Page 106 of Brutal
“He stopped me.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“No.”
Relief swirls through me, even though this means someone sent him to send a message. And I’m pretty sure it was Nate. I hope he’s up for another left hook from me.
I lift my gaze back to hers. “What did he say?”
She doesn’t look away. “He said, ‘It didn’t end that night. And if you don’t stop this, it will never end.’”
My body goes tense. I release her wrist but then take it again immediately.
“What did he mean by that?” she asks.
I don’t answer. “Come with me.”
“I’m not?—”
“You are.”
I turn and move, pulling her with me. She resists for half a step but then adjusts quickly, matching my pace instead of fighting it.
Good.
We cut through the crowd, the noise fading as we move toward the back corridor. The shift from chaos to quiet is immediate once we pass through the door. I don’t stop until we’re inside a private room and the door is shut behind us.
Only then do I release her.
She turns on me right away. “What the hell was that?”
I ignore it. “Did he touch you anywhere else?”
Her expression sharpens. “Excuse me?”
I scan her from head to toe. “Your wrist. Your shoulders. Your throat. Anywhere I can’t see.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
She lifts her chin. “I’m not letting you inspect me like that.”
I step closer.
She doesn’t move back.
“Turn.”
“No.”
“Turn, or I’ll do it for you.”
She holds my gaze for a second longer, anger flashing, and then shifts just enough to give me her shoulder, the line of her neck.
I look. Nothing. No sign of force. Whoever it was knew exactly how far to go.
I step back. “That wasn’t random.”
