Page 30 of InfraRed

A grin spread across his slippery face. “Guess?”

But my patience has reached its end, my control snapping like a thread pulled too tight. My arm jerks out, my hand gripping his throat, pinning him against the wall as my fist drives into his face.

“You think Martin is a problem for you?” I ask, referring to his well-known feud with the Sons of Sin guitarist. My arm pulls back, snapping forward again, causing blood to spray from his nose. “You think he’s someone you should avoid?” On the third strike, he slumps in my grip. “He doesn’t have shit on me.” I toss him back to the floor. “Go near Casey again, and I promise they won’t find your body.” Twisting my hips, my foot plunges into his gut. An audible whoosh escapes him, and he starts coughing. A desperate groan of pain tumbles from his lips when I land another to his chest.

But even as I make the threat—send my warning of what will happen should he touch her again for any reason—the need to ensure he doesn’t have the chance drives me to keep going.

He touched her.

He intended to drug her.

The red haze consumes me. My need to protect her is far more volatile than my jealousy, and I can’t see any other way to do thatthan to end him. My leg lifts, ready to drive down into his face, just as a hand grips my shoulder, tugging me back. “What the hell? Have you lost your mind?”

Probably.

I stare into Reynolds’ dark eyes, full of questions, concerns, and a little fear, as they dart between me and the motherfucker on the ground. “You know this is a PR disaster, right?”

I jerk from his grip. He’s lucky I don’t break his face. Had my brother not assured me the walking STD ad has no interest in Casey, I would. I spin away from him, shoving my fist through the drywall. Pain erupts through my knuckles, racing up my arm. “Fucking hell, Davis. I thought they said you were the calm one, allergic to scandal.”

My fingers rip through my hair in fury and frustration. He’s right. Publicly I’m known for being cold, aloof. Unshakable under pressure. Never rattled or provoked. And for the same reasons, I avoid scandal.

I won’t deny I have a temper. An explosive one. But I learned to control it.

Except where Casey is concerned. I discovered she is the exception to everything the night I beat her so-called boyfriend’s ass, only stopping because she asked me to. Though, later that night, I made sure he understood the message.

“You’re here with Casey.” It’s not a question. Liam’s dipshit comment became clear the moment I saw his face. “Go make sure they don’t come back here. Keep them distracted.” I already told Jagger to do the same, but you can never be too careful.

He sighs and turns to leave. “Reynolds,” I call out before he makes it down the corridor. He glances over his shoulder with a raised brow. “Keep your mouth shut.”

He shrugs. “I didn’t see a thing.”

I nod, assured he’ll keep his mouth shut, then retrieve my phone. Seconds after sending a quick text, Will appears from the shadows. He looks at Erikson and then at me with a raised brow. “A little excessive for a warning, don’t you think?”

“He’s lucky someone happened along to stop me.”

“Man, what made you like this?”

I roll my eyes because nothingmademe like this. I’ve always been this way. Personally, I see nothing wrong with it. “Just take care of it, will you?”

He chuckles and salutes. I turn toward the bathroom, pull the door open, and walk inside to clean myself up a little. Once the blood on my knuckles is gone and my rumpled clothing is back in place, I head back out, walking straight toward Casey’s table.

The girls, Jagger, and Reynolds, all sit there arguing as Casey reaches for another shot. I’m going to kill Jagger for not stopping her like I told him. You can tell by her glassy eyes and erratic movements she’s bypassed three sheets and barreled into a whirlwind of a fourth. Before she can throw back more liquor, my hand reaches across the table, grabbing the glass from her hand. “I think you’ve had enough, Sunflower.”

Her big eyes blink up at me as her two friends snicker. “Somebody’s in trouble,” Lily sing-songs. “Oh, maybe he’ll spank you.”

Casey looks at her friend, then back at me. Her brows dip, and her chin juts. A long finger circles around my face as she narrows her gaze. “You don’t get to tell me what to do. You’re not my dad. And I’m an adult now.”

My brow lifts.That spanking sounds very tempting.

Drunk Casey is bold, uninhibited, and defiant. Any other time, I would love it. I want nothing more than for her to stand up for herself. But I want her to do it sober. And I don’t want her tofight against me. Not right now, anyway. Right now, I am over this overpriced brothel and this night, but there is no way I’m leaving here without her. Just the thought of whatever alcohol-fueled trouble she could find makes me insane.

“If you ask me, this is just what she needed.” Lily looks over her glass with a sly curve of her lips. I’ve only recently met the mouthy brunette, but I’ve learned she’s not intimidated by me or anyone. It would be admirable if it didn’t piss me off.

“Lucky for you I didn’t ask,” I grind through clenched teeth.

“Leave her alone. It’s not like she lets loose often. It’s good for her,” Henry Weston’s girlfriend, Ashleigh, tells me.

Casey’s head bobs enthusiastically. “Yeah. Let me be loose.” Jagger chokes at her choice of words, and I narrow my eyes, wondering why.

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