A sickening crunch ripped the air, followed by a pained howl. Blood spurted from Heath’s nose, and the scent of copper drenched my surroundings, seeping beneath my skin and rendering me immobile.
I could only watch, horrified, as Dante hauled a spluttering Heath up by the collar and pinned him against the wall.
Anger carved harsh lines across Dante’s face, hardening his jaw and turning his cheekbones into slashes of tension against the firelight. His eyes simmered with slow-burning fury, the type that snuck up and annihilated you before you knew it’d even arrived.
He’d always been intimidating, but in that moment, he looked larger than life, like the devil himself had left hell to exact his retribution.
“I don’t give a fuck how long you and Vivian have known each other or how long ago you dated.” Dante’s soft snarl sent ice skittering down my spine. “You don’t touch her. You don’t talk to her. You don’t even fucking think about her. If you do, I’ll break every fucking bone in your body until your own mother won’t recognize you. Understand?”
Beads of crimson dripped from Heath’s chin down his shirt.
“You’re out of your mind,” he spat. Despite his bravado, his pupils were the size of quarters. Fear leaked from him, almost as potent as the smell of blood. “I’ll sue you for assault.”
Dante’s smile was terrifying in its calmness. “You can try.”
He tightened his grip on Heath’s shirt, his knuckles already bruised from the force of his punch.
The air sharpened with fresh, impending violence, enough that it finally yanked me out of my frozen stupor.
“Stop.” I found my voice right as Dante drew his arm back for another punch. “Let him go.”
He didn’t move.
“Now.”
A heavy beat passed before he released Heath, who slumped on the floor, coughing and clutching his nose. Judging by the crack earlier, it had to be broken, but I found it hard to summon sympathy after dealing with him for the past two hours.
“This is not a school playground,” I said. “You’re both grown men.Actlike it.”
My day had been shitty enough. First, someone spilled coffee all over my brand-new,whiteTheory dress during my morning latte run. Then, I found out a pipe had burst at the Legacy Ball’s original venue. The place was flooded and would take months to repair, which meant I had three months to find and move all gala preparations to a new venue that would 1) be available on such short notice 2) fit within my budget, and 3) have the space and grandeur necessary to host five hundred extremely discerning, extremely judgmental guests.
I came home hoping to relax, only to have Heath show up at the door rambling about a text I supposedly sent him, telling him I wanted to reconcile.
Now, my fiancé and ex-boyfriend were at each other’s throats, and there was blood dripping everywhere.
Needless to say, my sympathy reserves were at an all-time low.
“Heath, you should go and get your nose looked at.” Every second he and Dante stayed in the same room was another opportunity for more trouble.
I’d go with him to the hospital, but considering Dante’s current mood, offering to leave with him would hurt more than it helped.
Heath looked at me, his eyes tortured. “Viv…”
A rumble of warning emanated from Dante’s chest.
“Go,” I said. “Please.”
He opened his mouth as if to say something else, but Dante’s death glare had him scrambling up and out of the room without another word.
I waited until I heard the front door slam before I whirled on the other infuriating, migraine-inducing man in my life.
“What iswrongwith you? You can’t just go around punching people! You probably broke his nose!”
“I can do whatever I want,” Dante said, the picture of remorselessness. “He deserved it.”
A headache gathered behind my temples.
“No, youcan’t.Newsflash, having money doesn’t absolve you from consequences. There’s a…a proper way of doing things that doesn’t include violence. You’re lucky if hedoesn’tsue you for assault.”