I heard Jaz cry out, “Noo! Stop! You asshole!” She was crying and distraught.
My ragged breath caught in my throat. I had to protect her. Had to. My adrenaline was enough to pull me over the line. I drew back and swung from the hip with an undercut to the bottom of Carter’s jaw. I watched his jaw retract.
Security rushed in and apprehended Dee.
Carter fell to his knees.
I grabbed my shoulder, staggering towards her. “Jaz. Come here. They hurt you?” I asked, pain racking my voice.
She ran to me, tears streaming down her face. “Ink. Ink, I’m sorry, this is my fault! Ink, are you okay?” She didn’t care about herself, she cared about if I was hurt. She held my face and kissed my cheek where Carter punched me.
It took the throb away temporarily. I grinned through the pain as I caught my breath. “Admit it. You like me a little bit. Just a little.”
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “You idiot. You could have been stabbed! You did that for me? Who are they?” She kept rubbing my jaw.
I could feel it swelling as I answered her in a tired, but exasperated voice, “They are the Devil Riders, our rivals. And of course I did, don’t you know by now that I’m crazy about you? Don’t you get it, Jaz?”
Tears free flowed down her face. She nodded her head furiously in response, frightened by what I told her. I kissed her shaky fingers and she smiled at me through the tears.
I didn’t care that the other security guards were watching and assessing me.
“I get it now. I get it, Ink,” she said, voice crumbling. “You fought for me. Nobody’s ever fought for me before. Thank you.” She planted a flutter of kisses on my mouth, overwhelming me with them.
“If I knew you were going to be this appreciative, I would have done something earlier.” I grinned as I held onto her small waist. The motion to smile hurt. “Oww.”
“Stop. You’re going to hurt yourself,” she chastised with tenderness in her blue eyes.
Two of the security team came over to us.
I let go of Jaz reluctantly. I had to clean up the mess on the ground and quick. “I gotta get back to work, baby. Sort this out. I want you to catch a cab home right now and call me the minute you get in the door, let me know you’re safe,” I commanded. She had no choice but to follow my lead on this one. She had no idea what she was dealing with.
“Okay.” She kissed me quickly on the lips and ran to the taxi rank, jumping in the first one.
I made sure she was gone before I tackled the two buffoons on the ground in front of me.