I lay one fist into his stomach before the bouncers separate us. My grip was strong enough to break the screen on my phone. These stupid, raging emotions collect as I realize Rose is still hurt. On the ground.
I find her within a second. Lily has her arms above Rose so no one enters her space. And Lo is right beside Rose’s head, holding a napkin filled with ice to her cheek that he must have grabbed from the bar.
“Tell me you hit him,” Lo says the moment he sees me.
I nod once.
“Thank God.”
“Thankme,” I say, dropping to my knees while Lo just laughs. It’s easy to joke right now. This is the hard part. “Rose?” I inspect her cheek that swells. Not a shiner, but she’ll have a bruise on the bone. I can barely breathe without seeing a fist in her face. Her body falling off the stool. The motion is repeated over and over again. I want to fucking puke.
“Hehitme!” she growls, her eyes flickering hot. She tries to sit up to go attack him, but Lo keeps his hand on her shoulder, forcing her down.
“I have her,” I tell Lo, and I swiftly cradle her in my arms. She holds onto my bicep, not trying to go after the guy. Lo passes her the ice, and she keeps it to her cheek, silent again.
“How bad is it?” she asks. “Oh my God, the wedding pictures.” She grimaces. “What an asshole!” She growls again.
“There’s such thing as Photoshop,” I tell her with an even-tempered voice. I hate that she’s hurt, and another guy was the cause. From the sound of it, he wasn’t even a heckler.
“LET ME AT HIM!” Daisy screams.
We all turn our heads. Ryke has Daisy thrown over his shoulder, beelining towards the exit. I follow with Rose in my arms, Lily and Lo behind me somewhere.
Daisy tries to climb down Ryke’s back to go attack the tattooed guy who’s seated at the bar again. Her head is near his ass until he pulls her back up on his shoulder.
“HE HIT MY SISTER!!!”
“Say it a little louder, Dais!” Ryke shouts at her. “The world can’t fucking hear you!”
She screams incoherently and then yells, “If someone hit Lo, you’d killthem!”
“Someone did hit Lo, and I didn’t do a fucking thing,” Ryke retorts, “so calm the fuck down!”
I remember that night. It was when they met each other. He didn’t really know Lo then. I try to concentrate on Rose, who looks murderous at any person who passes, as though every dancer in the club wronged her.
“You’re okay,” I tell her.
“I should have punched him back.”
“You were on the ground.”
She huffs. “How do I look?” she asks, her eyes softening as she stares up at me. Her cheek continues to swell.
“Beautiful,” I say, and I kiss her forehead before she can refute.
“At least he didn’t break my nose,” Rose says, pinching the bridge with two delicate fingers in gratitude.
If he broke her nose—I think my mind would have truly ejected at the sight of her blood.
Just as Ryke disappears through the door to go outside, I glance over my shoulder to make certain that Lily and Loren are following. But I notice Scott close by, speaking to Brett, both of them laughing and smiling together.
I have a horrible feeling.
CHAPTER 48
ROSE CALLOWAY
I’ve willfully handedover my pleasure and the wedding to-do list to Connor Cobalt. I’ve either gone mad or he’s put a spell on me. I smile at the thought. He doesn’t like when I accuse him of witchcraft.
