Velvet Lullabies

It all happened so fast. Adelina could see it coming, but couldn’t get her lips to move.

Lucian smashed Max right in the face with his fist. Taken aback Max fell into one of the black club tables.

“What the fuck?” he screeched.

Lucian waltz toward him, ready to strike again.

“Wait!” Adelina finally found her voice. “Lucian, stop!” she jumped off the stage, rushing to protect her friend.

“Move,” Lucian told her. There was a look in his eyes that Adelina had never seen before. He was crazed.

“Stop.” She whispered. “Please.”

His eyes softened as he looked her over. He leaned closer to Max, who was holding his broken nose with his hand. “Stay the fuck away from her, yeah?”

“Fuck you!” his shout was muted by his hand that was staunching the flow of blood.

“Wrong answer.”

“Lucian, no!” Adelina shouted. Now the manager was heading in their direction and everyone was stating. “Please let’s go.”

“Fine.” Lucian grabbed the sleeve of Adelina’s sweatshirt, pulling her towards the exit.

“You’re not good for her!” Max shouted from behind them, this time clearer. “She doesn’t need a piece of shit like you, she needs someone to take care of her. Trust me, you’re not it.”

Lucian stood assessing him, all bravado.

“Please,” Adelina begged again. “Please don’t hit him.”

Her eyes were running.

“Let’s go.” This time he pulled on her sweatshirt harder.

“Gemma,” she cried. “We can’t leave her.”

“Nico,” Lucian called to the enforcer that had been following Adelina lately. “Get Miss DelGado home safe.”

“Can do.” He responded quickly.

“Hey,” Adelina screeched. “Let me go.”

Once they were in his Mercedes, being properly chauffeured, he dropped her arm.

“You can’t drag me around like that just because you’re angry.” She shouted, rubbing her affected arm.

He looked over at her, accessing the redness he had caused. “I apologize.”

“Do you apologize for hitting my friend?”

“No.” He leaned back against the window.

“Lucian, why?”

He shook his head. “I saw the way he was looking at you, bella. I don’t want any man looking at you like that.”

“We’re friends.” She shouted. “We were just singing.”

“Don’t sing with him anymore.”