“What you put in that drink?” I can’t be completely sure he dropped something, but I’ve seen that move too many times not to suspect something is up.
The guy’s chest puffs out as he squares his shoulders. “I didn’t put anything into the drink. I’m not the kind of guy who needs to drug a girl to get laid.” He thrusts his shoulder into mine. “Before you accuse people of something like that, you’d better be sure of what you’re talking about.”
After he shoves his way past us, Xavier watches his every move. “Did he?”
“I think he did.” I track his movements until he makes it to the edge of the dance floor and then lose sight of him. “I’m going to see if I can warn the girl. Maybe it’s nothing, but I couldn’t stomach it if something happened to this girl he was talking about and not doing anything to stop him.”
“Xavier!” Ruby waves at him, beckoning him toward her, and he’s gone.
Ruby…. My heart lodges in my throat. Shit. Did Emily come with her?
My gaze darts from where Ruby and Xavier are now talking at the bar, to the hallway leading to the bathrooms, and then to the dance floor.
The man with the goatee wraps his arm around a shorter girl in a lavender T-shirt. She’s swaying her backside from side to side and laughing at something he says. Son of a bitch. I’d recognize that ass anywhere. That’s my ass.
The man cups the back of her neck and lifts the drink to her mouth. Emily laughs harder as she dodges the cup, bats at his hand, and tries to step away from him.
That fucking son of a bitch. Rage pours through my veins as I shove people out of my way. I don’t bother saying anything to them as I plow past them. And none of them utter a word to me when they spin to face me.
I’m going to beat this asshole’s face until he can’t tell the difference between his nose and a package of ground beef. And then I’m going to take her over my knee and smack her ass for dancing with this prick when she should’ve been home with me.
The man’s face hardens as he grips her neck tighter, holding her in place. Emily’s smile drops as she wrenches her shoulder sideways, trying to relax his grip, but it does no good. He holds the glass to her lips as she attempts to jerk away again, but he’s too big for her to dislodge him.
“Excuse me.” I brush past a couple who’re so locked into each other, they don’t notice me.
When Emily stomps on the guy’s foot, his face turns red. That’s when he yells at her, but I’m too far away to hear what he says. Fifteen feet away. He fists her hair and holds her head back until she gasps.
Fuck. I’m not going to get there in time but there’s no way in hell I’m letting her go anywhere with him. I’m going to knock him the fuck out and take her home where she’s safe.
“I’m so sorry.” I grip the upper arm of a blonde-haired woman. When she sees my expression, she jumps out of my way. “Thank you.”
Emily’s eyes are wide as he pours the drink into her mouth. Seven feet. She gags and spits out the drink, spraying it into the crowd.
“What in the fuck?” A guy in a gray T-shirt smacks the man’s shoulder, causing the glass to crash onto the floor, shattering into a million pieces. Son of a bitch. So much for testing it to see what was in it.
Emily staggers away, rubbing her neck and wiping at her mouth. Her eyes are glassy as she sways on her feet. “What are you doing?”
I shove a burly man with a beer gut out of my way. Two steps and I’ll be at her side. “Excuse me. I need to get to my woman.”
“Sure thing.” The man nods and stomps out of the way.
She blinks at me as her mouth curves into a small o. “What’re you doing here?”
“I could ask you that same question.” I brace my hands on the guy’s chest and thrust–hard, pushing him back and away from her. I step between them, while surveying her face for signs that she’s ingested anything.
She squints at me and frowns. “What’re you doing here? I thought you’d be balls deep in Amanda by now.”
“Whoa, Pretty Girl, that’s some crude language there.” I cup her cheek and slide my thumb over her skin. “Are you okay?”
“No.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m not okay. You took Amanda out on a date.” Her nose wrinkles. “To Rusty Nail Tavern. That’s pathetic on so many levels.”
Her head swings to the other guy. She dodges past me and slams her index finger into his chest. “And you. You tried to drug me, you asshole. I told you I was heartbroken, and you were going to use that against me.” She braces both hands on his chest and pushes. “You’re a fucking pig.”
“You’re a fucking prig of a bitch, and there’s no way you can–”
“Listen up.” I grasp the fabric of his T-shirt, twist it, yanking him off balance. “Stay the fuck away from my girl and be a man. If a woman says no….” I punch him in the gut. He gasps and folds inward, holding onto his stomach as I switch directions and shove my fist into his face. “She means no.”
The crowd around us stops, watching every move we make like we’re on the Maury Povich Show.
