Page 8 of Come Inside

Technically, Mateo’s directive was to watch over her while she was at this dinner.

Mateo twisted back to the man who was now looking around in confusion.

Mateo memorized his face.

He could always finish this business later.

He stood up from his seat in the corner, stretching as he went and cracking his neck. He never underestimated the importance of stretching. Especially at his age.

Mateo threw some money on the table, and after his body was properly adjusted, he made his way to the exit.

Chapter 6

Yara

“Another shot please.” This wasn’t my typical bar, but it would do. It was lit in red, the drinks were heavy, and it hadn’t gotten too busy yet.

I smiled at the bartender as he set my glass down and made my way back to the corner booth. I had zero interest in being social, I wanted to numb some of the aching pain that was threatening to overwhelm me.

I had just enough time to throw back my shot before two men slid into my booth, wedging me in the middle.

If I was a bit more sober, the panic might very well have set in, but I wasn’t.

“May I help you?” I asked, not looking at either of them.

“What’s a pretty little thing like you doing alone here?” The one to the right leaned in, pressing into my shoulder.

“Waiting for my boyfriend,” I stated nonchalantly, adding a shrug for good measure.

“Oh, is that right? You’ve been waiting for quite some time,” The other man advised.

His words sent a chill of unease down my spine.

Exactly how long had they been watching me for?

Across the room, I watched a large barrel chested man I had been keeping tabs on get up. I suspected he was Kazi’s “cousin.”

“Here he comes now. Sugar!” I waved my hand as the burly man approached.

He looked absolutely nothing like Kazi, but I supposed cousins could do that. Where Kazi was pretty, this man was rugged. Dangerous. He stood well over six feet tall, muscular, and had a shaved beard covering his jaw.

A jolt of desire shot straight to my core as he walked up.

What the fuck?

“Yara,” the newcomer stated, his voice gruff from disuse. Calling me by my name confirmed what I already knew–he was the man Kazi sent in his absence. He turned to my unwanted guests; they were no longer arguing with me, instead their faces had turned white.

Men never quite listened when a woman said no. They had to wait for a man to back her up.

One left right away, putting his hands up in surrender, but the other clearly had a death wish.

“I watched you get up from across the room, I bet you her name isn’t even Yara. Fuck off man, I found her first.”

My hand came up on its own accord, my palm landing up and against the intruder’s nose with a satisfying crack.

“You bitch!” He went to raise his hand as if to hit me back, but Kazi’s cousin was already there to forcibly remove him.

“I suggest you leave. Now.” The voice left no room for argument and this time the sod left without a backwards glance cursing up a storm.

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