Page 67 of These Jagged Edges

"Fine! But only because I love you." I hop off my stool and everything seems to be titled on its side. I slowly make my way to the bar and clear my throat. Crow turns an artic gaze my way.

I hold up a finger. "One more round please."

"I don't know about that, Little Bird." Fuck, his eyes are hypnotic. I almost forgot why I had stumbled over here to begin with.

"Last one, scouts honor! Then I'll be sure to get mouth out here safe and sound." He and I both know who the hell I’m referring to. We exchange a silent understanding before he nods his head.

"Last one, Little Bird."

"Yep! Thank you!" I head back to our table and barely sit down when I notice Lou is gone.

"Where the hell is—" My words die in my throat as some pop hit from my youth plays, and I find Lou’s willowy ass dancing on the dance floor with her finger crooked my way. I down the rest of my drink before looking at Allison, who looks scared to death.

"Girl code one on one, never leave a bitch hanging." With that, I grab her hand and tug her tiny ass to the dance floor with me.

We don’t stop there, I honestly lose count of how many songs we dance through. We are too busy in our little bubble to acknowledge much else. One of us will randomly stop and go get a drinkfrom the table but we never leave the dance floor. It's on one of my trips back that I feel an arm snake around my middle.

"Hey Evie, surprised to see you here tonight."

Good lord, I sigh to myself. Trip Waller. I’ve been turning down this man left and right for the past two years. He’s nice enough just not the previously mentioned emo asshole I've grown attached to.

I turn out of his grasp. "Well, it's a bar, everyone comes in here."

"Say how about me and you go find a little quiet place to chat?" His greasy smile makes me uneasy.

"No thank you."

Trip steps closer. "Come on now Evie, you've been teasing me for a few years now. I've been patient, but a man only has so much patience."

"I have not been ‘teasing you’ and newsflash, buddy I don't give a damn about your patience because I'm not interested. Like I've been telling you for two years now."

Trip gets in my face. "Listen here you fucking bitch," he hisses. "You owe me a good lay and I'm going to get it one way or another."

Owe him? Is that how his peanut brain works? Any women he’s interested in has to put out solely becausehe’sinterested? Women should seriously stop populating with asshole’s who are beneath them because the world could stand less Trip’s in it. This raggedy bitch has me fired up and ready to go. I’m about to light his ass up like a Christmas tree, I just have to wait for him to make the first move then fucknut is in for one hell of a surprise.

I laugh in his face. "I don't owe you shit."

His sweaty hand grabs me by the throat, but before I can make a move, Trip is yanked clear off his feet. Looking behind him, a familiar murderous glare clashes with my own. Holding Trip midair by the scruff of his neck Maddox leans in. "Did I just see your filthy fucking hand wrapped aroundmy woman's neck?"

Trip's terrified eyes meet mine. "N-No!"

The only way to describe the smile that sneaks across Maddox's face is pure malevolent. "Liar."

Then faster than my drunk ass can comprehend Maddox drops him putting him in an arm bar. The sickening break of his arm vibrates throughout the silent bar. Standing to his full height he picks Trip up by the throat again squeezing. "You ever look at her again or fucking attempt to breathe the same air as her, and I’ll fucking kill you.” Not a threat, a chilling ass promise. Trip's face is growing more purple by the second.

"Enough! Maddox, let go!" Henry bellows across the bar. Maddox lets go and Trip goes crashing down like a sack of potatoes.

"How dare you, Maddox Cole!" Ignoring my two friends urging me to keep quiet, I push on. "I was about to handle that!"

If I wasn't intoxicated, I might have paid closer attention to the man before me, because I’ve never seen him like this. His pupils are blown away, and he looks every damn bit like a vicious predator. He has a wicked gleam in his eye and that air of violence he carries with him fills every space of the room we are in.

"Henry, lock his ass up!" I hiccup, "Teach him a lesson or two." I look around the massive mass in search of his brother when suddenly everything is flipped upside down, and the room is getting smaller and smaller. I overhear Henry and Crow talking as we pass.

"Damn, Crow! I said cut them off at two or three max!"

"It's not my fault! They sent the sweet one over asking for one last round!"

"Of course she did. LOUISANA ROSE!"

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