Page 16 of Run From Me

I scanned every inch of her. Every breath had her breasts pressing against the low neck of the dress. Every shift had the fabric bunching and shifting higher and higher. The unbidden thought of those legs wrapped around my hips made my fucking pants just that much tighter.

What was she doing? Why was she so angry at me? Nothing about me said savior.

The world was burning around us most days, and yet here I was, wanting to know what was going on inside that head of hers.

“X, did you hear anything I just said?”

I shook my head, and I saw my brother shifting. It wasn’t hard to see when Cas spotted his bride.

“Your face might crack if you keep doing that shit,” I said, and elbowed him in the ribs.

He shook his head.

“And what you’re looking at isn’t something to smile about?” he poked fun at me.

Yeah. Okay.

“I fucked up. I won’t be getting any closer. Just being honest. I wasn’t the hero.”

I took in a deep breath like that would center me against whatever stance shit I was feeling. I was more like the villain and didn’t get a happily ever after.

But fucking hell, would the world burn if it ever hurt her.

Well, that was another unwanted thought.

Shit.

Time for a distraction. Time to get my head on straight. But as large as Enigma was, built to impress the rich and famous assholes of the city, it wasn’t big enough. She called to me. I could find her anywhere.

It had been an absentminded action; me standing here cracking my knuckles over and over again as I watched her drinking. More like watching her slam shots. That dress rode up far too high as she leaned over the bar.

Zeid elbowed me, and I glared at him before turning back to the bar.

That dress would be burned later.

Zeid was talking, but I didn’t have a damn clue about anything he was saying. I stiffened at the appearance of a shadow stepping closer to Calliope.

I swallowed past the tight ball of anger worming its way through me.

“You okay?” Zeid’s hand bit into my shoulder and only the pain could stop the rage. Zeid knew it too.

One of the younger guys got a little too close to Calliope from where I was standing. I took a step forward, but Zeid’s arm barred me from killing anyone for the moment.

“You into her?” Zeid asked, but I ignored him.

“Excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

Zeid let me remove his arm with little complaint. Or maybe he was smart and didn’t feel like losing the appendage. I didn’t fucking care, really. I just needed to get to Calliope.

Zeid, and Cas, no doubt, were judging me, but I couldn’t stop myself. It didn’t matter what we were talking about. Nothing was allowed to happen today. We weren’t talking business. They weren’t talking about anything that could keep me away from murdering one of our own if he laid one single hand on what was mine.

Maybe the moment of ‘who would have thought any of us would marry’ was fading away. Now we were training Rylee up on guns and knives, as well as a job here at the gallery just to keep her safe. I didn’t want that headache. So why was I storming over to the fucking bar?

Shit. My feet were taking this floor like it was their mission. The rage was back and blinded me as I reached for the guy who had just tried to chat up Cali.

My hand gripped the pressure point on his shoulder.

“One Spector to another, leave or I have no issues replacing you.”

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