As much as Azrael scares me sometimes, I can handle him and don’t need to hide behind anyone to deal with him.
I roll my eyes at Coop’s overprotectiveness before noticing Azrael’s absolutely livid expression. I gulp and am suddenly thankful Coop’s essentially a human shield between the angry biker and me. At least the blonde-haired woman is gone. I don’t think I could deal with her judgmentally watching this whole interaction.
“Azrael,” Coop greets with surprising frostiness. He’s usually warm and friendly with everyone, but not with Azrael, I guess. “Why’d you bring her here?”
Crossing his arms, Azrael pins Coop with an equally glacial look. “She needed something for fixing her bike. How do you know her?”
Coop looks over his shoulder at me and smiles. It crinkles the corners of his eyes, one of his rare genuine grins lately. “I’ve known Lark forever. She’s the family I choose.”
I have the urge to give Coop a hug because he’s right. Charlie and Coop are my family now. We chose each other, and we’d go to the ends of the earth for each other. I know I wouldn’t still be here without them, so I guess I do have family I trust.
Azrael scoffs. “I didn’t realize your latest fuck toy could be considered ‘family.’”
My eyes go wide at Azrael’s insult before I lunge for Coop, knowing there’s not a chance in hell he doesn’t respond violently to that. I fist my hands in the back of his coveralls to hold him back.
I try to ignore Azrael implying the only reason Coop would care about me is because I’m sleeping with him. Who I couldspread my legs for was the only value my parents ever saw in me too.
I can feel Coop take a few deep breaths to calm himself, but he’s still vibrating with anger as he grits out, “Don’t ever fucking talk about Lark like that again, Azrael. I don’t give a fuck who you are. I will not tolerate anyone speaking to or about her like that.”
“That was out of line, and you know it, Az,” Hal agrees. “Walk away before you say something you can’t come back from.”
Azrael ignores Hal, and his lips curve up into a cruel, taunting smirk. “Didn’t realize you were so protective of a quick fuck, Finch. I doubt her pussy is that good. Girls like her are a dime a dozen.”
I gasp at Azrael talking about me like that. I know I’m nothing special, but I don’t really need him pointing it out. Or commenting on how lackluster at sex he thinks I am.
I don’t know what the hell I did to him, but I know I don’t deserve him being an absolute sundried cockroach to me. There’s no reason he should’ve come over here if all he was going to do was insult me.
In a move so fast, I don’t have a chance to react, Coop pulls himself out of my hold and launches himself at Azrael, punching him in the face. Azrael falls to the ground. Coop gets on top of him and hits him over and over.
“Jesus,” Hal mutters from behind me but doesn’t make a move to intervene. “Can’t say Az doesn’t deserve it.”
I’m sure people around us have stopped to watch, but I can’t pay them any attention as the fight continues. My gaze is glued to the two men pummeling each other.
It doesn’t take Azrael long to snap out of his shock and start going to town on Coop. While Coop holds his own for a little while, it quickly turns into a beatdown. Azrael gets on topof Coop and starts hammering him with punches, blood flying everywhere.
“Stop!” I scream at Azrael when Coop’s efforts become sluggish.
Azrael ignores me and keeps wailing on an unmoving Coop. Worried he’s going to kill him, I do the only thing I can. I sprint toward Azrael at full speed. Taking him by surprise, I crash into him and manage to push him off Coop.
We tumble over each other across the floor for a long moment before we land with me under him. My head cracks painfully on the concrete as Azrael wraps his hands around my throat. He uses his hold on my neck to slam my head into the ground a couple of times before squeezing as hard as he can.
I gasp for air as he chokes me, my lungs burning in protest. I weakly claw at his hands, but it doesn’t seem to do much good.
As black spots dance in my vision, Azrael’s golden eyes lighten, and he seems to come back to himself. When he does, his face contorts in horror, and he scrambles off me. He lands on his ass a few feet from me.
Looking between his hands and me in disbelief, Azrael’s face drains of all color. Bright-red blood drips down his forehead and out of his nose, but he doesn’t seem to notice it or any of the bruises already starting to form on his face.
“Lark…” he starts, his gruff voice hitching with regret so strong it’s almost palpable. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. Fuck, I’m so sorry, little bird.”
My heart hurts at the pain and self-hatred I can hear in his voice. I don’t know exactly what’s happening, but it’s clear something is going on with Azrael.
I struggle to sit up, my head pounding and the world spinning around me as I do so. When I’m on my knees, I hesitantly move closer to him, reaching out to place my hand on his arm to comfort him. I know he’s the one who almoststrangled me, but I still can’t stand to see him drowning in his pain.
When my hand almost touches him, Azrael flinches away. “Don’t! Don’t touch me.” His voice breaks as his expression fills with self-loathing and heartbreak. The emotions only flit across his face for second before his expression shutters.
Anger burning in his gaze is the only hint of feeling left as he leans into my face to snarl, “Don’t ever fucking interfere in my business again. Or having the life choked out of you will be the least of your worries.”
He shoves to his feet and stalks off without another word, leaving me staring after him in utter bewilderment. With my head throbbing painfully and my throat sore, I don’t have the will or energy to make sense of what just happened.
