All I know is that he has two seconds to let go of her, or I’m going to kill him.
A second later, he lets go of her arm and holds up his hand. She stumbles back. I reach out for her, gently grab her arm, and pull her close to me
“What happened? Are you okay?” I ask.
She nods even though I can see the tears in her eyes. She blinks quickly and purses her lips, like she’s trying not to cry.
My stomach twists into a knot. She’s not okay.
A wild, unfamiliar energy swoops through me.
“Baby, what happened?” I ask gently. “Who is this guy?”
She opens her mouth, but he starts speaking.
“We’re old friends just catching up. Right, Ellie?”
I don’t miss the way this guy stares at her like he’s trying to drill a hole in the side of her head.
She doesn’t say anything. She just tears up again and stares down at the drinks she’s holding.
I look at him. “I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to my wife.”
His brow lifts, and I can tell by the way he tenses and shoves his hands in his pockets, he’s nervous. Good. He should be. He hurt my wife, and I’m going to make him pay for that.
Ellie sniffles. “This is Damien, my ex. He was…” Her voice shakes as she trails off. “He said?—”
“We were just talking,” he says, cutting her off.
I glower at him. “Shut up,” I bite before turning back to her. I make sure my tone is softer when I speak to her. “What did he say?”
“That he wished he would have been rougher to me when we were together. That he should have just held me down and done what he wanted with me.”
A bonfire explodes inside of me. In an instant, I feel like a rabid animal eager to rip something, anything to shreds.
Damien shakes his head. “She’s lying.”
Her mouth falls open as tears fall down her face. “I’m not lying. That’s exactly what you said.”
Just then, Sophie runs up to us.
“Hey, is everything okay?” she asks, looking between the three of us.
Gently, I guide Ellie to her. “Will you take Ellie back to the table?”
As soon as Sophie and Ellie are gone, I grab Damien by the collar of his shirt, drag him through the bar, and shove him through the back door.
He mutters something about how Ellie is a liar and owes him money, but I don’t say anything. I’m not going to even respond to whatever bullshit this asshole is making up about her.
I toss him into the dingy brick wall of the alley.
“Fuck!” he groans when he lands on his shoulder.
“You threatened her?” I say as I stand over him.
“She’s lying. That bitch.”
I punch him in the stomach. He cries out and falls forward.
