Page 53 of Slay King

Why was she ignoring me? Had they put some shit on TV about me and Scotlin and Rumor had seen it?

My hand tightened on the phone as my head began to pound. This was bothering her. I hated it. I despised it. That hatred and fury were hard not to take out on Scotlin, especially when the world was watching. Just thinking about Rumor being hurt, I wanted to throw Scotlin away from me, demand she stop touching me.

“What can I get you?” the female bartender asked, leaning forward with a bright smile.

I wanted to roll my eyes.

“Maker’s and a julep,” I replied, looking back down at my phone.

I’d text her one more time. Check on things. Make sure she was okay. Just see her response. Know she was fine. I’d be back soon. Just one more day. Whatever was upsetting her, I’d fix it.

Texting out the words, I reread them twice, then hit Send. Just as I lifted my head, I felt it. The warning. The shift in the room. Something was off. My eyes scanned the room, then went to the entrances. The gunshot was followed by the sound of glass shattering, then screaming. Frantic people dropped to the ground, yells, shouts, then running.

My gun was drawn as I stepped around the man who had taken his date to the floor with him, blocking my path. There were seven other men in the room with a gun pointed. None of them the shooter though. They were all assessing, like I was. Gage Presley’s eyes met mine across the room, and the trademark smirk on his face was gone. The deadly gleam I’d seen more than once was there now. He nodded his head to the left, and I turned to see Levi Shephard covering Scotlin with his gun also drawn. The shattered glass was directly behind where I had left her.

Fuck. Had that been for her?

Huck Kingston stood in front of Blaise, and both men had their guns drawn. Ransom Carver, one of the members of the Mississippi branch, glared angrily as he scanned the room with both his Glocks drawn.

Wilder filled the door, shoving past the people who were rushing from the room. His eyes scanned the area, then locked on me. He held it a moment, and there was a grim look that unsettled me.

What was that look for? Not because Scotlin was shot at. She was alive. They had either been a poor shot or a warning. What was it Wilder knew?

I moved toward him, stepping over people as security began to pour into the room. Lot of good they were.

Wilder shook his head as I approached him. As if I was going in the wrong direction.

“Scotlin,” was all he said when I reached him.

“She’s fine,” I replied.

“The glass cut her. She’s bleeding, and Blaise is watching you. Get over there,” he said under his breath.

“What do you know?” I asked him, annoyed.

The stricken look in his eyes made my stomach sink and my chest tighten.

“Get to her before you get your ass shot for disobedience.”

“Tell me,” I urged.

“I can’t. I’m being watched. Just get over there,” he hissed angrily.

Annoyed, I walked over to Scotlin, who was hysterically clinging to Levi, who looked uncomfortable and like he’d rather be anywhere else.

Join the fucking club.

When she saw me, she let go of him and threw herself at me. Small cuts were on her arms from the glass, and several trickles of blood ran down them.

“OH MY GOD!” she wailed, clinging to me. “Someone shot at me.”

“They missed,” I said, pointing out the obvious.

Levi raised his eyebrows at me, and he looked like he wanted to laugh, but his lips didn’t even twitch.

“Get me out of here,” she begged, holding on to me as if her legs had been injured.

The people around us were all being led out by the security team, and the noise of voices, crying, and general hysterics got louder by the second. I’d happily like to get her out of here, then get on a plane south.

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