Others, well, they simply stared down at their drinks, not giving the men the time of day.
“Fine. I don’t want her ugly ass anyway.”
He looked at his wife. At the asshole’s comments, she’d flinched and looked miserable. He did no more than shove the bastard to his knees, gripping his hair hard. The man let out a scream. It was a little too feminine, but Ugly Beast wasn’t about to have anyone disrespect her.
She belonged to him.
“Apologize now.”
“Fuck you.”
He drew his fist back and slammed it against the man’s face. The man collapsed to the floor, but Ugly Beast wasn’t done. Pulling him back up into a sitting position, he held him in place. “Apologize now.”
The music that had been playing in the background went silent. Everyone in the bar was watching. Abriana had tears in her eyes.
“He doesn’t have to,” she said.
He stared at her, letting her know she better shut the fuck up before he turned his attention to her.
She pressed her lips together and held her hands in front of her, submitting to him. No one disrespected the club, and if he allowed that one insult to slide, it would come back on the club and send them to their ass.
“Apologize.” He wasn’t going to ask the man again. He had the blade pressed tightly against the man’s neck, and after a gulp, the man finally let go and apologized.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you that.”
“You were more than happy to grind against my wife’s ass, but then insult her?” He shoved the asshole to the floor and spat on him. He fucking hated pieces of shit like him. Stepping up to Abriana, he cupped her face. Smokey already had a hold of Raven, and like the good little member, she hadn’t put up a fight. It wouldn’t do her any good anyway, and they always put the club’s image first.
Slamming his lips down on Abriana’s, he cupped the back of her neck, holding her in place as he claimed her in front of all to see. She belonged to him. They would respect her, and he wouldn’t allow any of them to treat her differently.
She tensed in his arms.
“No one touches my property,” he said.
With that, he took her hand, leading her out of the bar and straight toward his bike.
“Ugly Beast, I brought my car. I can take her home.”
He stopped, released Abriana, and stepped up to the other woman. “You think for a single fucking second I’m going to let you fucking near her? You’re drunk. If something happens to her, the entire Garofalo outfit comes down on the club.” He looked toward Smokey, and he nodded at him.
This wasn’t Smokey’s fight, this was his.
If the president felt he had to interfere, he would.
“It was just some fun. You keep her locked up in that house and she’s all alone.”
“She’s been with us a matter of days.”
“And this is the first time you’ve seen her. We were having fun. It’s not our fault assholes wanted to dance with us.”
Ugly Beast stepped up to Raven and got right up in her face, staring into her eyes. “You will not take my fucking wife anywhere else, understand?”
Raven’s jaw clenched. “Let me take her home.”
“No.” With that, he stepped back, and got on his bike. “Get on,” he said, not looking at Abriana.
His wife didn’t argue.
She climbed onto the back of his bike, and without another word to Raven, he took off. His brothers knew the drill. He was sure he wouldn’t hear the end of tonight. This was the first time in all of his years being a Hell’s Bastard that he’d made a public claim on any woman.
Abriana wasn’t just any woman though. She belonged to fucking him, and he took that shit seriously. She was his to protect, not anyone else.
Her arms were wrapped tightly around his middle, and he ignored that ache inside his gut that told him he needed to be careful with her.
Abriana may have been a virgin, but she was no fucking innocent. There was no way she could be a Vigo and not know what this life entailed. She must have seen death at least once in her life.
It was the one thing they had in common. He was used to being shot at and looking death in the face every single fucking day.
The brothers rode at his back, and he cut off from them, taking Abriana home. The boys didn’t follow him.
Turning off the engine, he waited for Abriana to climb off before he did the same, grabbing her arm and taking her back into her house.
The moment the door was closed, Abriana began to beg.
“Please, don’t hurt me or Raven. It wasn’t supposed to make you angry. She said you had agreed.”
She looked so small compared to him. Her hands were clasped together, and he saw she was shaking.