Page 116 of Hellbent
Wyatt snorts under his breath. “Y’all get dramatic over dinner, I swear.”
Ryder lifts his glass.
“To Wyatt,” he says. “Come back in one piece.”
Wyatt nods, lifting his own glass. “That’s the plan.”
We raise our glasses and drink.
Damian sets his glass of water down and leans back in his chair.
“Touching speech, boss,” he says, voice rich with sarcasm. “You practice that one?”
I glance at him, frowning—half expecting a grin, a joke, anything that makes it clear he’s just being Damian. But there’s nothing playful in his eyes.
Jake shifts in his seat. Wyatt’s brow furrows.
“Inspirational,” Damian goes on, tone bright and theatrical. “Uplifting. Really makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”
Ryder lifts his eyes to Damian, one brow raised.
“You got something to say, Voss?”
“Me?” Damian tilts his head, eyebrows lifted in mock innocence. “Not a thing.”
Then he turns toward me. “What do you think, Max? Did Ryder makeyoufeel all warm and fuzzy…inside?”
“Hey,” snaps Ryder—a warning.
But Damian doesn’t acknowledge him.
“Like deep,deepinside?” he continues.
Ryder’s chair scrapes back as he stands.
“That’s enough,” he snaps, voice low and lethal.
Damian turns to him.
“I'm just asking your girlfriend if your big, hard speech was thick enough to satisfy her—”
He’s still smiling when Ryder hits him.
A clean, brutal shot to the jaw—sharp enough to snap his head sideways.
Everyone jolts. Chairs scrape. I gasp—hands flying to my mouth. Jake’s already out of his seat. Wyatt shoves back his chair and lunges toward them.
Damian stands and hurls himself at Ryder, shoving his shoulders. Ryder responds with a second punch, fast and vicious. Blood glints on Damian’s lip.
“Stop!” I scream.
But Damian keeps coming, swinging wild. His fist connects with Ryder’s jaw, snapping his head to the side. Ryder just growls low and drives forward.
They slam into the edge of the table. Plates clatter. A wine glass shatters on the floor. A candle tumbles under a chair.
“Stop it!” I shout again, staggering to my feet, heart hammering.
Ryder grabs a fistful of Damian’s hoodie and slams him into the wall. His other hand cocks back, ready to strike again.
