I’m halfway down the block when I slow.
For fucks’ sake.
She doesn’t want your help. She made that more than fucking clear.
But it feels like the sky might open up at any moment. It’s pitch black.
And I really didn’t like the look of those guys.
I pinch the skin between my eyes in irritation. “Go home, asshole.”
Emilia Marsters is none of my damn business. A fact she made more than clear this evening.
But my feet are already turning, pushing me back toward The Setlist.
I’m not enough of an idiot to risk walking back inside. But I lean against the wall, the darkness more than enough to hide me as the last of the punters come stumbling out.
One of them nudges his friend. “I’m gonna wait for her. Reckon she’d be well up for it.”
“You’ll have to pull the stick out of her ass first.”
“Definitely. Better than looking at her face.”
They all snicker, falling into each other.
The rush of blood, the pounding in my ears overshadows the sound of their laughter. Like a pack of fucking jackals, full of self-importance. Vile words and worse intent.
All of it directed at Emilia.
Every nerve in my body is tense as I step forward. They don’t even notice me, not until the guy that made a joke about her face begins to struggle. My hand grips his throat from behind as I drag him back.
“What the fuck?”
“Jesus—,”
They don’t even bother attacking. They just gawk at me, gape at their choking friend as my hand tightens.
But they wouldn’t. They prefer easier prey, and I’m one hundred percent certain that the look onmyface is enough to warn them not to take a single goddamned step in my direction.
I’m in the mood to draw blood.
His hands claw at my wrist, digging into my arm.
“Your evening is done,” I say coldly to the rest of them. “Fuck off. Now.”
They don’t even blink before they’re gone, abandoning their friend without looking back. He wheezes as I turn, throwing him against the wall. His head bounces off the brickwork with an audible thud before I push him back, my hand wrapping around his throat again.
“You don’t come back here,” I keep my voice low. “I see you, I’ll put your head through a fucking window and call it decoration. I see you nearher, and I will kill you. Nod if you understand.”
I release him just enough to be able to jerk his head before I tighten my grip again. Just in case the message wasn’t clear.
He hits the ground like a sack of shit. I deliver a kick to his ribs for good measure. “Now you can fuck off, too.”
I relish every pathetic fucking whimper that slips from his mouth as he scrambles to his feet and staggers off after his friends.
My breathing heavy, I lean back against the wall and wait for the adrenaline to clear. Rain starts to fall, first in a light mist that coats my skin with cool refreshment before turning heavier. Harder, sharper drops splatter against me, soaking my shirt through in seconds as the sky turns into a downpour.
Fucking perfect.
