Page 2 of Ruthless Salvation

“Hey, Keir. You all having a good night?”

“Trying to. This one’s got her panties in a wad, and you know how fun this ray of sunshine is.” He motioned to Torin, then winked at me.

Keir freaking Byrnewinkedat me while teasing his cousin. I burst into a peel of laughter.

These three had definitely been at it for a while.

Torin grumbled, casting a scathing glare at Keir.

“Hey now,” I chided playfully. “It’s my job to give him a hard time. Don’t be moving in on my turf.”

“Knowing this surly bastard, there’s plenty of opportunity to go around.”

My gaze locked briefly with Torin’s smoldering blue stare. The alcohol must have interfered with his intentions because the irritation I expected to find looked more like ravenous hunger. So much so that it sent a cascade of electric tingles down my spine. I drove the man crazy with my teasing. If he had any idea his intended glare had come off heated rather than glacial, he’d have been mortified.

“You’re probably right,” I murmured distractedly while lifting the full drink tray onto my right palm. It was time for a quick escape. “You three enjoy.” I shot a quick smile to Shae and fled back toward the middle of the club.

What the hell was that?

Tor had never once looked at me like that. I’d have remembered because the single stare made me feel like he’d stripped me naked and was seconds from devouring me.

It had to have been the alcohol, right? Eyes hooded from intoxication could easily be confused with lust. And if the alcoholhadmade him horny, that didn’t necessarily have anything to do withme. I was probably just the first non-family female to have approached since they opened the whiskey.

That needed to be the case because Torin showing me interest, while shamefully tempting, was problematic in more ways than I could count. As much as my brain wanted to fixate on the situation, the club was too busy. I had a rowdy bachelor party occupying one of my booths that had been waiting for their drinks and were not shy about advertising that fact. I’d clocked two potential creeps in their group the minute they walked in, and both were waving their arms at me.

I hurried over and unloaded my tray with their next round. They’d been generous with tips for me and the dancers, so I did my best to ignore their more obnoxious elements.

“You gents all good for the moment?” I asked after I’d handed out the last drink.

“I suppose for the moment…” The young guy sitting at the end of the booth spoke up right before placing a resounding slap on my ass.

Bingo.

Creep.

His buddies responded with wide eyes and an uproar of laughter. Only one had the decency to look embarrassed.

I didn’t give him the gasp of shock and laughter he likely anticipated. It wasn’t the first time or even the twenty-first time a man had tried to take liberties with me. Instead, I gave him a look I liked to call the Smiling Assassin—a bright Southern grin with daggers in my eyes.

“Now, now,Chad. You don’t want to ruin your friend’s fun by getting all six of you kicked out, do you? And you certainly wouldn’t want everyone to know you’re too green behind the ears to know the rules at a place like this. You don’t touch the girls—any of us—unless given express permission. Understood?” That last word packed a condescending punch, accented by a single brow raise.

He lifted his hands in a plea of innocence. “Just having a little fun.”

“Well, if you try to have any more fun, it’ll be Blaze’s turn to have a little fun with you.”

His gaze followed mine to the mountain of muscle standing against the wall near the stage.

I rapped my knuckles on the table. “You boys enjoy. I’ll be back to check on you in a few.”

You didn’t have to work at a place like this for long to learn who the problematic customers were. Chad and his buddies weren’t even close. Now that I’d set them straight, they’d fall into line twittering the rest of the night about how they almost got thrown out of a strip club.

After checking on two other groups, I noted we were running low on cocktail napkins behind the bar, so I slipped away to the storeroom in the back. While scanning the shelves, I felt someone join me in the small room.

Torin.

Why did he always look so damn imposing in small spaces? His dominating presence filled up what little space his physical body left unoccupied until hardly any oxygen remained in the room.

“Hey,” I said on a shaky breath. “Everything okay?”

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