A Whole New Crowd (A Whole New Crowd 1)

I frowned. This wasn’t Brian, or this wasn’t my Brian. He was hotheaded and a loose cannon, but he had never turned his rage against me before. I looked at Tray and saw that he had heard. Judging from the chill radiating off him and the set of his jaw, he wasn’t happy.

“Brian, you need to calm down.”

“The fucker was all over you. He was two inches from—”

“I was handling him.”

Tray pulled the car over and watched me. A knot had formed in my gut and the longer he remained silent, just listening, the more it grew. I didn’t know how this was going to turn out, but I closed my eyes and concentrated on one thing. Brian needed to calm down.

“You were handling him? You’re the one who’s delusional, Tar. He needs to know that you’re still my property. He fucks with me if he even goes near you.”

“Brian.” I wasn’t his property. He knew that. “Are you trying to piss me off now?”

He stopped, then let out a harsh laugh. “Are you kidding me? Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Brian, stop.”

“No, you stop. You left, Taryn. You walked away from me, but you’re still mine—”

I ended the call. Grayley was right. Brian needed to be reined in, but I couldn’t do it. That wasn’t my place. I didn’t know why I asked Grayley to keep tabs on him. I couldn’t do anything about him anymore, but someone could and I knew only one person that Brian might listen to. His brother.

“We need to go somewhere.”

“Where?”

“You’re not going to like it.”

He frowned, then started the car. “Just tell me w

here.”

It was thirty minutes later when he shook his head, eyeing the nightclub. “Am I going to get killed in there?”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. The Seven8 was home to Jace Lanser, Brian’s older brother. Brian and Jace had a love/hate relationship, but Jace had something that Brian didn’t: discipline. Brian was smart. But Jace was smarter and ruthless.

“Come on. You’ll be fine.” I climbed out of the SUV. Going to his side, I added, “Just don’t say anything.”

Tray didn’t look appeased, but he followed me.

When we neared the door, the bouncer scanned Tray up and down. “He going to be a problem?”

“No trouble. Is Jace in?”

“Hmm. He’s in. He’s with Cammy.”

I grinned. “Those two back on again?”

“Don’t care. She’s either here or she’s not.”

“Right.” I rolled my eyes. When he kept glaring at Tray, I sighed. “You going to let us in or do I need to get in my way?”

His glare turned my way. One night he refused to let me inside, so I went through the roof. The bouncers still hadn’t lived that down.

“He’s in the back. Take the small hallway.”

Tray followed me as we circled around the front entrance, the pounding music already blaring in our ears. Catching Casey’s attention, the front bartender nodded in greeting as we slipped behind him and trailed into the hallway that led its way around the club to the back offices. At the closed office door, I knocked and waited. A second later, it opened as Cammy slipped out. She slid the strap from her halter-top up her shoulder. When she saw it was me, she stumbled. “Taryn, I didn’t know—”

“Let her in, Cammy,” came from inside.