"I can handle myself," she says, flipping me off.
"I know," I say. "But it's kind of my job tonight."
"Yeah, but you didn't kick him out or anything, so did you really do your job?"
Fuck.
She has a point.
I should've dragged his ass out. The problem is, her presence threw me off so bad I was barely thinking straight. But I was doing my job, right? This wasn't some weird twinge of jealousy.
Right?
"Fuck," I mutter, scanning the crowd for him again. "I just wanted to get him away from you as fast as possible."
Her arms cross over her chest. My breath catches again.
She's adorable when she's angry.
"And now no one wants to come talk to me," she says, motioning to the little empty bubble around us. "Everybody's scared of getting punched next just for talking to me. You're messing with my money, dude."
"Uh. Fuck. I'm sorry." I run a hand through my hair. "I was just trying to help."
"Help less," she says, flicking her fingers at me. "Away."
Well.
That couldn't have gone any worse.
I grimace and force myself back to work, taking a few steps away from the bar. It doesn't help much. My eyes keep drifting back to her anyway, watching the way she moves behind the counter like she was made for it. Fast hands, easy smile, sharp eyes. Graceful in a way that makes the whole club seem to bend around her.
By last call, the bar is packed with the draggy, tired energy of a night winding down. I check my watch and stare at it for a second, surprised it's already two in the morning.
That's when I see him.
The drunk from earlier.
He's walking toward her again.
My whole body goes cold.
She has her back turned, still wiping down the bar, not seeing him close the distance. I'm already moving before my brain catches up, breaking into a sprint.
He reaches for her hair.
His hand fists in it hard, yanking her head back until her face tips toward the ceiling.
"Now, how about th —"
I slam into him at full speed.
We hit the floor in a violent crash, his grip ripping loose as I drive him down. The guy is maybe a hundred pounds lighter than me, easy. He goes down like he was never meant to stand in the first place.
A scream tears out of her.
Before I can even get up, my dad is there.
Of course he is.
