KATE
I feellike I’m in the twilight zone as dinner begins. We aren’t sitting at the head table, thankfully. A tiny woman with an unbelievable voice is on a small stage, singing. The chatter around us is minimal. I’m dying to ask Luke what he has against Garrison.
It must have something to do with Reid’s death.
He continues to drink like he just survived a month in the desert. If I had even half as much alcohol as him, I’d be in a hospital bed, getting my stomach pumped.
If he wasn’t my boss, I might have said something because I’m honestly concerned for his health. But this situation is out of the ordinary.
He sways in his seat, and for a moment, I fear he could topple over.
He doesn’t eat any of the food placed in front of him, and I barely nibble on mine even though I’m sure it’s the most expensive sustenance I’ll ever taste. My belly is tight. I guess our night swimming and midnight-deck rendezvous is canceled, considering he would probably drown.
He was a Navy SEAL. They can swim for miles. . .sober.
The end of the scheduled part of the evening finally arrives, and people begin to rise from their seats to mingle.
“Should we go back to the bungalow?” I ask him.
He’s shifted closer to me throughout the meal, extending his arm around the back of my chair. His eyes are dilated as they focus in on my mouth. My pulse races.
“Yes,” he growls, swaying as he stands.
I reach out to steady him, gripping his arm.
“Luke,” a male voice says from behind him.
I look around him to see Garrison. Luke slowly turns to face him, eyes darkening.
“What?” Luke bites out, muscles tensing under my hand.
“I’m glad you came,” Garrison says.
Luke doesn’t respond for a few seconds, glaring at him. I see Fallon in the corner of my eye on the other side of the deck, next to an older woman.
“You have everything you want now, don’t you?” Luke’s words are slurred, but I can still hear the mocking undertone in his voice.
Garrison’s jaw tics, and he takes a deep breath.
“You’re wrong, Luke. Whatever it is you think happened out there...you’ve got it wrong.” He turns to walk away, but Luke reaches out to grab his arm.
I take a step away, steadying myself on a chair as my throat tightens.
It happens in slow motion. Garrison jerks his arm away, his face a mask of anger. I can’t see Luke’s expression, but my jaw drops as his fist connects with his future brother-in-law’s jaw. The cracking sound that fills the air is sickening.
The speed picks up, and I gasp in horror as Garrison’s body falls back to the ground. Luke attacks him, blood splattering on the pure white tablecloth that went down with him. They roll on the floor, knocking over a display of flowers. Several screamserupt, and I realize one of them was Fallon as she sprints toward them in her gown.
Garrison gets a good hit in on Luke, and I wince as the contact draws blood from his eye. He isn’t fazed, but it’s clear that he’s intoxicated, as his reactions are slightly delayed.
The brawl is intense, and it’s obvious that they’re both well trained. They seem evenly matched, except that Luke is inebriated. He also seems to be running on pure adrenaline and hatred as he pounds his fist into Garrison’s ribs.
Thankfully, Fallon is smart enough to stand back, screaming for them to stop. Henrik is behind her, his face a mask of indifference, but it’s the first time I’ve seen him not smiling.
My heart is thundering in my chest, fear shooting through my bloodstream. I’ve never seen a fight in real life, and this one is bloody and brutal.
It’s personal, and it’s not their first time doing this.
Luke doesn’t seem to feel pain. He rebounds from Garrison’s assault almost like he has no sensory nerves.
