“On it, puppet.”
Adrian kissed the crown of my head and marched away toward the bar, towering above ninety-five percent of people. Ty and I drank the fourth shot. I wanted to get another round, but Adrian came back with eight shots, and three glasses of water.
“I won’t mind if you drink,” I said, leaning in closer. “Grab a beer.”
He shook his head. “No. No drugs, no alcohol, and no smoking, baby. I’m not taking any risks.” He pecked my forehead. “Hold on, I need to speak to the DJ.”
“I’m going out for a smoke,” I told Ty when Adrian disappeared to request another cringe-worthy song.
He nodded, pointing behind him in the direction of the back exit. I held my head high, ignoring heads spinning to watch me cross the room. The modest dress Adrian chose attracted more attention than any slutty outfit out there, which probably wasn’t Adrian’s plan.
Clutching a handbag, I rested against a wooden pillar that supported the patio roof and lit up a cigarette. Despite the open space, cigarette smoke lingered in the air like fog, the smell mixing with two dozen different colognes and perfumes.
A guy stopped in front of me, three feet too close.
“Hey, I haven’t seen you here before. I’ll take a guess and say you’re not from around here. Am I right?”
He licked his lips, sizing me up the way most teenage boys with fake IDs did. They were easy to spot thanks to an aura of impunity and pomposity. The supposedly irresistibleI’m-the-Kingattitude was a giveaway, too.
My new companion wore white sneakers, loose jeans, a buckle on his belt the size of a dinner plate and enough chains around his neck to anchor the Titanic—classy.
“You could say so,” I replied.
“You’re British! Fuck, you girls have the sexiest accent. I’m Jax. You need a tour guide? I know all the best things this city has to offer.”
He took another step forward. My breathing hitched. Despite Thomas’s help and the progress which I had made with James, I was threatened when anyone got too close—especially ostentatious, hormone ruled teenagers. It was easier to control fear when I interacted with someone familiar, but with strangers, the need to run was harder to suppress.
“I think I’ve seen everything there is to see, thank you.” My voice shook a little, the indifferent note clear, but Jax failed to notice.
“I meant the clubs, shawty.” His gaze slipped to my lips and lingered there too long before he looked back into my eyes. “I’ll show you some real magical places.”
Adrian appeared behind him out of nowhere, his nostrils flared, stance rigid.
“Abracadabra,” he seethed, slipping in between us to push Jax away. “You’re hitting on my girl. Back off.”
“We’re just talking, bro,” Jax said, but his tone changed from relaxed and flirty to reserved. “Chill out.”
Wrong choice of words. Adrian’s jealousy was his biggest flaw and consequently the biggest trigger. He couldn’t control it. He couldn’t controlhimself. He snapped faster than the naked eye could see.
I blinked, and that was enough time for Adrian to pin Jax to the nearest wall.
“You don’t want to piss me off,bro. You got a good look at her? Yeah? Then you know she’s way out of your fucking league. Beat it.”
The guy raised his hands to signal defeat. I breathed out when Adrian let him go, stepping back. I dropped my cigarette into an ashtray and took Adrian’s hand to take him inside.
“I’ll be here if you change your mind, shawty,” Jax hollered, his cocky attitude back on display.
He underestimated Adrian. He must have thought that if he didn’t hit him so far, then he wouldn’t. My body turned to stone when Adrian turned around, simultaneously pushing me back, away from the imminent brawl. A powerful punch landed on Jax’s nose.
I watched Adrian fight several times. He was unbeatable: a machine designed to inflict pain and collect the perks. It was different in the ring where the crowd cheered him on—it was just a competition. My chest filled with pride when he won another match. Pride gave way to fear when he served some twisted justice to anyone who dared to get too close to me.
Adrian had no breaks. He threw his fists at anyone who as much as looked at me the way he didn’t approve of. Next to jealousy, it was the main reason for our arguments.
Jax touched his bleeding nose, shaking his head as if to say he had enough. But I knew it wouldn’t end there. It never did. Adrian kept the punches coming as if he were hitting a boxing bag rather than someone’s face. Two more guys jumped in, hitting Adrian to get him off the poor guy who coughed up blood and covered his face, whimpering. There was no stopping Adrian once he lost control.
I couldn’t move, my legs as if they were stuck in quicksand. Tequila came up to my throat, the thought of Adrian turning around to face me, wrath in his eyes brought me to the edge of a panic attack. Religion wasn’t a big part of my life, but I was ready to convert to any religion if praying could get me out of there.
“Adrian!” Ty roared, arriving at the scene. Instead of helping his friend who fought three guys, Ty caught my arms. “Look at me,” he said, his voice artificially calm. “You’re safe, girl. I’ve got you.”