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“Memphis,” Sofi warned but Memphis was already on it.
He nudged Sofi behind him as he stalked toward the guy. “Looks like three would make this thing a little too crowded,” Memphis said, crossing his arms meaningfully.
The guy stopped, not realizing Austin had someone watching his back.
Sofi glanced from Memphis and his guy to Austin and his guy. The man fighting Austin was moving much more slowly now and Austin was mostly dodging and pushing the guy. He fell once more and Sofi thought he might finally be done. Memphis spoke, calling Sofi’s attention back to him.
“But I’m happy to join in on the fun if you decide that’s something you’d like.”
Sofi couldn’t believe the levity in Memphis’s tone. Well, actually she could, since Memphis often found his way into fights. It was almost like he looked for them and she suspected this really might be Memphis’s idea of fun.
The guy stepped back and Memphis nodded. Sofi was sure if he’d been wearing his cowboy hat he would have tipped it at the guy.
Finally the big man started backing away from Austin, his hands palms forward, the universal sign forI’ve had enough. Thank goodness.
Sofi knew Austin as well as she knew herself and she knew exactly what Austin would do now. He’d send the guy a curt nod, check back to make sure Sofi was alright, and then warn him to stay away from her.
Sofi almost smiled when Austin followed that precise formula. Her smile was only almost there because she wouldn’t be able to fully smile until after she checked in on Austin and made sure he was okay. The huge guy hadn’t seemed to have landed anything but that didn’t mean Austin hadn’t gotten hurt. Because of her.
“I didn’t realize she had a boyfriend,” the man said. Sofi only heard his muttered words because now that the action was over people were drifting away and Sofi had been able to move closer to Austin.
“Shouldn’t have mattered,” Austin shrugged. Sofi really didn’t want her heart to flip when Austin didn’t correct the man for calling him her boyfriend. But it did. And then Sofi berated her foolishly hopeful heart.
The guy held his stomach, his other hand over his eye as he spoke. Austin’s hands hung lazily by his sides. Hopefully that meant he hadn’t been hurt.
“Don’t touch a woman who doesn’t want to be touched,” Austin said as he moved one step forward, encroaching into the man’s space like he’d done to Sofi.
“They sometimes play hard to get,” the man began.
“No, they don’t,” Austin said as if his word were law. “Remember that. I’d rather not have to remind you again.”
Austin communicated so much with those few words. Sofi knew the man understood that Austin would be watching him. Sure, Mike’s Karaoke was a town away from Blue Falls, their hometown, but spots like this were frequented by the same people from towns all around. Austin had probably seen the big guy before—heck, Sofi was pretty sure she’d seen him too—and Austin was likely to see him again.
For Sofi’s part, after that night, she was taking a bar and club hiatus for at least a few weeks.
The big man nodded once before blending into the crowd with his friends.
“Someone’s gonna have to pay for the barstool.” The guy with stringy hair was back. Mike, was it? And where had he been earlier when she’d been in trouble?
“I won’t press charges but . . . ” The guy let his sentence trail off.
“You won’t press charges?” Sofi screeched, the intensity of the evening getting to her. “I was assaulted and no one helped and then when my friend starting fighting Goliath to save me no one stepped up to do anything and you’re sayingyouwon’t press charges?”
Sofi knew her eyes had gone wide and she’d gone into what her brothers called banshee mode, but at the moment she didn’t care.
“Sof.” She felt Austin grab her around the waist and pull her in beside him before he threw a couple of bills at Stringy Guy.
“Keep a better watch out for the women in here, Mike,” Austin warned. “I’d hate to see this place start going downhill because some of the good folks around here aren’t willing to patronize your bar anymore.”
So the guywasMike. And Austin knew right where to hit him.
“I’m in the process of hiring some security,” Mike promised as he stuck the money in his pocket.
Sofi doubted he was already in the process of anything, but if he did hire some security that would be a start.
“Good,” Austin said with a nod as Sofi melted into her best friend. Here, sidled up against Austin, was where she belonged. Even though her heart still raced because of all that had happened, even though she still didn’t know whether Austin had been hurt, she finally felt safe.
Sofi was suddenly shifted from her safe place, Austin’s hands bracing her shoulders as he pulled her in front of him, sweeping a searching gaze over her.
