“Drive safe—” Sawyer began before her mouth dropped open and her eyes went over Grace’s shoulders.
Grace turned her head to see Ice, Jackal, Max, and several of his men entering the room. Vida’s husband Colton brought up the rear.
Penni dropped her arm. “I told security not to admit them,” she snapped. “Get Alec,” she said into her headset before placing herself in front of Ice.
“Get out. How did you get backstage?”
“Vida dropped off a backstage pass with Gert’s tickets. I want to talk to Grace.”
“I don’t want to talk to you!” Grace said, looking for a way out of the room without passing Ice.
“Too bad.” Ice picked Penni up by the waist and set her back down on her feet, out of his path. Penni tried to block him again, but Jackal grabbed her from behind, lifting her off her feet again.
As Ice moved forward, Kaden’s security rushed in the room. Ice’s men tried to push them back, and that’s when the men began fighting.
Grace took several steps back as the bodies went flying. Even the band members joined in, trying to break the two groups apart.
“Not the hands. Don’t touch my hands!” D'mon yelled before he sucker punched one of Ice’s men.
Ice bashed one of the security men who was trying to keep him from reaching Grace.
Both Sawyer and Vida shifted until they were standing in front of her while Kaden was trying to help Ax pull Max off one of the security guards.
Grace saw Penni struggling against Jackal, her headset falling to the ground as she kicked back viciously at his legs. She reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out her car keys and trying vainly to swing something at Jackal’s head as he attempted to hold onto her without getting hit. It reminded Grace of a game she had played at a carnival, Whack-a-Mole. Penni managed to hit him one time just below his eye before he ripped the keys from her hand.
Penni began screaming, “Fire, fire!”
“Shut her up before someone calls the police and fire department,” Ice yelled over Penni’s increasing volume.
Jackal tried to cover her mouth with his hand, but Penni kept jerking her head to the side, screaming. Finally, he turned her around in his arms and covered her mouth with his before she could dodge him.
Ice reached Grace just as a tall, blond man entered the room with even more security.
“Son of a fucking bitch!” Jackal jerked his head back, his bottom lip torn, and bleeding. His scarred face turned frightening, and Grace unconsciously stepped forward to help her new friend.
When she did, Ice had her, grabbing her in his arms and tossing her over his shoulder.
“Put me down, Ice.” She beat his back with her fists as he went through the crowded room engulfed in fighting. Grace managed to lift her head to see Jackal had Penni pressed against a wall and was saying something to her before two security officers managed to get him away from her.
Ice almost made it out the door with her before the blond security man stopped him by pulling a gun.
“Put her down.”
“Back off, Alec. You owe me one, and I’m calling it in.” Ice’s voice was muffled to her ears because of the blood draining to her head from hanging upside down.
“Sorry, Ice. Choose something else. I know who she is. Her brother hired us a few months ago to watch her. He let us go, but if I let you leave with her, he’ll destroy my business.”
“Then I’ll get you another one, but I’m not putting her down.”
“I’ll shoot, Ice.”
“No, don’t shoot him!” Grace shouted. If anyone was going to kill or hurt the cheating bastard, it was going to be her.
“Do you want to go with him?” Alec asked.
“No.” Grace heard the sound of a gun being cocked. “Yes. Yes, I want to go with him.”
“Move,” Ice ordered.
“Are you sure, Ms. Andrews?”
No, but she didn’t want Ice hurt either. “Yes.”
Alec must have moved because Ice started walking again.
“You’ve won, Ice. Now put me down.”
Ice kept walking through the backstage area, going out a steel door marked ‘exit’. As the cool night air struck her, Ice stopped momentarily then started walking again.
“If you don’t put me down, I’m going to vomit,” Grace threatened.
Ice went a foot farther before placing her on her feet next to his bike, reaching out a hand to steady her.
“Get on the bike.”
“I want to go home. If you have to talk, we can talk there. It’s too late to call CeCe, and I’m not going to bother Penni again after Jackal attacked her!” she snarled at Jackal as he and Ice’s other men returned to his bike.
“Don’t feel too sorry for that wildcat. She nearly chewed my lip off.”
Grace almost laughed at the damage Penni had ravaged on Jackal. His bottom lip was swollen and bleeding, and she thought he might even need stitches. His eye was swollen and already turning black and even his scarred cheek had new scratches with dots of fresh blood.