“Oh, we wanted to take Evie to the new roadhouse,” my mother interjects.
I’m delighted she’s attempting to keep me from going with Justin alone; however, being cornered by them would be dreadful. I can’t lie. What would I say if they asked why I’ve agreed to be with him again?
“The Austin Roadhouse has some of the best smoked meats I’ve had since I took a trip down to Texas,” Lucian adds. “I took my sister there earlier this week. We were thinking of going again today before I head back up north.”
“Then it’s planned,” Gigi says. “We’ll meet you at the Roadhouse. I’m sure Beverly can call and reserve us a large room. Besides, we should celebrate both of these ladies.” She wraps her arm around Ruby, who leans into her.
“I need to shower and quickly change.” I look at Ruby. “Sound good?” Hopefully, Justin and Paris will decide not to tag along.
“I’ll be waiting for you to get done. We can drive over there together,” Justin chimes in as he wrenches me back into his side.
I nod and turn to give him my cheek when he leans down for a kiss. As I walk away, I catch the sinister look in Paris’ eyes, with her dropped brows and plumped, pinched lips.
Judge
* * *
We’re seated in a private section of the Roadhouse, and when a server approaches, Georgiana is sure to inform them that we are expecting a couple more guests. Meeting Justin was not at the top of my list of favorite things to go through, and images of wrenching his arms from his body and beating him with them every time he touched Evie looped through my mind. What made it worse was knowing that he was hurting her—pinching her side to prove his control. The little pissant needs to be put in his place and taught how to treat ladies.
“Do you have a card, Judge?” Georgiana asks in a lowered tone.
I stand to retrieve my wallet and glance out over the restaurant, noticing Evie limping toward our table. Her face contorts as she favors her left leg. Without a thought, I shuffle around the family-sized table and out the door to take her hand.
“Are you okay?”
She looks up at me, and I notice that with the outfit she’s changed into, her neck is no longer exposed because of the high collar. It looks like a long dress that splits into a “V”-shape opening at her midriff, showing off snug jeans beneath it. The long sleeves cover her arms. I reach for one, and she cringes, biting down on her lower lip. In that moment, I realize what happened to her.
“Answer me, sweet cheeks.” I lean into her space without caring if anyone sees us.
“I’m fine. Please let me go.” Her head whips around, looking at the car parked in the lot. Justin sits in the driver’s seat. I don’t let go; instead, I wrap an arm around Evie’s waist and pull her into my side, using my strength to help her walk so she doesn’t place weight on her injured leg. “I think I hurt my leg during the game,” Evie continues, but I don’t look down at her as Justin backs out of his spot and peels away from the parking lot, kicking up gravel.
“I’ll fucking kill him if he hurt you, Evie.”
I finally glance down at her as she gasps, but it doesn’t seem to be fear in her eyes. I’m still deciding what it is when she closes her eyes for a moment, and upon reopening, they are shuttered and detached.
“Please, you can’t.”
The previous pain in her eyes and the need to protect her overwhelm my senses. My instinct is to get away from her because if she doesn’t want me or my help, I’ll do something illegal, such as kidnapping her. I’ll overrun her life. Obviously, she makes bad choices. Getting back with Justin and not asking for help makes me think she struggles with making decisions. I’ll take that away for her. She needs the guidance, and it’s something I appear to crave with her.
“Evie?” Her father, Cameron, approaches, and it shakes me from my fiendish thoughts.
“I hurt my leg during the match, and it’s getting stiff, that's all. I’ll need to rest and ice it later.” She lies to him, but not smoothly. Her head’s down, avoiding eye contact, and she fidgets with her fingers. I note that tell for later.
Between her father and me, we help Evie to the table. She sits on the other side of her grandmother, across from me, and next to her mother. Both women fawn over her. Ruby asks which play it was that she was injured doing, trying to confirm what I already know. That fucker Justin hurt her before he dropped her off here.
“Justin isn’t coming in?” her grandmother asks, looking around. She can’t hide her smile from me, though.
That’s interesting. Why is Evie with the dickhead if her family doesn’t even like him?
“No. He said that he paid for the reservation to get us in on such short notice, but he is going to go with a couple of his friends.”
“You mean Paris?” Ruby bites out, a bitter tone to her voice.
Evie’s eyes flash to her, and she gives the slightest nod of affirmation. Hurt etches her face again, so I clench my fists under the table, wanting to hurt the bastard.
“Well, it’s their loss. This place smells amazing,” Cameron adds in. He also checks over his daughter. Evie must know that her family will support her and want to protect her, too. “Should we take you to Urgent Care instead of having lunch? You don’t want it to cause any more issues with the rest of the season; it’s just getting started.”
“No, Dad, I think it’s just bruises. They’ll heal with some time. I’m okay, don’t worry.” She pats his arm, comforting him now.
