Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 138683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Far enough away to give them some privacy, close enough I could get to them in a blink if the situation arose.
Tessa and Eden kept tossing back dirty martinis.
They were laughing and giggling and likely conspiring.
Everything about them became more animated as the minutes passed.
The fuckwads out on the prowl must have felt the ferocity vibrating from my bones because they gave them a wide berth even when they had to be the two most gorgeous women in the club.
An hour passed.
Then two.
Trent checked in every so often, but there was a problem in the kitchen, so he kept slipping out.
The longer Tessa sat there, the more the giggles coming out of her grew in volume, her voice getting louder, her spirit free.
Had to wonder if she came here to find the things she couldn’t outside these walls, too.
If she found respite here.
Relief.
If she was always this fuckin’ happy or if once she was out the door, life’s burdens got heavy.
I guessed I’d always sensed an undercurrent of something beneath that joy.
The thing that really pissed me off was it became most apparent when her boyfriend came around.
Asshole dimming her light.
The same way as he did right then.
A cloud gathered around her, shuttering her warmth, when the pompous fucker broke through the crowd and came striding her way.
A tacky hatred slicked across my flesh, violence threatening to rise to the surface. I did my best to swallow it down before I did something I couldn’t take back. Still, my mouth watered with the thirst to just let go. To release the chains that kept me in control.
Karl Haller was one of those pretentious pricks who thought he owned the world, with too-straight teeth and over-styled blond hair.
Wearing an expensive suit and arrogance on his face.
He’d caused trouble here last year, and I’d personally wanted to give him the official stamp of unwelcome and make sure he never waltzed through Absolution’s doors again, but over time, he’d somehow swindled his way back in.
I never could see what she saw in him. Wanted better for her.
Hell, what I really wanted was to knock him flat when I saw the way she shrank when he came to stand at the edge of her table.
Tessa was the farthest from weak. Not close to being a doormat. She was this fierce, fiery spirit that chased after the good things in this life.
Whole of it left me confused, whatever this clutch was that he had on her.
I was close enough that I could make out the false pleasantry he tossed at Eden, a cool, “Hello,” before he straightened his suit jacket and turned toward Tessa.
He stretched out his hand, but the gesture didn’t come close to appearing kind. “It’s time to go.”
“I didn’t text you yet to come get me.” Her voice had gone raspy, cut with revulsion.
“And you didn’t return my text an hour ago. Now, it’s time to go.”
“Karl—”
I surged forward. I figured there was no reason to stop myself. Even if some other asshat was trying to pull this in the club, I’d be all too happy to intervene.
But there was something about this that sent venom coating my tongue. “It seems the girl isn’t interested in leaving with you.”
Worry filled Tessa’s face when she looked up in my direction. “It’s—”
“I’m pretty sure you don’t have a say in it,” he sneered, disgust in the curl of his nose, like the asshole thought he was better than me. The second I hauled him out back, he was gonna find out that was not the case.
A soft hand landed on my wrist. “It’s okay, Milo.”
And shit, I nearly stumbled.
Nearly turned and gathered her up so I could stand between her and this fucker she clearly didn’t belong with.
“It’s not okay if you don’t want to go with him.” The words were a snarl as I stared the bastard down.
Karl scoffed and turned away from me, though there was no missing the tremor in his hands. “I don’t have time for this tonight, Tessa.”
“Tessa.” It was a plea from Eden.
Tessa slipped out of the booth, turned to her best friend, and whispered, “It’s fine.”
Karl spun on his heel and started to walk, and the girl glanced at me in some kind of apology before she followed the asshole out.
“Damn it,” I rumbled, scrubbing a palm over my face to break up the haze of red as I watched her disappear into the fray, hating that I couldn’t do one goddamn thing about it.
It was hard as fuck continuing with work like nothing had gone down. To act like my insides weren’t a web of anger and frustration. I’d barely had the willpower not to rip the face off every asshole who dared to even look at me sideways.
It’d made it even worse that Eden had been super upset after Tessa had left. It was clear she didn’t get it, either.