Page 53 of Inflame Me
Princess and Blaze haven’t come back from wherever they went. I push open the heavy curtain blocking the back from the front. Doug smiles at me and says nothing. He must be really scared of Rhys. I can’t say I blame him.
There are twice, maybe triple, the amount of people now crushing the room. By the sixth excuse me, I give up and just start barreling through the crowd, hoping to get to the bar. At least I can get a drink while I look for them. I figure my jeans, pale blue shirt, and toned down hair will tell all the guys that I’m not a dancer here. There are a few women, but men are the majority.
An arm comes around my waist, pulling me into a hard, pudgy stomach. My hands immediately fall on the one gripped around me.
“Look what we’ve got here.” The man’s alcohol-laced breath comes to the side of my face, and I want to gag.
“Let go,” I tell him, wiggling out of his grasp. Unfortunately, he’s strong, reminding me of James. Heat pours through me at that thought just as two more men step to the front and beside me. Oh, hell no.
Rearing back with my elbow, I give him a savage thrust into his gut at the same time I stomp hard on his foot, thanking God I wore boots. His grip loosens, and I move, but I don’t get far before one of the guys snatches me and the other slaps me hard across the face. The burn from the blow radiates through my face and down my neck.
I pull my chin to my chest and slam my head back hard into the guy holding me. From the wetness on my neck, I know I at least bloodied his nose.
His arm leaves me as he starts calling me a stupid bitch and saying, “I’ll get you whore.” The guy who slapped me grabs my hair and pulls it hard, each strand straining to stay inside my scalp. He begins to drag me, but I refuse to let my feet move. Where in the hell is security in this place?
My hair is abruptly released, and I tumble to the ground from the force of trying to get it out of the man’s grasp. My breaths come out in pants as I rush to my feet, assessing my surroundings. Rhys stands in front of me, his eyes full of unleashed fury.
My heart races. I have to admit, he’s scaring the shit out of me with that look.
“You okay?” His tone is angry and fierce.
Instead of words, I nod my head just as Princess runs out of the crowd, coming to stand next to me.
Rhys turns behind him where Dagger, Cruz, GT, and the other brothers are holding the guys with their arms behind their backs as the scramble to try to get away from them.
“Princess,” Rhys says, eyeing her.
“Got it.” She pulls my arm. “Come on. Let’s get you up to the office. Blaze, make sure everything is smooth,” she calls out as we walk up a curved staircase that has a wide view of the floor below. My eyes immediately find Rhys, who is throwing punch after punch on the guys who tried to hurt me. My eyes well with unshed tears, the actions of the men racing through my head.
Princess pulls me into an immaculate office in the same black and blood red as downstairs. She leads me to a chair and has me sit. I don’t move, too stunned, as she comes back and places something cold in my hand. I look down to the bright blue ice pack and remember the fire in my cheek. I place it on the side of my face with a wince.
“What the fuck happened out there?” Princess questions, sitting on the edge of a huge desk, her eyes pinned on me.
“I was coming out to find you and Blaze …” I tell her everything in a rush, not taking a breath as I explain.
“Fuck. I’m gonna kill those fuckers,” she growls.
“The guys?”
She smirks. “Fuck no. The boys are dealing with those asses. I’m talking about my security. This shit isn’t supposed to happen here, and they damn well know it.” She pulls out her phone and types something then sets it down.
“What are they gonna do to them?” I ask. My head and jaw hurt, but I’ve had worse, and I’m not about to let it get to me.
“Teach them a lesson, ban them from the club.” She shrugs. “Who knows what else?” Just like they did with Griff. A shiver quakes me. “It’s my fault. I should have told you to stay in the back or call me if you wanted to come out.” Princess moves to the chair behind her desk and takes a seat.
“You couldn’t have known,” I tell her because there is no way she should blame herself for the actions of a few morons. “I’m sure it’ll all work out, right?” I don’t know if I am trying to reassure her or myself at this point.
“I’ll have to fuck up security again. Motherfucker.” She picks up her phone, speaks into it, and then slams it down to the holder. “Blaze is coming.”
I nod. “Why ‘again’?” I can’t help asking.
“When Blaze danced, she had an asshole jump up on stage and tackle her. Tug took care of the guy, and I upped security, or so I thought.” I don’t process most of what she says. I’m stuck on the Blaze dancing part. She’s beautiful, and I bet she brought home a serious amount of cash. I don’t ask, though, even if it’s on the tip of my tongue to do so.
The door burst open behind me, and I leap to my feet, dropping the ice pack to the ground. Rhys stands at the door, heaving with blood dripping from his hands.
I clutch my hands together and put them against my chest, knowing his mood is anything but happy.
“Come here,” he orders, the rise and fall of his wide chest and flaring nostrils freaking me out. He’s so pissed right now I’m not sure I should go to him, so I hesitate. “Sprite,” he says tersely.
