Nate’s eyes flicked to mine as if he’d clocked me the moment he’d stepped inside. “Who, Harleigh?” He held my stare as he answered. “She’s a pretty girl.”
“Nix,” someone hissed but I couldn’t be sure who over the roar of blood between my ears.
“You’re a brave fucker, Nate. Braver than me if you’re willing to dip your end into that piece of trailer trash. Who knows where she’s been.”
I saw red.
One minute I was in the booth, the next I had my hand around Denby’s throat, and his body pressed up against the wall. “Say that again,” I growled.
“Easy, Nix. Easy…” Zane said, but I couldn’t think. Couldn’t see past Denby running his mouth about Harleigh.
Fuck.
Fuck.
“I suggest you get your fucking hands off me,” he smirked. “Before the cops show up and throw your sorry ass in jail.”
I released him with a hard shove and stepped back, running a hand down my face.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He chuckled darkly. “But good to know you still care. I’m sure Harleigh will be really—”
I lunged for him again, but strong arms yanked me backward. “Calm down,” Kye hissed. “Calm the fuck down.”
“What’s going on out here?” Brianne’s uncle appeared, clutching his cell phone. “You three,” he said, pinning me, Kye, and Zane with a disdainful look. “Get out of here, all of you.”
“Go,” Chloe urged me. “Just go. I’ll speak to him.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Shrugging Kye and Zane off me, I gave Denby a cold stare. “Stay the fuck away from her,” I spat.
“Or what, Wilder? What the fuck are you going to do? She’s one of us now. She—”
Zane shoved me out of the store. “Move, now.”
“He’s a fucking asshole.”
“And you walked right into it. What the fuck, Nix?”
They herded me toward Kye’s car and I climbed in the back seat, slamming the door behind me. But not before glancing toward the windows of the store. Denby glared back at me, a shit-eating grin on his face as he pointed two fingers at his eyes and then toward me as if to say, I’m watching you.
“I’m going to fucking destroy him,” I muttered, clenching a fist.
“Is that before or after you get your ass thrown in jail?”
“I barely touched the guy.”
“Come on, Nix, Z’s right. It didn’t look good. Brianne’s uncle—”
“Yeah, yeah, I screwed up. Just fucking drive, Carter. The sooner I get out of here the better.”
But before he could get the car into gear, Nate burst out of the store, jogging toward us.
“What the fuck does this asshole want?”
“Beats me,” Kye murmured, cranking his window. “What?”
“You should be more careful, Wilder. Denby doesn’t need any more reason to go after her,” the guy said, hands tucked in his pockets with casual poise.
“Oh yeah, and who the fuck are you?” My throat bobbed, my heart sinking into my fucking toes.