Page 79 of Delicate Escape

“Stop being such a cocktease. You were shaking your ass out there like a little slut. Wanted every man in this place to watch you. Now you’re playing all innocent?” he snarled.

Russ made to grab for my waist but halted as I felt a wall of fury at my back.

“Get. Your. Hands. Off. Her,” Shep snarled.

Russ sneered at him. “She yours? You really need to take a stronger hand with her. Whoring herself out all over that dance floor.”

One second, Russ was standing there. The next, Shep’s fistconnected with his nose in a sickening crunch I heard even over the music.

Russ crumpled to the floor in a wailing heap. “What the fuck?” he cried, but his voice sounded funny. Like he suddenly had a cold.

“Don’t ever speak to her again. You even think of looking in her direction, and I’ll do a hell of a lot worse than break your nose.”

Russ was on his feet again. “You think you can threaten me, Box Baby? You’re nothing but a bastard?—”

Shep lunged.

31

SHEP

A red hazeslipped over my vision as I moved to deck the bastard in front of me. But someone grabbed my shirt from behind just as Kye stepped between us, giving Russ a strong shove.

“Get the fuck out of here, Wheeler,” Kye growled. “Shep held back. You know I won’t.”

“His whore started it,” Russ whined.

Thea’s face paled at his words, and the red haze came back. I charged.

“Hell,” Anson cursed. “A little help?”

Kye turned, his eyes flaring slightly as he pushed me back. “Don’t. He’s not worth it.”

But I couldn’t stop. Thea had been hurt too much already. I wasn’t about to let it happen again.

“Jesus,” Anson muttered as he tried to hold me. “Have you been taking steroids or something?”

A soft hand pressed againstmy cheek. “Shepard.”

Thea’s voice was far from loud, but I still heard her above all the noise—the smoky lilt to it, the way it curled around me like an embrace.

Unshed tears shone in her eyes. “Please, don’t.”

All the fight went out of me, and Anson and Kye felt it, releasing me but keeping watch. I moved into Thea, my hands skimming over her. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Russ was shouting in the background as a bouncer dragged him toward the door.

“I’m fine. It just took me by surprise. That’s all.”

She wasn’t fine. I could feel the tremor in her muscles. I pulled her into me. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

“Oh, God. Thea,” Rhodes said, moving toward us. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see him. I was talking to the bartender, and then someone yelled?—”

“She’s okay,” Anson said, tugging her gently toward him. “But I think we should head out.”

Fallon sent me a worried look. “Want me to call Trace? Thea should file a report. That was assault.”

Thea’s head snapped up. “No! No cops. I just…I just want to go home.”

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