“Let go,” I whisper.
But I’m not here anymore.
I’m back in my old bedroom, summer heat pressing against my skin, the window open because the air inside felt too heavy to breathe. Russell is there, and his friend…
The grip on my arm makes me feel small again. Fragile again. My legs start to shake, my body folding in on itself as the past crashes into the present.
Air won’t come.
“Come on, darling,” he says. “I just want to get to know you some.” His friends laugh.
Pain shoots through my wrist as his grip tightens, tears blurring my vision until suddenly…
I’m free.
A loud crack echoes through the bar.
I stumble backward into the beer taps, blinking hard as the room snaps back into focus.
Dex is there.
One hand wrapped around Mustache Man’s neck, forcing his face down against the bar.
His voice is low. Deadly quiet.
“You want to keep your hand?”
The look in his eyes makes something inside me go still.
“I was just…”
Dex slams his head against the bar again. “I said,” he repeats, even quieter now, “do you want to keep your hand?”
Mustache Man starts shaking. His friends are already stepping away like they don’t know him.
Dex like this is lethal. This is the MC he used to be.
“N-no,” the man stammers.
Dex jerks his head up and forces him to look at me. “Apologize.”
“I…I’m sorry,” the man says quickly.
Dex slams his head down again.
“No,” he growls. “Say it like you mean it.”
The entire bar has gone silent. Every single person is watching.
“I am so sorry,” the man says, his voice shaking.
Dex releases him and shoves him straight into Mike, the bouncer.
“Get rid of him,” Dex says. “And make sure everyone knows he doesn’t set foot in this bar again.”
Mike drags him toward the exit while his friends scramble after him.
Then Dex is in front of me.
