I felt protected byhim.
That feeling may have also had something to do with the huge group of men and women at my back.
“Well, what do we have here?” Chaz’s gaze zeroed in on me, scanning me from head to toe. “You cleaned up real nice, Patience. Even dropped some weight.”
Jett tensed beside me, and his fingers dug into my side. I knew he didn’t realize what he was doing; it was just a reaction to the dipshit in front of us.
Anger rose within me, but I wasn’t much for confrontation, so I kept my mouth closed. But not everyone was like me.
“She was pregnant, you asshole,” Alley spat, stepping up next to me. “Do yourself a favor and walk away and take whatever that is with you when you go.”
Alley waved her hand in Sloane’s direction, earning her an evil glare, but I knew my friend didn’t care one iota.
There were snickers from behind us from the ladies and some groans from the guys.
Someone—pretty sure it was Kace—whispered, “Here we go again.”
I could only imagine his facial expression since I couldn’t see him. I’m sure as usual, it was entertaining and somewhat over the top.
Chaz eyeballed Alley, then his gaze swung to Landon, who’d come up on her side.
“Put a leash on your girl, Abbott. Or better yet, walk her outside because we all know she doesn’t belong here.”
I was more than certain I had never heard Landon growl before, but that’s exactly what happened.
As matching sounds echoed from behind us.
But Alley was the ballsiest of the group, and she wasn’t having it.
“Don’t make me grab my bat from the car, you little pissant.”
“Are you threatening me?” Chaz asked in an eerily calm voice. “It would be wise to remember who I am and what I do.”
This was getting worse by the minute, and it was my fault, not my friends’. Chaz was a lawyer, just like Landon, but wealready had problems with him and his family; we didn’t need more.
I liked confrontation about as much as getting a root canal, but I stepped in anyway. “This isn’t the time or place for this. Just move along, Chaz.”
His gaze swung to mine, a sinister grin on his face. “You’re right.”
He paused for a second. I thought I’d hit the jackpot, and he was actually going to just walk away. But that didn’t happen.
“We’ll settle this in court when I take our son from you.”
That blow hit hard, and I almost collapsed. Anger radiated off the man holding me. He’d been surprisingly quiet up until then, but things changed really fast.
Jett gently pushed me behind him, shielding me from Chaz’s view. And then, in a voice I’d never heard come from him before, he let it rain.
“Herson,” he emphasized, “willneverget near you.” His voice was hard as steel. “And if I ever catch you speaking to my wife again, looking at her, or if you get anywhere near her… I. Will.End. You.”
Jett stepped toward Chaz, and I couldn’t help the satisfaction that coursed through me when I watched the uptight asshole's eyes flash with fear.
“You better comprehend what I’m saying real fucking fast because I’m not playing, motherfucker.”
Sloane gasped, as did other guests—not our friends; they were probably proud as hell—who were close by.
The evil witch's eyes zeroed in on me, and she gave me a nasty look. “Honey, we don’t need to be in the same vicinity as these lowlifes. I don’t know what you ever saw in her.” Sloane scrunched up her nose like she smelled something nasty. “She’s nothing but trailer trash.”
She tried pulling on Chaz’s arm, but he didn’t move. Wehad an audience now, but my main focus was on Jett, who was five seconds from coming unglued right then and there.
