A slow smile lit up Kyle’s face.
“It would be rude to pass up his hospitality.”
And fuck if we didn’t all agree with that.
* * *
“It’s real good of you to have us over,” Nick drawled as he pushed past the startled lawyer. The moment the asshole opened the door, it was over. Bikers took over his house, closing blinds and turning up the stereo. It was the kind of party crashing I’d only seen in movies.
It was fucking epic.
“Theo, Theo, Theo,” Devlin said, shaking his head. “What are we going to do with you?”
“You can’t go around bothering pretty ladies,” Donnie scolded. “Especially not that particular pretty lady.”
“I didn’t do anything. That crazy bitch is making shit up!”
“What the fuck did you just say?” I growled, stepping close. I’d been staring at the fuck, standing there at the edge of the living room and deciding what to do. How best to punish him.
How to neutralize the threat.
He backed up. Right into Whiskey. He looked behind him, then up at Whiskey, then back at me.
I watched as he realized he was surrounded.
He looked like he was about to piss his pants and ruin his fancy living room rug. He stared at the guys who worked crew. He’d been to the site legitimately once or twice, but he wasn’t totally fucking stupid.
“I know you!”
Drake nodded with an evil grin. “We work for the same company.”
“You’ll lose your job for this!”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Nick grinned at him. “I don’t think you’re going to be telling anyone.”
Theo turned white as a sheet.
“You’re going to kill me?” he asked in disbelief. “Over a piece of ass?”
I growled and lifted him off his feet by his shirt.
“She’s not a piece of ass,” I growled. “And nobody is killing anybody.”
“We just want to talk,” Nick added in his relaxed tone, tapping my shoulder. I set the POS down.
I realized in that moment how much more chilling a threat sounded in Nick’s soft twang. He slouched and lounged as much as humanly possible so it was easy to forget the man was nearly as big as Whiskey and Jack. I was glad he was on my side.
“It’s not a fair fight! There are too many of you!”
I nodded.
“That’s true enough. They are just here for backup.” I took off my jacket and handed it to a grinning Callaway. “I’m the one who is here to teach you a lesson.”
He stared at me, then turned to run. But he was surrounded. He tried to break through the circle but they pushed him back inside. He finally looked at me in a panic.
“Defend yourself.”
“I’ll give you money. Anything you want.”
“Be a man and take your licks.” I wagged a finger at him. “No begging.”
“Fuck you!”
I struck out, two quick jabs to his face. He made a sound like a dying cow, but he at least put his hands up defensively.
“I don’t want to fight you.”
“Doesn’t matter. You bothered my woman.”
“I invited her to dinner.”
“That was last week. What did you say to her last night?”
Ah, that landed. He flushed guiltily and tried to hit me. I moved out of the way easily. I hit him again, loving the satisfying crunch as his head snapped back.
“You broke my nose!”
“We need to come to an agreement.”
“Okay. Whatever you want,” he said, still clutching his clearly broken nose. I hit his hand, driving in into his face. I knew that had to hurt.
“Fuck! Christ! Okay. I told her we could make her life hell if we wanted. That we could hurt her.”
“You piece of shit,” I growled as rage filled my body. Suzanna had downplayed what he had said. I’d felt it in my gut. No wonder she’d been terrified.
That time, I punched his gut. He doubled over. Donnie was good enough to grab the back of his shirt and yank him back up.
“You.”
POW
“Will.”
POW
“Never.”
POW
“Bother.”
POW
“Her.”
POW
“Again.”
I stood back, surveying my handiwork.
“You will never treat another woman like that, you human garbage disposal,” Donnie hissed, leaning over his shoulder. “Because next time, we’ll make this night look like a fucking tea party.”
He moaned as Donnie let him go. He slid to the floor, bleeding from his mouth and nose. I leaned over, squinting at him, and then down at my knuckles. I hadn’t felt any pain while I was beating his ass, but I had done a number on myself.
“Shit.”
“He’ll live.”
“But he won’t be pretty for a long ass time.”
“And he won’t forget,” Devlin said with a nod.
A few of the guys grabbed bottles of fancy booze to take with them. I watched as Jack leaned over the barely-conscious piece of crap on the floor. He hadn’t said a word. Until now.
“I want you to remember my face. I’ll be the one who comes for you next time.”
The guy moaned and tried to crawl away from the giant leaning over him.