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“Ha, see? I knew you were keen.” He grabs my other arm too and holds me a few inches away, looking down at me. I feel his breath on my face, smell the stale alcohol coming off him.

The noise, the crowd, the music—everything fades away. There’s just him and his hands clamped around my arms. For some reason, I can’t seem to make a single word come out.

I try to pull away, but his grip only tightens.

Then, from behind me, a low, familiar voice says, “Take your fucking hands off her.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

RYAN

“Take your fucking hands off her.”

The bastard drops Briony’s arms and turns to me. He sways on his feet, steaming drunk. Then he squints at me like he’s trying to place me.

“Behind me,” I say to Briony.

For a moment she just stares at me, wide-eyed. Then my words seem to reach her, and she moves behind me.

“Here,” the drunk says, his whole face changing, “you’re the Axe King! Aw, big man, nae disrespect, eh? Didnae know she was wi’ you.”

He makes to walk off, but my hand closes on his shirt. “No so fast. We’re no done here.”

People are watching now, waiting to see if this turns ugly.

Niamh appears at my elbow. She must have given chase when I stormed down from the mezzanine. “Everything all right, Ry?”

“Aye.” I don’t take my eyes off the man. “This guy was just about to apologise for putting his hands on a lassie who didnae want him touching her.”

Niamh leans close and speaks low. “Don’t do anything stupid. You’ve got a fight coming up. Nae messy headlines.”

She’s right, of course. As James likes to say, it only takes one person with a phone, and this bar is filled with people with phones. But I’m not about to drop this. Men shouldn’t get to act like he did and get away with it.

I’m aware, though, that my blood is boiling and I’m not thinking straight. So I force myself to take a breath, then another. I can’t do to this guy what I really want to do to him. What he deserves.

“I’ve no heard an apology yet.” I pull him closer to me.

“S-sorry!”

“No to me! To Briony.”

He blinks, frowns, then finally realises Briony is the name of the woman he was bothering. He looks over my shoulder at her. “Aw, er, sorry. Didnae mean anything by it. Just having a bit of fun, eh?”

I glance back. Briony stands with her arms wrapped around herself, looking awfully small, her eyes fixed on the floor.

I yank the man closer still and whisper into his ear, “That was a shite apology, but I’m no making her stand here while you have another go. You’re done for the night. Get out of here. And if I ever see you putting your hands on a woman like that again, it won’t end well for you.”

I let go of him. He swallows, nods, then stumbles off through the crowd. I watch him till he leaves through the door. Only then do I turn back to Briony.

“You all right?”

“Yes.” She still looks shellshocked. “Thank you.”

“Did he hurt you?”

“No,” she says, but she smooths a hand over her arm. There’s a faint red band where his fingers were, and it has me grinding my teeth. I check the other one. Nothing visible.

Niamh turns to the people still standing about watching. “Right, show’s over.”