“What the fuck happened?” I shouted at Bear.
“No way I’m telling you.” He pointed to Jericho and Thorn. “Ask those stupid bastards.”
Unease turned to something raw and hot. “Where’s Red?”
“Ask them.” Bear spit the words at me before he walked away.
I stomped over to Jericho and Thorn, unable to hear for all the racket. When Jericho saw me his face drained of color and Thorn bowed his head. Rage flowed out of the deep hole. I tried to bury it inside, and it doubled and tripled in seconds.
The room had turned silent. “Tell me. Or should I just beat you bloody?”
Thorn took a step back and another. “Sit your ass down, you’re next.” My quiet tone was deadly—I considered killing someone if what I suspected was true. If Thorn had scared her or grabbed her, I’d beat him until I couldn’t throw another punch.
Thorn sat. Jericho shoved hands in his pockets. “It’s my fault. I didn’t tell anyone Thorn was here last night.”
I grabbed him by the shirt collar. “And?”
“He propositioned Lila.”
Wham. My fist connected with his chin. Again. And again.
“Stop for a minute, not the worst.” Jericho’s words penetrated my fury.
How could that not be the worst?
“Not knowing any better, she joked and turned him down.” Jericho met my gaze. “And he knocked her to the fucking floor. MJ hustled her out and—”
“You.” Slam, a right. “Bastard.” A left fist. “Know better.” Slam, another hit. “I trusted you to keep my woman safe.”
“She should’ve said she’s your—”
I turned and punched Weasel in the face, dropping him to the floor unconscious.
“You let her get hurt. Punched by Thorn.” I hit Jericho over and over until Thorn moved him aside and stood in front of me.
“I fucked up. Didn’t know she was yours, but I know women aren’t the enemy. I don’t hit women.” The words didn’t calm me, even knowing the big man had trouble with reality since his time in the war.
I slammed a fist into his rock-hard gut. His jaw. I pummeled him and his nose bled but he didn’t even step back from my assault. He was like a goddam concrete wall, but I kept hitting because the rage wouldn’t go away. The violent haze urged me on, wanting blood, destruction and retribution.
A sharp whistle made me turn—MJ’s whistle. “Glad you’re payin’ attention.” All five foot no inches of her stood tall on the bar. “You boys—” she glared at Thorn and Jericho “—should be ashamed, and I will not be talking to that sweet girl about charges. If she puts your asses in jail you deserve it.”
Thorn dropped into a seat and pounded his head into the table. I knew another conviction would put him in for more than a year, but the crazy ass deserved it.
“She didn’t ask me a goddam question, just shut her door like a beat dog.” MJ tapped her shoe on the bar. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman look so destroyed, when you boys let her get hurt, hurt her, it’s like you ripped out that big heart of hers.” She harrumphed and jumped off the bar and stormed out of the club.
My fists dropped bloody and throbbing to my sides. Destroyed. Heart ripped out of her. What was I doing here when my woman was hurt? I needed her to be okay, be okay with me, but I doubted either one of those would happen.
I spun on my heel without a word, heading for Red. I had to be able to touch her, hold her, tell her...what? My fucked-up life had already landed her on the floor. Was I selfish enough to lure her back? I totally would because I couldn’t imagine a day going by without touching her.
“Tell her I’m sorry,” Thorn called to my back.
I kept walking.
“I’m going to talk to her,” Jericho yelled after me.
“Stay away from her,” I growled before I walked out the door and to my bike.
The ride to Red’s place seemed like an eternity. I’d let her down in all the ways that mattered, and I planned to convince her to stay with me. I didn’t know why but today I couldn’t let her slip away from me.
I parked the bike and headed up the steps two at a time. I pounded on her door, but she didn’t answer, so I used my key to get in. Besides, she didn’t need to be up moving around. I’d taken a punch from Thorn, and she was lucky her cheek wasn’t broken.
Maybe it was, but she hadn’t told anyone. She could be at the ER right now.
I hurried through the living room. “Red, you here?” I kept going toward the bedroom.
“Yeah. In here.”
I walked into the bedroom and stopped, rooted in place. My woman stood swaying on unsteady feet with a stiff spine like she was ready for round two of the fight.