“What the hell…” The words catch in my throat as everything happens at once.
This reckless bastard pulls a tube from his pocket, looks around casually, and pours it into Lizzy’s drink.
WHAT THE FUCK?!
I leap over the railing, land right on the dance floor, and shove people out of my way, watching as my sister reaches for the glass.
No, damn it.
“LIZZY, NO!” I shout across the club, shoving people aside. But Amelia is faster, stepping in between them, her fury boiling over. I can even see her eyes flashing from here, and my heart nearly stops as she grabs the glass and pours it in the guy’s face.
Oh, goddamn it. Is she crazy?
Cedric is right behind me, but I shove my way through the crowd like a madman.
The guy is dead. If he touches Goldilocks, that’s it. And while my respect for Amelia has just skyrocketed, because she stepped in to protect my little sister without thinking of the consequences, my anger over her reckless actions pulses sharply through my veins.
Who does she think she is? Hulk?
This guy will crush her, and my sister too. What the hell is she thinking?
She didn’t think at all, she acted on impulse.You of all people should know that, my overactive subconscious tells me, but damn it, I don’t care right now. She’s putting herself in danger with this kamikaze move, and my sister is right there with her.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
Adam and the other guys have already started moving toward Amelia and Lizzy as I fight my way through the crowd.
In that instant, the bastard snatches the glass from Amelia’s hand and smashes it against the bar. Lizzy stumbles, but Cedric is quick to pull her to safety. Meanwhile, my future wife is standing there, frozen like a deer in the headlights, about to have her throat slit.
The guy lunges at her, raising the broken glass to strike, but I’m faster. Not on my watch. If anyone’s going to kill her, it’s going to be me, not him.
Before he can grab her, I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her to my chest. She gasps but doesn’t fight it, probably recognizing who’s holding her, though she’s trembling, frozen in place. Her head turns toward me, and yeah, she’s in shock. Her eyes are wide, pupils dilated, and that look sinks into my gut likea knife. But before I can process that, I need to deal with the other problem in front of me.
“Ah-ah, my friend. You want to pick a fight with someone your size? As insufferable as this lady may be, I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t slit her throat,” I tell the idiot, tilting my head.
By now, security’s moved in from both sides, so it looks like I won’t get to do it myself. But I want to punch this guy so badly. I want to hit him in his stupid, drugged-out face for trying to drug my sister. For trying to touch Goldilocks.
“Fuck off. The bitch gets what she deserves,” he slurs, clearly high, and lunges toward Amelia with the broken glass aimed at her. She flinches against my chest, raising her hands to protect her face, and I see red.
Before he can reach us, I push her aside, and she cries out in fear. That’s enough room for this freak, and he takes it, rushing at me. He swings the glass toward me, but he’s too messed up to aim properly, and I dodge it, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back. His head slams into the bar before he can even scream, but that sickening crack doesn’t give me any satisfaction. His howls echo through the club as his skull slams into the bar again, and still, it’s not enough. Not by a long shot. I pull him up again, and my fist crashes into his dumb, drugged-out face.
I’m in a tunnel, seeing only my staggering sister and a terrified Amelia in front of me.
I hit him again.
“Nicolas, enough. It’s over,” a panicked voice cuts through, and someone grabs my arm.
No.
I want him to suffer.
I whirl around, the guy crumpling to the floor, and grab the person without thinking by the throat. But it’s not some random guy staring back at me; it’s Amelia.
Fuck.
I immediately release her and step toward her, but she raises her hands protectively in front of her, backing away.
“Don’t. I… I’m sorry. Please don’t hurt me,” she stammers, and I can hear her voice break.
