Page 229 of Sweet Temptation

I’d be feeling that punch tomorrow. My knuckles were already swelling.

I’d hit him hard.

Sanchuk peered up at us, groaning. That kidney shot would be fucking him up for days.

“What…?” he wheezed. “What the fuck…?”

“Blair Sanchuk,” I growled. “Nice to fucking meet you.”

“Who the fuck are you?”

“Hey!” someone called out, and I glanced back. A couple of bouncers stood at the mouth of the alley, looking at us. “The fuck’s going on?”

I looked at Maddox and he removed his foot. I hauled Sanchuk to his feet. “Nothing,” I told them, staring Sanchuk down. “He was just leaving.” I gave him a shove for good measure, tossing him deep into the alley.

The bouncers checked us out a minute, then went back to their post. They might not be too keen to let us back into the club tonight, no matter who we were or who we were here with. Any sign of violence at a bar was generally a cop magnet and a no-go.

But I wasn’t going back into the club.

“Take it easy,” Sanchuk said, putting his hands up. We stood blocking his way to the club, and he stood his ground. He looked us up-and-down, posturing, despite the way he was leaning a bit to compensate for the pain I’d inflicted. “And tell me who the fuck you are.”

“I’m the restraining order fairy,” I growled.

He went still. Then he took a small step toward me, trying to see my face better in the dim light.

“Summer Sorensen,” I hissed, in case that wasn’t clear enough for him. “You’re too fucking close to her right now. Which means you need to turn your stalker ass around and get. The fuck. Out of my sight.”

“No. No…” he stammered, totally dropping the tough guy routine. “I wasn’t stalking her…” I was pretty sure he’d just gone sheet-white in the dark. Or maybe pissed himself a little. Then he started feeding us giant heaps of shit in a hurry, like, “I didn’t know she was here,” and “I wasn’t even staying long.”

“Sure,” Maddox said. “’Cause her name and picture on the fuckin’ posters all over the front door didn’t tip you off.”

“Get the fuck out of here,” I growled through my teeth, “before I change my mind.”

I felt Maddox angling in next to me, wondering what the fuck I was doing. “We can’t,” he muttered. “We can’t let him go.”

Clearly, he wouldn’t have.

“Don’t call the cops,” Sanchuk hedged, like he had any power to negotiate here, as his eyes darted from me to Maddox. Clearly, he’d heard what Maddox said. I had no idea if he knew Maddox was a King or what, but fucking right, he was scared.

He was alone with us in a dark alley, he was now injured, and on top of that, we had the law on our side.

If we wanted to, we could fuck him over in any number of ways.

“It was a mistake,” he said, backing slowly away. “I’m going.”

“Go,” I growled, and he turned and hustled into the shadows of the alley, throwing up his hood.

“Follow him,” I muttered to Maddox as I pulled out my phone, “and don’t fucking lose him.”

Maddox got a thrill-seeker gleam in his eye and took off after Sanchuk. I followed, lagging behind as I texted Andre. Would’ve preferred calling, but he wouldn’t have been able to hear me in the loud nightclub anyway.

Me: Stay on Summer. Have Brody put extra guys on her. I’m on Sanchuk.

He texted me right back.

Andre: Where are you?

Me: Outside. Tailing him with Maddox.

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