Was coming to Iron Peak a bad idea? He’s not even here. Maybe I just should have left?
I look up and take a breath before continuing.
No.
I need to do this. I need to see what this place is all about. Why he’d chooseit over?—
“Whatcha writing?”
My head jerks up to see a big, burly, lumberjack-type man looming over me. He’s using the back of my booth as an armrest, leaning into my personal space.
Instinctively, I shut my journal. “Nothing.”
“Looks like something.” I can smell the beer on his breath; he’s so close.
Too close.
“Look.” Reluctantly, I glance up at the man. “I’m not interested.”
He chuckles as if I’ve just said something hilarious, but there’s no laughter in his voice when he says, “Maybe not, darlin’. Butweare.”
That’s when I notice his buddy, standing just behind him, blocking my way out of the booth and any escape I might have.
My stomach tightens, instinct flaring sharply in my chest. I tuck my journal into my purse before I shift back against the vinyl, suddenly aware of how little space there is between the men and me.
Then a voice cuts through the noise.
Low, steady, and unmistakably authoritative.
“Back up, asshole. Now.”
The weight of the stranger’s words sends a shiver through me.
I look up to see my savior.
He’s huge.
Taller and broader than either of the men who are bothering me. Besides his size, he has a quiet strength and authority about him that’s changed the mood in the room.
The men around me straighten, hesitation flickering across their faces as they back up.
The man’s gaze drops to mine, and something in his expression softens, just enough to make my breath catch.
“She’s with me.”
Holt
I don’t raise my voice. I don’t need to.
In Iron Peak, words carry weight when you mean them, and I’ve never been careless with mine.
These assholes know better than to mess with me.
Not that I expect any of them to bother me.Not again.
I recognize the man leaning into her space, but I don’t care enough to remember his name.
The moment I speak, he straightens up slowly, the leering smile slipping from his face as his eyes move from her to me.
