan kept me tight to his side as we maneuvered through the crowd. People shifted out of our way as we moved, sensing the threats both Ryan and Enzo posed to anyone who dared cross them.
I’d never seen that side of Ryan before. Enzo? Sure. But Ryan . . . that’d been intense.
Once we were on the patio, which had a nice view of the city, I went to the railing and sucked in a deep breath of the fresh air. I set my clutch down on a small empty table next to me, my hand cramping from holding it while dancing for so long.
“How’d you find us?” I asked, looking over my shoulder to see Ryan joining me.
Where’s Maria?
Just over Ryan’s shoulder I saw Enzo buying her a bottle of water from the small outdoor bar, urging her to drink it.
“Enzo had a few ideas. We checked two other clubs first. This was our third stop,” Ryan shared. “I know you said not to come, but I’m glad we did.”
“I would’ve handled it.” I faced him, and he turned to look at me. “I’m not drinking. And as you can see, I’m fine.”
