Priceless (Forbidden Men 8)

But I only got in one more punch on Sandman’s bloodied face before I was pulled away, and for good this time.

“Easy, kid,” Knox’s deep voice rumbled in my ear. His large arm banded around my neck, effectively trapping me in a headlock. I growled and tried to pull him forward with me, but we only made it about a foot before both Asher and Remy appeared in front of me, purposely coming between me and the guys I wanted to kill.

“What the hell set off his Mr. Hyde?” Asher asked Knox while Remy took my face in both her hands and gently, but firmly, said, “Hulk, no smash.”

I growled at her but stopped struggling against Knox’s hold.

Unable to let the remaining bastards get away with what they’d done, I glared at them over her shoulder. “Do you shit-faced motherfuckers even care that you ruined her? It took her years to gain what confidence she had only for you assholes to come along and shatter it all because of a stupid fucking bet. I hope you’re proud of being the worthless pathetic losers you are.”

“Okay, okay, what’s going on here?” Pick had finally made it to the scene. Shit, we must’ve made quite a commotion if he’d heard us all the way from his office.

“Seems to be something to do with Sarah,” Asher answered his brother.

“Yeah,” Pick murmured. “That makes sense. Nothing riles the kid up more than someone messing with his girl.” He turned from me to eye the guys I’d been trying my damnedest to annihilate. Sandman was clutching his bloody nose while two of the others were helping a now conscious Seth struggle to his feet.

“All right, fellows,” Pick told them. “Time to move along and get out of my club.”

“What? You’re kicking us out?” one of the douches I hadn’t gotten around to hurting asked incredulously. Then he had the balls to point at me. “He’s the shithead who jumped us. Why does he get to stay?”

I growled and surged toward him, hoping for a chance to mangle his face even a little, but Knox held on to me firmly while Pick seared me with a hard, staying glance. Then he turned back to the others.

“Let me ask you something. You boys do an injustice to a young lady named Sarah?”

The guilt rolling off them was palpable.

Pick nodded as if he expected as much. “You know...Sarah’s sister-in-law is my wife’s cousin,” he went on, making the idiots cringe. “I helped her buy her first car. She calls me Uncle Pick.” He stepped closer to them, narrowing his eyes. “No one fucks with my niece and then tries to drink in my bar. I told you once to leave, now get the fuck out before I set the kid loose on you again.”

This time, no one argued with him. They tripped over each other in their scramble to reach the exit.

“You.” Pick sighed when he took me in. “Into my office. Now.”

“Uh...probably not a good idea,” Knox suggested. “He’s still raging out. I bet he’ll come out swinging as soon as I let him go. But if you don’t mind another wrecked office...”

Closing his eyes briefly, Pick let out a small curse but then nodded. “To the break room, then.”

Knox didn’t let me go, and that made me seethe. I struggled against him and probably would’ve cussed him out for not letting me walk myself back, but Asher and Remy came with us, distracting me by telling me how badass I’d been for taking on four guys at once.

“He was pretty sloppy if you ask me,” Knox grumbled. “You need to turn your whole body into your punches. Don’t throw a knockout every time. Mix it up with some short uppercuts and hooks, and long jabs. And for God’s sake, breathe out when you punch. I swear you held your breath the entire time.”

“Well, excuse me for not training,” I grumbled, shrugging him off as soon as we entered the break room.

Remy patted my shoulder. “I think you did just fine. You totally made all my girly parts tingle.”

Asher hooked an arm around her waist. “Hey, that’s impressive, right there. I’ve been trying to make them tingle all night.”

Ignoring the lovebirds, I swung away and put my fist into a locker. “Why didn’t you let me hit them a little longer?”

Folding his arms over his chest, Knox leaned against the wall. “Too much more and the cops would’ve been called. Not sure we’d have been able to keep you out of trouble if the cops had shown up.”

I growled out a frustrated sound. “Landing in jail would’ve been worth it if they had.” God, I hated that he, and Pick, and Asher were f

riends with Noel. They all tended to big brother me and protect me. It pissed me off, especially when I wanted to do something stupid and crazy.

“Don’t worry, I don’t think anyone called the police,” Pick answered as he entered the break room. “I’m pretty sure we’re good there, but you still better clear out for the night anyway. You’re too juiced up to deal with customers.”

“I can work for him,” Asher volunteered.

“I don’t—” I started to argue, only to realize I’d been hoping for a night off work all day so I could spend some time with Sarah.