Page 40 of The Ruthless and the Strong

“Sure,” I said, before I thought twice about it. I wanted to take the word back as soon as it escaped my lips, but it was too late now. Mason patted my back and turned on the TV to a game.

* * *

Mason checkedhis phone on the drive over. Logan was driving us because he owned a black Cadillac Escalade, big enough to fit eight people.

He bought this car two years ago when he got engaged to Hayden. I thought he was preparing for the big family he was hoping Hayden would give him.

Not that he would say anything or pressure her into anything. Hayden had made the poor sucker wait two long years for their engagement already, and I knew he would happily wait for her for the rest of his life if that was what she really wanted.

I shook my head and turned to Mason, who was sitting in the back seat with me. I could see his frown from the light of the phone flashing on his face.

“What?” I asked.

“Olivia’s location. It said she just entered some bar,” he said. Both he and Olivia shared their location with each other on their phones. It took a lot of trust to share that much with each other in their relationship, and some people might say that was over the top, but it worked for them. It wasn’t like either one of them had anything to hide in the relationship.

“What bar?” I asked.

His frown deepened. “Ace’s. Have you heard of it?”

I shook my head. I didn’t visit a lot of bars. Not anymore, and even when I was young, not often. But there was something about this bar. Something nagged at the back of my mind. “Why does the name sound familiar?” I asked.

Gage turned back to me. “Wasn’t that the bar that was in the news last month?”

My heart raced when I finally remembered why. I nodded. “That’s right. There was a shooting there. Three people died.”

“What the fuck?” This came from Logan. He met my eyes in the rearview mirror. “What the hell are they doing there?”

I didn’t know, but fuck, I hoped nothing happened to them. Logan answered my silent plea when he stepped on the gas and sped down across the street. Thankfully, we weren’t in a very crowded area. We didn’t talk on the drive over there. I counted down the seconds, hating the thought that Olivia and Lizzie were there and they might need my protection and I couldn’t fucking provide it.

I felt so helpless during the long twenty-minute ride over, I was half convinced I could get to them faster if I ran. It stemmed from my need to do something, and not sit on my ass while Logan drove the car. Still, I fidgeted in my seat.

“Relax,” Mason said. “I’m sure we’re making this out to be worse than it is. They’re probably just there for a drink or so before they leave. Olivia checked in and said she and the girls were looking for a place to get out of the cold and wait for the lines to the club to die down.”

“Yeah? I might actually believe it if you sounded convinced yourself.”

Mason didn’t say anything to that, because as much as he wanted to sound logical about this, he was just as worried.

We finally pulled up, and luckily, Logan was able to find a parking spot by the door. We didn’t say anything when we got out of the car and walked toward the front door. As soon as we entered, I knew something wasn’t right. It took me a half a second to figure out what was going on, but when I did, all I could feel was anger and surprise.

“What the fuck?” Gage said loudly.

Everything was fucking chaos in the bar, and it looked like our women were at the center of it all. They were fighting with another group of girls. I winced when I saw Lizzie take a hit to the jaw, and my anger multiplied even though Lizzie did come back at her, and from the looks of it, she was winning.

My girl could handle herself, but that didn’t mean I liked seeing someone hurting her. Olivia was standing off to the corner, an empty mug in her hand, watching a fight between two girls I didn’t recognize.

Indecision fought inside me, wanting to get to both Olivia and Lizzie at the same time. Mason placed his hand on my shoulder. “I got her,” he said, I nodded, even when everything in me told me to grab Olivia and Lizzie, get them the fuck out of there, and protect them with everything in me.

Mason got Olivia. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Didn’t mean I liked it, but I trusted him.

We didn’t say anything and moved toward our girls. I got between Lizzie and the other girl, shooting a glare the girl’s way. At least she had the good sense to hold off, and I didn’t think. I moved to Lizzie and pulled her in close to me, feeling like I could breathe for the first time since I stepped foot in the bar.

Mine.

She was fucking mine.

“Max?”

I didn’t say anything. Only tightened my hold on her for a fraction. A slight tremor worked its way up my spine, and I didn’t know how I would be able to let her go at the end of the night.

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