Page 82 of (Un)Expected

I made it there without rushing, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to the situation. If Alex was fine, she was going to rip me a new one for overreacting, especially when she’d been giving me shit all night for hovering. Passing the security guards in the front, my blood ran cold when I saw no one waiting outside the club. No cars, only photographers scampering for pictures of celebrities leaving the party, hopefully in a state of inebriation.

To be sure, I headed out further, scanning the rest of the block. The street was lined with cabs and different cars, the sound of blaring horns the only thing I heard.

There was no sign of Alex.

Trying to keep my pulse steady, I grabbed my phone from my pocket, sending off quick messages to her, Adam, and Theo.

Theo: still no sign of her in here.

Adam: Did you try the back? There’s another private exit in case you want to avoid paps

Me: Trying it now.

Pressing through the throngs of people, my patience finally snapped. I was done trying to gingerly push through the crowd, instead using my large frame to force people apart. I didn’t care who I pissed off—I needed to see with my own two eyes that Alex was okay.

As soon as I got to the other side of the club, I found a darkened hallway leading toward the exit Adam mentioned. My hand hadn’t even reached the door when I heard raised voices, loud enough to carry over the music inside. Shoving the door open, I searched for Alex, rushing into the alley to find the source of the noise.

That was when my heart stopped cold.

She was pressed up against the wall, a towering figure hoveringover her, his hand over her mouth. Her eyes were firmly closed, her head wildly shaking, trying to get him to release her.

I couldn’t hear the words spewing out of his mouth—only the pounding of my heartbeat. Rage raced through my bones unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

It only took two steps for me to reach them, ripping the man off her. Alex collapsed to the floor, and I instantly went to grab her, but the fucker was fast and grabbed me around my neck. Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t a stranger to dirty fighting tactics. With a swift jab of my elbow to his gut, he dropped back, panting for breath.

“You motherfucker!” I screamed, pulling my leg back so I could slam my boot into his side. The loud thud and subsequent cries weren’t enough to soothe the beast inside me.

For hurting the woman I loved.

There was nothing but red.

I didn’t know how many times I hit him or when he stopped fighting back, but after another heavy thud to his face, a slight, gentle touch on my back broke my haze.

“Cole?” Alex’s quiet voice called, and without another thought, I stood, taking in her trembling body and tear-stained cheeks. “It’s okay, I’m okay.”

Holy fuck. I looked down at the sad sack on the ground, and I couldn’t bring myself to feel an ounce of remorse, not when he put his hands on my girl. He was lucky to be breathing at all. I brought my hands up to Alex’s face, brushing the tears from her cheeks. As soon as our skin made contact, her knees gave out, and she practically collapsed into my arms.

I scooped her up, pulling her tightly into my chest. There were no words to describe the feeling overtaking me, the twin pangs of anger and relief battling for dominance. With a look over my shoulder to make sure the bastard hadn’t moved, I carried Alex out of there.

He’d never lay a hand on her again.

On the rideback to the hotel, Alex stayed seated in my lap, no matter how many dirty looks the cab driver gave us. I doubted this was the oddest thing he’d ever witnessed back here, but even if it was, I didn’t care. Alex was still trembling and not saying a word. There was no way I was letting her go.

I wanted to check every inch of her for marks, to erase any painful touch on her skin, but I didn’t move, holding her against the crook of my neck. If it wasn’t for the light brushes of her eyelashes against my skin, I’d think she was asleep.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I ignored it, sure it was only Adam on the other end. Before leaving, I sent him a message telling him what happened. He immediately put Theo on the situation, and for once, I was glad he was in our corner. I was already starting to dread the consequences of my actions, but there wasn’t an ounce of regret. That fucker hurt Alex; he was lucky to still breathing at all, and I’d do it all again if it meant she was here, safe with me.

When we arrived at the hotel, I shifted and got out first, helping her to her feet since she refused to let me carry her. “I need to walk in there on my own,” Alex whispered, her first words since the alley. “I don’t want someone to snap a picture and turn it into something against Adam.”

Fuck that. I hated that was what Alex was concerned about. Adam’s reputation should be thelastthing on her mind. Apparently, whatever bullshit Theo had shoved down her throat sank in. I’d gotten the same speech more times than I cared to count, and most of the time, I tried to toe the line, to not let my actions reflect poorly on the man who saved my life.

Right now, though, I couldn’t bring myself to give a single fuck. I settled for my hand on her back, leading her to the elevator bay. As soon as the door shut, locking us in our own little world, I pulled her back to me, still trying to convince myself that she was there.

If I was a couple of minutes later, if I hadn’t gone looking for her?—

Fuck no. I wasn’t going to let my imagination go there. I’d never thought of myself as a violent man, but the moment I walked out into that alley, one thing became clear.

I would kill anyone who harmed Alex Green.

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