Page 41 of Scarred Hearts

Their scuffle was madness, with limbs flailing and crashing against furniture before they tumbled to the floor in a tangle. He was on top of her, his hands wrapped tightly around her neck, squeezing the life out of her. My heart leapt into my throat as I lunged forward, ready to intervene, but she was quick and cunning. She pulled a glimmering knife from the top of her boot and plunged it into the side of his neck with a violent thrust. He howled in pain and swatted her hand away.

“Gia!” I shouted, my voice strangled with fear for her safety and shock, just as he collapsed onto the ground. I grabbed her by the arm, pulling her away from danger in case he had more fight left in him. “What the hell?!” I demanded, my mind struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

“FUCK!” he finally bellowed, clutching at his neck.

“Move out of the way, Gia,” I commanded sternly, standing over Ivan’s writhing body. With one hand holding him back against the couch, I drew my gun with the other, delivering blow after blow to his face, using both my weapon and fists.

“Tyler!” Luke’s voice resonated through the commotion, followed quickly by Nico and Ice Man, who helped drag Ivan out of harm’s way. My gun clanked to the floor in the fight, sliding several feet.

“Ty, what the hell have you done?!” Ian barked. “Son of a bitch!”

Glaring in silence, I backed away, planting myself in front of Giovanna. She was holding her throat, panting. I glimpsed her to make sure she was stable, then turned my attention back to the scene. Luke, Nico, and Ice Man assisted in getting Ivan out the door.

“Get him medical, NOW!” Ian commanded after them before stomping toward me, coming to a stop just inches from my face. “You better hope he doesn’t die, or I’m going to fucking murder you!” He looked at Gia next, glaring at her with equal fury. “Both of you, go upstairs to my office and wait for me,” he ordered before turning on his heels and stalking away. He stormed out of the room, pressing a finger to his earpiece. Clean up in L2 ASAP.

Hearing the loudness of chatter blaring in my ear, I wrenched the earpiece out and hurled it across the room. Spinning around to face her, I saw her eyes wide and glistening with tears, bracing herself for an outburst. I lifted my hand toward her face. She flinched but then relaxed as I gently brushed her hair off her shoulder. Cupping her jaw tenderly, I examined her neck and face for any signs of injury.

“Are you okay?” I asked softly.

She nodded, her gaze locked on mine.

“Are you in pain?”

She shook her head. “No, but Mr. Knight’s going to kill me when he finds out what I’ve done.”

“He won’t know you did it,” I assured her.

“Ty,” she murmured, reaching for my hand, but I withdrew it before she could grasp it.

“Get dressed,” I whispered as two guys from our clean-up crew entered the room. Bending down, I retrieved my gun from the floor and slid it back into its rear holster.

She hurriedly slipped on her clothes, fumbling slightly in her haste. Once she was ready, I took her hand and led her out of Luxe. My eyes darted around watchfully while sentries patrolled the club. Ensuring we avoided any encounters with the Russians, we made our way up the stairs to the executive lobby. I released her hand the moment we were inside.

She let out a huff, just as my sister came out of the office with Beau following. “Tyler, what the hell is going on down there?” she gasped. “You’re both covered in blood! Are you okay?” She hurried over to us.

“It’s not ours,” I replied, running my fingers through my tousled hair.

Giovanna interjected, “I was dancing for Ivan Pivovarov and he?—”

“I didn’t like the way he touched her, so I stabbed him,” I said before she could tell Jenna what happened.

“Tyler!” Jenna gasped. “Ian’s going to flip his shit!”

“He knows.” I paced back and forth, waiting for him to appear but he didn’t.

“Damnit,” she sighed, her eyes then meeting Giovanna. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “I’m okay.”

“Come with me,” Jenna said, grabbing her hand. “I’m taking her to get cleaned up.”

“Stay with my sister,” I called out to Giovanna as they disappeared with Beau into my sister’s office. Giovanna glanced back at me just before they entered. I averted my gaze.

“Fuck,” I murmured, marching to Ian’s office and pushing the door open.

Roaming the room, I took turns running my fingers through my hair and pressing them to my temples. For Giovanna’s sake, I hoped Ivan didn’t succumb to his injuries. I wasn’t even sure how much I fucked his face up. All I saw was red as he was attempting to rape her when I walked in.

Over an hour passed and Ian stormed through the door. Chance, Declan, Luke, Ice Man, and Nico followed. From the looks on their faces, I couldn’t tell if Ivan was still breathing, but from the expression on Ian’s face, I doubted I would be much longer.

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