Page 47 of Unfriend Me
My feet moved before my brain knew what I was up to, a surge of testosterone ruling out any sense of not making a scene in public. The fucker stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, dress pants and a button-down dress shirt like he was some kind of slick salesman from the big city. He needed to learn we didn’t take kindly to his method of use and abuse in this town. We may not have fancy clothing, but we took care of each other.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded, tapping him on the shoulder.
He spun around, one dark eyebrow lifting. Had to admit, he looked good. Strong, dark hair slicked back like an Italian mafia man, a jawline that’d make the ladies swoon. Which just pissed me off more. I knew why Amelia would fall for this guy. He was theFifty Shades of Greydude had he been from a crime family in Italy and hit the iron on the regular.
“Jackson.” He nodded and turned back around, dismissing me.
Oh, fuck no.
This time, the tap on the shoulder wasn’t polite. It was more like I spun his ass around forcefully, making Mrs. Trudowsky behind us gasp and move farther away. Smart lady.
“What’s your problem, Jackson?” he spat at me.
All eyes in the coffee shop were now on us, the tension palpable as we stared each other down. Lukas, Lenora’s little brother, came from around the counter to stand next to me. I appreciated the unquestioned support.
“You’re not welcome here in Hell. Go back to where you came from, Daire.” I kept my voice firm but fair. Gave him a chance to get out before I made him leave. I was feeling quite charitable despite the hunger gnawing at my gut.
He huffed out a laugh. “Tell that to your mayor. I got a meeting with him in thirty minutes.”
An overwhelming sense of foreboding washed over me. Meeting with the mayor? That could only spell trouble if the two of them were in cahoots. Amelia’s warning earlier about there being something fishy about the mayor took hold in my brain. I took a step closer, my chest now invading his personal space. He may be a little broader, but I was still taller. And it felt really good to look down at him.
“Thing is, the mayor doesn’t decide things around here. So whatever plans you have in mind, you might as well just forget about it. Ain’t happening.”
The little bell above the front door of the shop rang out in the silence. I didn’t bother turning, but I did hear a commotion behind me. People began to whisper and Daire’s gaze darted behind me. That’s when the evil took over his features.
“He and I got plans for a new hotel in town. I’m sure no one would be sad to see that fleabag Hell Hotel put out of business. I’d be helping your little town, Jackson.”
“Like hell you will!” Amelia’s shout rang out behind me.
I turned around to see her standing by the door like an avenging angel. Her hands were on her hips, her brown eyes flashing and her gaze locked on Daire. She marched forward, Yedda and Poppy flanking her backside like an elderlyCharlie’s Angelstrio.
I stepped in between them when she didn’t look like she had any intention of stopping. There was no way I was letting Daire get that close to her ever again. Who knew what the asshole was capable of?
“You know building my own hotel has been my dream since I was little. How dare you come back tomyhometown and take away my dream just because your fragile little boy ego can’t handle a girl breaking up with you?” Whooee, Amelia was on a roll.
“LDE,” Yedda muttered to no one in particular. Poppy nodded like that made perfect sense.
“Where’s Waldo when you need him?” Poppy whispered back.
I frowned, not understanding the LDE reference, but then again, when did I ever understand Poppy or Yedda?
“I know you’re tangled up in something with the mayor and I will stop you. Mark my words.” Amelia’s jaw clenched tight and for a quick second I almost felt sorry for Daire. He didn’t seem to understand riling up Amelia was a very bad idea. If he wanted to keep his life and limbs, he shouldn’t poke the bear.
Daire smirked and reached toward Amelia. Everything went in slow motion from then on. I saw his meaty hand reaching for my woman and I couldn’t let that happen. I knocked his hand away and he turned to me with his black eyes raging. I saw his arm cock back and knew to duck, but then Amelia pushed her way into the mix, not realizing what was happening. Lukas made a desperate grab to pull her back, but he was no match for a pissed-off Amelia. I had to get her out of the way of Daire’s flying arm. There was no way I’d let that asshole hurt her again. Not on my watch. Which meant there wasn’t time for me to duck after pulling Amelia behind me. His fist hit me square in the jaw.
The sound of bone crunching bone brought everything back to real time.
Lukas put a steadying hand on my back so I didn’t go down from the punch. Yedda screamed and Amelia gasped. The room went fuzzy, but I chose the middle of the three Daires in my vision and got right up in his face.
“You ever touch Amelia again or put one single frown on her face, I’ll make you wish you never stepped foot in Hell. Am I clear?”
Daire didn’t look as scared from my warning as I wished, but he did back up and edge toward the door. Poppy sprang into action, whacking Daire repeatedly with her loaded mail bag while Yedda yelled about calling the cops and pressing charges. He had to back out of the shop entirely, his hands up in self-defense. Amelia started barking orders at the townsfolk standing by. Someone came from behind the counter with a bag of ice and held it out to me.
Pain laced up the side of my face, barely registering with the rage I felt toward the guy I’d mistakenly befriended over a year ago. I deserved to feel this pain. I was the one who’d introduced Daire to Amelia and then brought him into this town.
Once everyone had calmed down, the shop went back to making coffee and serving pastries, though I felt their gazes still flickering over to us between whispered gossip. Amelia finally calmed down enough to just stare at me. Her expression was unreadable, which bothered me more than the ache in my jaw. I knew all her expressions and yet this one was new. Contemplative maybe?
“Are you okay?” I asked gently. Seeing her ex must have been a shock.
