Page 39 of Guarded

“Shawny got her all riled up about the two of you. I don’t think you’re gonna find her the same way ya left her.”

I rush through the garage toward the main building. Loud music blares from within the bar. The closer I get the more I can make out the voice singing. The God-awful singing I know from her early morning showers.

“Baila, Baila esta cumbia, ritmo, nadie.” Ariella sings.

I look at Ofelia, who’s followed closely behind me, and she shrugs. Ari is on top of one of the pool tables with a karaoke mic, singing and dancing to the music. Her eyes are glossy, and her cheeks are flushed.

She doesn’t look at me while she continues to put on her performance. Her biggest fans, Larry, Chunks, and Salvi, stand front and center, cheering her on. Larry takes off his cowboy hatand throws it up to her. She places it on her head and continues to shake her hips, singing over Selena Quintanilla.

It had been Larry’s fucking idea to get the jukebox, and I said yes, not realizing it would come back to bite me in the ass like this. I stand there frozen, watching the fuckery happening in front of me.

I lean against the counter where even Ofelia’s eyes are plastered to Ariella’s performance as she holds on to Guapo. He sees me and barks. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was just as pissed off as me about the way all these men were lusting over our girl.

Shawny’s arms are crossed in front of her as she glares up at Ari. Her snarky smile returns when she sees me.

“I may have given Princess a few too many Don Julios and Dr. Peppers.” I reach out and grab her by the hair.

“I don’t know what fucking games you’re playing, but keep them away from my club,” I growl into her ear. The music ends, and I hear the cheering behind me. I release Shawny and turn to see Ari glaring down at me from the top of the pool table.

The music changes to Fresita by Fuerza Regida, and she gives me one last look. It’s full of provocation, but I can see the hurt she’s masking.

She drops to her knees and begins to roll her hips forward and backward in front of Chunks. I’m halfway there before she bends over and grabs Chunks. With a fist full of his vest, she pulls him to her and presses her lips to his.

What happens next will forever go down in history as the day Nero Dizon lost his fucking mind.

“Oh lord, help us all.” Ofelia Whispers behind me.

My steps are light as I walk toward the pool table. It takes everything in me to stay calm when my blood feels like hot lava beneath my skin. The crowd moves to make way for me. A mixof motorcycle club members and regulars from outside taking advantage of the happy hour drinks.

They all move back. The kiss is brief but I can see the way Chunks is staring at Ari. Like a lovesick motherfucker, and I want to send him on a one-way trip to hell.

Slowly, Ari tilts her head to look at me, and the defiance glows in those green eyes. The softness has been dimmed, and that shyness she carried was left behind in the bottom of a bottle of Don Julio.

Her lips curl in a subtle fuck you to me, and I have no idea what I did to sour her sweet, but I’ll be damned if she thinks I’m gonna watch her kiss another man. I grab a pool stick and break it over Chunk’s back.

He groans in pain and turns with his fist up to me. Grabbing him by the shirt, I drive my fist into his face. I watch in satisfaction as he falls to the ground and look up to see the shock on everyone’s face.

Everyone in the bar gasps. I was usually the least violent of the bunch. I was a lot of things before Ariella Reyes turned me inside out.

“Shows over, folks,” Jasper says into the mic.

I grab Ari from off the table.

“Don’t touch me!” She shouts, and I shake my head.

I let her go, and gravity pulls her in every direction as she stumbles out the door. Her heels go in for the final attack as she wobbles and faces plants into the mud. She starts crying, so I pick her up and put her in the back of the car, where Ofelia meets me with Guapo.

“Let me run in and grab her some towels,” Ofelia says, shaking her head at the whole thing.

I slam the car door, and Jasper’s already made his way down the lawn.

“What the fuck was that Nero?”

“What did it look like?” I snap back.

“It looks like you’re starting to get a little too caught up in this shit you have going on with some bitch.” He says, pinning me with a glare.

This mother fucker.

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