Sebastian ignores the hand being offered to him, staring at it until Seamus awkwardly shakes it out and steps back. He wraps his arm around my waist instead, giving me a light squeeze.
That was a mistake.
A big mistake.
Sebastian’s eyes land on his hand, and don’t move, his muscles going tense.
“Hey,” I say to Jade, my voice a little too loud. “Can you go grab another round of drinks while I talk to these two quickly? It’ll just take a second.”
Jade, bless her heart, jumps into action. “Of course!” She grabs Sienna’s hand to pull her out of the booth and then turns to Seamus to say, “Would you mind helping us carry? This one stumbles over her feet too much for me to trust her carrying anything I want to survive.”
“It’s true, I’m a nightmare. Two left feet and everything,” Sienna adds, not missing a beat, and I silently thank the universe for women who help women. Sienna shoots me a wink as she grabs Seamus’s arm to lead him away.
He hesitates. “Are you sure you’re okay here, Sydney?” he asks, glancing at the knife on the table. He looks torn between wanting to help me and wanting to be anywhere but here.
“I’m fine, I promise,” I reassure him.
Sienna leads him away, but Jade stays back. She gives Sebastian a long look. “You think this is funny? Showing up here and ruining her date?”
He turns that icy glare on her. “I can’t think of anything less funny right now, actually.”
She snorts and turns to Viper, pointing an accusing finger at him. “I don’t care how scary you are, don’t fuck with her. She says stop, you stop. Got it?”
Viper stares after her when she storms away, a grim look on his face. He reaches for the knife on the table.
“Don’t even think about it,” Sebastian says, reaching out to yank it from the wood. He sets it down and pushes the knife further away from him, closer to me.
Viper’s lip curls. He reaches for the knife again.
“Line,” Sebastian tells him, tapping the table. A simple, clear command.
“Fuck you and your fucking lines,” Viper snaps. But he withdraws his hand. His leg bounces with restrained energy as he glares after Jade.
“What does that mean?” I ask, frowning, glancing between them and the knife. “What did you just tell him?”
Sebastian stares at Viper, watching him closely. “Viper has problems with impulse control,” he says finally. “Sometimes he doesn’t know where to draw the line. When to stop.”
“And you tell him when to stop?” I ask.
Viper barks a laugh. “You really think he could stop me, little rabbit?” he sneers, turning that dark, violent gaze on me.
“I remind him that he might be crossing a line,” Sebastian explains. “That’s all. Stopping is up to him.”
I stare at the knife on the table, then follow Viper’s eyeline to Jade, and then back to the knife. And slowly—too slowly—my mind connects the dots.
“You were going to hurt her,” I say, my voice sounding strangely distant.
Viper doesn’t answer. He just watches Jade through narrowed, dangerous eyes.
“Because she was defending me,” I continue, my voice rising in volume. “Because she told you no. You were going to hurt Jade.MyJade.”
“Sydney,” Sebastian says softly.
Suddenly I’m moving closer, taking a step toward Viper, hands clenched.
“How fucking dare you,” I hiss. My breathing is quick and erratic. There’s a high-pitched ringing in my ears, like a scream.
Make him pay.
