Page 160 of Cross & Crown

told Nick. There was something in his voice, though, a

taunt perhaps. Enjoyment. Kelly got the feeling that Mikey’s

attitude in regards to Nick’s sexual orientation was perhaps

the outlier in this organization. Keep your hands inside the

ride, indeed.

“Be gentle with that one,” Paddy warned, and he sounded

amused.

The bodyguard sniffed, then grabbed Nick’s arm and

turned him, shoving him against the wal . Nick hit hard,

slamming his face and chest. The man kicked Nick’s feet

apart, then pressed his hand against the back of Nick’s head

and rammed Nick’s cheek into the plaster again. Kelly jerked

to move, but Julian’s hand on his elbow stopped him. If they

started a fight here, they’d all leave the hotel in body bags.

Nick’s face was turned away from them, so Kelly couldn’t

see his eyes, couldn’t gauge his expression. Kelly gritted his

teeth, preparing to watch this guy manhandle his lover and

unable to do anything about it.

“Watch the suit, huh?” Nick said, and his voice was

deceptively calm.

161

The bodyguard laughed. As soon as he took a step back

and gave Nick enough room, Nick brought his elbow hard

into the man’s temple, then spun and kicked him, grabbing

for the holster under the man’s jacket and pul ing the gun

away as he stumbled back from the kick. It was all dizzyingly

fast, even for Kelly, who had seen the move plenty of times

before.

With a few rapid flicks of his fingers, Nick had pulled the

slide off the Glock and dropped the magazine to the floor. He

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