I stand and face Colt, placing my hands on his chest, trying to stop him, all while Jared laughs obnoxiously.
“Dee, get out of my way.”
“Colt, leave it! He’s not worth it, babe.”
He picks me up by my waist and turns us quickly so I’m out of the way. Then he storms off toward a laughing and manic Jared. In a panic, I look at Johnny, who stands and rushes behind Colt.
Shit!
Shit. Shit!
Shit. Shit. SHIT!
“Colt, stop,” I exclaim.
He storms straight to Jared and lands a brutal punch to his nose. The sickening crack echoes over the music, and blood spills instantly as Jared crumples to the floor. Colt doesn’t hesitate—he drops to his knees, pinning Jared beneath him, fists flying in a relentless barrage.
My hand flies to my mouth as I watch Colt lose control, each hit more vicious than the last. The crowd gasps, cell phones flashing as people gather to capture the chaos. Thankfully, Johnny is there in an instant, grabbing Colt from behind and yanking him off before it goes too far.
Brad and Hux rush in next, hauling Jared off the floor, his face a mess of blood and bruises.
“Your brother’s a fucking idiot, Hux. His slut came on to me. Couldn’t keep her hands off me,” Jared lies as he spits a line of blood onto the floor.
“You bloody wish, you wanker,” I yell, stepping toward Colt, who’s still seething despite Johnny’s attempts to calm him. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I press close, but his body remains rigid, his glare fixed on Jared. “C’mon, babe,” I murmur, hoping to pull him back from the edge. But his nostrils flare, his breath coming hard and fast—my touch doing little to soothe the storm still raging inside him.
I cup his face in my hands, my thumbs brushing over his tense jaw. “Colt, look at me,” I whisper.
He exhales sharply, his eyes squeezing shut for a moment before he finally turns toward me. When he opens them again,the fury is gone, and it is replaced by something softer, something warm and steady.
“You with me?” I ask, looking deeply into those soft blue pools.
He swallows and whispers, “I’m with you.”
Raising on my toes, I kiss his lips while he holds on to me tightly.
Dingo and Sia walk over to assess the situation.
“Should we start calling you the Hulk from now on?Colt angry. Colt smash things,” Sia jokes, trying to sound likeThe Incredible Hulk. I smile, intertwining my fingers with his, and he manages a smirk, but his eyes never leave mine.
“Colt, I know he’s the biggest prick walking, but you can’t go around smashing the face of the lead singer of our opening band. What if he wants to press charges? Did you think of that before you went all ‘green’ on us?” Sia asks, bringing forward her managerial side.
Colt’s eyes are still on me, and I move my hand up to touch his face gently. He exhales, leaning into my hand, seemingly finding comfort. When I smile at him, he finally looks at Sia.
“Sorry, Sia. I know it was stupid, but what he said about Dee was fucking bullshit.”
“Yeah, maybe so, but he wanted to get a rise out of you, and that’s exactly what you gave him. He won that round, Colt, because you let him get to you. And don’t forget, you’re the one who insisted on having fucking Dragon’s Lair on this tour because of your friendship with Brad. Well, guess what? Brad and Jared are a damn package deal. So you gotta take the good with the bad. We don’t need the press getting hold of this type of shit. It won’t look good for you or the rest of the band. Sales could drop. Tours could be canceled. Producers could walk. All I ask is that you think next time before youHulkout,” Sia statesfirmly while touching his arm and squeezing. He nods, and Sia walks over to Jared, Hux, and Brad to assess the damage.
“Fuck what my wife says, Sladenator. Go fuck that kid up! He deserves the beating of a damn lifetime. In fact, I’ll come with and help. We can tag team the little bitch until he’s screaming like a baby pig, then we beat the living shit out of him till he can’t sing anymore. That’ll get rid of that cunt for good. What d’ya say?” Dingo raves, bringing his fists up and jumping from foot to foot like a boxer.
I can’t help but laugh as Anna slaps him across the back of the head, earning her a smirk.
“I know you like it rough, Madam A,” he says, and she gasps.
“Oi,” Johnny yells at Dingo. “I told you ’cause you said you wouldn’t say anything, dick. Thanks, man,” Johnny berates as he looks at Anna, blushing bright red.
“Oh, c’mon, even though you told me about her Dom sessions, we share a penthouse everywhere we go, and we hear you guys all the time, so it’s not really a shock, now is it?” Dingo questions, looking over at Colt.
“Yeah, he’s kinda right, Anna. Penthouse walls are thin. We can hear how much of a bad, bad boy Johnny has been,” Colt states.
