Authors: Susan Scott Shelley
Captivated (10 page)
Dom
raced across the crowded floor, yelling for Zander. At first, he hadn
’t
realized why Irisa had moved away from him. Then his gaze landed on Luke facing
off against the biker. By then, Irisa was already halfway across the floor.
What the hell was she thinking?
The biker shoved her. The
crowd swallowed her fall. Glass shattered and someone screamed.
“What the hell?” he
roared, blood pounding in his ears. He pushed people aside, torn between
rushing to her aid and slamming his fist into the biker’s face.
Luke snarled at the
biker.
“You
don’t touch her.”
“Fine.” A meaty fist flew
toward Luke’s face.
The crowd pressed in
around them, ready for a fight, calling out encouragement and suggestions to do
harm. And she was in the middle of it. A young couple helped her to her feet.
Dom caught an elbow in
the ribs and another in his back. Finally, he reached her. She stood amid
broken bottles and sloshed drinks, looking dazed and clutching her wrist to her
chest.
“You
okay?”
Wide, frantic eyes gazed
at the scene unfolding around them.
“I have to stop him.”
Something crashed behind
them. Dom pulled her into his arms and turned. The fight spilled out into the
rest of the bar. The biker
’s friends and Luke’s supporters
jumped in. Shoving, punching, and spiraling out of control. Someone threw a
chair.
They needed to get out.
He maneuvered them around tables and chairs, creating more distance between
them and the crowd.
Irisa stopped moving.
“My
brother’s in there.”
Dom turned his head. Sure
enough, Zander, Brendan, and Landry were in the mix. Cameras flashed and people
held their phones high.
Four men, big walls of
muscle dressed in black shirts, jumped into the melee. They hauled the fighters
apart. Two grabbed hold of the biker and pulled him toward the back door. The
other two grabbed hold of Luke, dragged him to the front entrance, and pushed
him out the door.
“We need to go.”
“But Zander—”
“Can handle himself. He’s
going to get tossed anyway.”
The bouncers guided
Landry, Brendan, Zander, and Jayne past them. One pointed a beefy hand toward
the door.
“Keep moving. Get the hell out.”
“See? Let’s go.” Dom
nodded to the bouncer as they exited. The door slammed at their backs.
In the middle of the
parking lot, spotlighted by streetlights, the biker and his gang faced off
against Luke and his band.
Not again. Irisa still
cradled her wrist. Dom
’s side ached and he was damn tired of
things getting in the way of being with her. Frustration pushed him forward.
Gravel crunched under his shoes. Heads turned in his direction. He stepped in
between the two men. “Guys, let it go. It’s not worth spending the night in
jail.”
The biker cracked his
knuckles and shifted his stance.
“And who the hell are
you?”
Dom rolled his shoulders.
He didn
’t
want to fight, but he wouldn’t walk away from one. And besides, this guy had
put his hand on Irisa.
A tall, wide man next to
the biker squinted at Dom, then swatted the biker
’s shoulder. “Hey,
Big Lou, that’s Dom Torres.”
The biker
’s
face lit up. “Torres? No shit? I’ve never seen you out of uniform.” He turned
to his crew. “How ‘bout that? Dom freaking Torres, right here.” He moved closer
and his hand swung up. Dom braced for a punch, but the biker’s hand ruffled him
on the shoulder like he was an old friend.
Adrenaline pumped hard,
but the threat of danger began to recede.
“You guys are Riptide
fans?”
They nodded, and Big Lou
grinned.
“We don’t miss a game.”
Maybe he could bargain
with them to leave Luke in one piece.
“How about you and your
crew head out of here now, and you give me your name and number. I’ll get you
front-row seats right behind the dugout.”
“You for real? You
wouldn’t try to lie to Big Lou, now would you?”
“Trust me. I got you
covered.” He extended his hand.
Big Lou looked at him,
then grabbed hold and pumped.
“All right. My man.” He turned to the
wide man at his side. “Tiny, grab a paper and give this man my number.”
Dom stepped closer. All
wasn
’t
forgiven. “Lou, you need to apologize to my date here.” He gestured to Irisa.
“I don’t like seeing anyone put his hands on her, especially a dude twice her
size.”
The huge biker
’s
mouth opened. “I wasn’t trying to hurt her. I just wanted her out of the way.”
Shoulders slumped, he faced Irisa. “I’m sorry, miss. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”
She slid her arms behind
her back.
“No harm done. I’m tougher than I look.”
After another round of
handshakes, the bikers left, with Big Lou calling out a
“fuck
you” to Luke, followed by a good-natured laugh. Dom turned to The Fury. “You
guys okay?”
Zander had a gash on his
cheek and blood on his shirt. Jayne held a towel to her head. Brendan pressed a
hand to his stomach and Landry
’s knuckles bled.
Luke, sporting the
beginnings of a black eye, shook his head.
“I can’t believe you’re
giving those guys tickets.”
Seriously? Dom
’s
temper flared. “You’re welcome for saving you the trouble of being scraped off
the gravel.”
Irisa slipped her arm
around his waist.
“Thank you.”
“How’s your wrist?”
She flexed it and winced.
“I’ll
be okay.”
“We’re going to the
hospital. You need an x-ray.” Good thing he’d driven them to the concert. He’d
make sure she headed to the ER and not home.
“We’ll meet you there.”
Zander touched Jayne’s shoulder, his voice as angry as Dom felt. “She hit her
head pretty hard on the bar.”
Maybe Zander had witnessed
Jayne
’s
fall but hadn’t been able to stop it. Just like what had happened when Big Lou
shoved Irisa. Sparks of anger swirled in Dom’s blood. He nodded and drew Irisa
toward his truck.
She grasped his hand.
“Thank
you for saving the day back there.”
Gritting his teeth, he
told himself to relax.
“I’m just glad those guys were Riptide
fans.”
“Do you think it’s a good
idea to put them behind the dugout? Won’t that distract you or your team?”
He pulled out onto the
road.
“I’ll
put them behind the visitors’ dugout. Let them heckle all they want. Hell, it
might even help us win.”
The closer they got to
the hospital, and the more Irisa rubbed her wrist, the more he replayed the
incident in his mind.
“I can’t believe you ran right in there.
You saw them facing off. You saw how big that guy was.”
“It’s my job to keep my
guys out of trouble.”
“By putting yourself in
harm’s way? You didn’t think twice about it, did you?”
“Not really.” She
shrugged as though chatting about something as mundane as the weather. “Those guys
are like my brothers. Family comes first, before everything.”
“Big Lou is a foot taller
than you and outweighs you by a hundred pounds.”
Her brows rose.
“That
didn’t stop you from playing superhero.”
“In case you haven’t
noticed, I’m a hell of a lot bigger than you.” His muscles heated. He gripped
the steering wheel and his fingers dug into the leather.
“I have noticed. You’re
huge and strong. And if you did end up fighting him, I’m sure you’d win. But I
can’t sit by and do nothing when there’s a chance, however small, that I might
be able to talk my guys out of a bad situation. I’m sorry if you can’t
understand that.” Eyes sparking fire, she crossed her arms over her chest and
faced the window.
The hospital came into
view. He parked under the red glow of the emergency room sign.
With brisk, stiff
movements, Irisa slipped her purse strap over her shoulder and gripped the door
handle.
“Thanks
for driving me. I can catch a ride home with my brother.”
“I don’t want to fight
with you.” He leaned against the headrest, closed his eyes, and sighed. “Do you
know what it was like for me watching him shove you? And seeing you go down?
And not be able to get to you in time to stop it? Then the fight began and I
didn’t see you at all. You could’ve been trampled for all I knew.”
Delicate fingers touched
his forearm. He opened his eyes and met her gaze.
“I’m
sorry.” Her voice, soft and clear, pulled at him.
He put himself in her
place. Had it been Slade or Liam facing off against the giant, he would
’ve
been right there, trying to stop it. He turned off the engine. “Come on. Let’s
get you checked out.”
Her phone vibrated.
Oliver
.
She hit ignore.
Zander came into the
room, sporting a bandage on his cheek and another on his hand.
“The
bar fight is all over the internet. People uploaded a bunch of videos and
pictures.”
Why did people feel the
need to share every single thing online? Her stomach burned and her temples
pounded.
“That explains why Oliver just called.”
“Did you talk to him?”
She shook her head.
“Have
you seen the pictures?”
“They’re kind of bad. You
can see all of us.”
Not good.
She
pulled out her phone and searched for any reference to the band and bar fight.
Her limbs filled with the urge to run. She popped an antacid.
Dom
’s
hand covered hers before she could drop the roll in her purse. “Are you okay?”
“Sure.”
“You have them on you a
lot for someone who’s
okay
.
”
Zander frowned.
“What’s
going on?”
She shook her head.
“My
stomach just burns sometimes when I’m stressed. No big deal.”
“Acid reflux is a big
deal.” Dom’s grip tightened. “My old manager treated it with over-the-counter
tablets just like you’re doing. By the time it got so bad that he saw a doctor,
he had cancer of the esophagus. Thank God he’s okay now, but he went through
hell.”
“I’ve been tested. I
don’t have cancer or any other serious problems. This is just how my body
reacts to stress.”
“I don’t want you getting
sick.” Zander shoved his hand in his hair. “I see you almost every day and
never noticed you taking the things. And Torres here sees you a few times and
picks up on it.”
“I’m
fine
.
It
’s
not a big deal. The doctor told me it’s okay to take the tablets on occasion.”
Dom leaned in.
“Did
he or she mention how frequent those occasions could be?”
Hot flames licked into
her cheeks.
“Maybe you should wait in the car. I don’t want you
making my brother worry.”
“I’m not leaving.”
Zander typed something
into his phone.
“It says here that breathing exercises,
healthy diet, and physical exercise can help relieve stress.”
“I know, and I try to do
those.”
Dom crossed his arms over
his chest.
“Maybe you need to try harder.”
She gaped at him.
“Maybe
you do need to wait in the car.”
“Can’t blame a guy for
being concerned.”
Her phone vibrated again.
Oliver
.
“Ugh.” She dragged her
hand through her hair. “Does he realize it’s one thirty in the morning? I don’t
want to talk to him until I know how everyone is doing.”
“If this Oliver guy
bothers you so much, why not let Zander talk to him?” Dom rested his arm along
the back of her chair.
Her brother snatched her
phone.
“Great
idea.”
“Awful idea.” She lunged
for it and winced as pain bit into her wrist. “He hates Oliver.”
“Can you blame me? After
what that guy did to you—”
“Stop.” She raised her
good hand. “Give me back my phone.”
Dom
’s
other hand covered her forearm. “What did he do to you?”
“Nothing.” Emphasizing
the word, she glared at her brother. “It’s business-related, and it’s old news.
Give me my phone.”