Page 22 of Storm's Deliverance

He pins me with those ice blue eyes, his mouth set to a thin line.

I roll my eyes. “Enzo, chill! It’s my job. It was an accident.” I force a laugh and shake my head back and forth. “Stop being overprotective. Is Mom inside?” I ask, walking past him.

He reaches out and clasps my wrist in his hand. I look at him, his gaze serious. “I know when you are lying,” he states.

Shit.I part my lips. “Er, okay,” I sigh. My mind is working a mile a minute, trying to make up a lie that is also the truth. “A guy at work hit me,” I blurt out.The truth. “He didn’t mean to. He was emotional. I didn’t want to tell you or any of them, because I know you’ll want to hunt him down.”Again, not a lie.

His eyes assess me. I can see him debating whether to believe me or not. He looks away, and I sigh with relief. “Good luck explaining that to Dad, and if Uncle Rage sees it, he will burn the hospital to the ground.” He smirks.

“Yeah, I know how much he hates hospitals.” Enzo drapes his arm over my shoulders as we walk inside together. He places a kiss on the side of my head.

The bar is loud, and everyone is here. I give Enzo a side glance. “You didn’t say everyone was here,” I say through gritted teeth. My gaze lands on Drix, and he has his arm wrapped around a girl’s waist. Both of them are laughing as he whispers something in her ear.

“Why is it a problem?” he asks, following my gaze. “Jealous, baby sister?”

I glare at Enzo. “No, I’m with Zeke, so why would I be jealous?”

Enzo’s grin deepens, exposing his dimples. Man, I want to punch him in his smug face. “You going to hit me?” he goads, seeing the thought cross my mind.

“I’m undecided. It all depends on if the next thing that comes out of your mouth is as stupid as the last thing you said,” I challenge.

His smile widens. “You’re so much like Mom, you know that?”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, I’ve been told.”

“Finally, my baby girl returns,” Dad’s deep voice bellows across the bar.

Well, here goes.I brace myself, waiting for the questioning. I take a deep breath and smile up at him. He stops dead in his tracks, those glacial eyes many fear, pinning on the mark on my cheek.

“Who in the fuck did that to you?!” he booms, his voice a deep resounding threat that halts the room in conversation. All eyes are on me, and I can’t help but shift nervously on my feet under everyone’s scrutinizing gaze. Especially when I feel a rich pair of blue eyes narrowing on me, watching me intently.

“Dad, calm down,” I sigh. He closes the distance, softly taking my chin in his hold and examines my cheek better.

“Someone hit you,” he growls.

Enzo steps away slightly, and I pin my gaze on him, as if to say thanks for leaving me. He smirks and shrugs.Asshole.

“Storm, tell me who the fuck hit you,” Dad grinds out through his teeth.

I open my mouth to reply, but don’t get a chance when Drix moves to Dad’s side. I swallow. “Answer your dad, BB.” His voice is low, dangerous. His usually bright, playful blue eyes are cold and ready for murder. “Who did this to you?” he continues, his body rung tight.

I swallow again, looking away from Drix to my dad. “It’s nothing. Just a guy at the hospital. He didn’t mean to; it was an emotional situation,” I explain.

Dad’s gaze assesses me for a moment, just like Enzo had done outside. I see his body relax slightly. He presses a kiss to my temple. “Jesus, princess, don’t scare me like that again. Although, I will be paying a visit to the fucking hospital board. If they can’t keep you safe at work, then they need a lesson in security management.”

“I will kill them. Slice them,” Rage spits out, his hand clenched into tight fists at his sides.

Dad turns around to face him. “Calm, Rage, I will sort it,” Dad assures him, taking Rage off to the side.

Drix moves closer, blocking everyone else out. I look up at him. His eyes are still cold and full of fury. “You may have your dad and everyone else fooled, but not me.” I open and close my mouth, but any words die in my throat. “You’ve not responded to me for weeks,” he continues. “You’ve changed.”

I let out a chuckle. “I have not changed. I was keeping my distanceand working on my relationship because you kissed me,” I bite back, making sure to keep my voice low so no one else can hear me.

His jaw tenses. “You forgetting that you kissed me back?”

I stand toe to toe with him. “It was a mistake.”

He grins. “Right, you just keep telling yourself that. Just like you are telling everyone here that he didn’t do that to you.” He angrily points to my cheek. “When we both know he did. He was pissed, angry, and that is why he lashed out. He took it out on you, and he’s keeping you away from your family.” He pauses. “And me.” The way he says those last two words cuts me deep. Kiss or not, we have always been close.