Page 32 of Bad for You

Her lips trembled, eyes going bright. I wrapped my arms around her, pressing my mouth to her ear. “You don’t want me, honey, you’re just hurting. It’s going to be okay, though, I promise.”

She did the same, her lips close to my ear so I could hear her over the music, and every word sounded like it was being torn from her soul. “Who am I, Riff? If I’m not his, who am I?”

My gut clenched. “You’ll figure it out, Soph, I know you will.”

I spotted Manic and motioned him over. He was a good guy, trustworthy, and the complete opposite of his name. He also had sisters of his own, so he got it. But Tiny, he and I would be having words. I gave Manic the keys to my apartment. “Make her a coffee, look after her until I get there, yeah?”

“Sure thing. Come on, Soph.” He curled an arm around her shoulders and led her from the bar. I scoped out the room. Tiny was all over some chick at the back. Tough shit, I was about to ruin his night.

Dane appeared at my side. “What’s going on?”

“I’m about to teach someone what happens when they fuck with my family.”

Dane came around me, blocking Tiny from view. “Not in Bull’s bar.”

That took the wind out of my sails. I respected Bull. The last thing I wanted was to piss the big bastard off.

“Come have a beer with me. You can kick his ass tomorrow.”

Dane glanced over my shoulder and his eyes darkened.

I turned in time to see Brooks try to pull Lila in close. My girl was shaking her head no. But the shit for brains was drunk and not listening. He kept putting his filthy hands on her, wrapping his arms around her waist, rubbing his face against her neck.

Lila tried to pull away again, and I snapped. Fucking exploded into action. I strode across the bar, grabbed him by the back of the shirt, and wrenched him off my girl.

He stumbled back, then tried to get in my face. I smirked, knocked off his cowboy hat, and shoved him hard. He lost balance and fell on his ass. I advanced—

Bull stepped in front of me, a massive human wall. “Nope, not here, Riff.”

Eves was suddenly there as well. “Brooks was being pushy with Lila. She said no. He wouldn’t listen.”

That’s all Bull needed to hear. He grabbed Brooks by the shirt before I could and towed him to the door, tossing him out of the bar, then scowling as he walked back. “You good?” he said to Lila.

She stared up at him, eyes wide. “Y-yes.”

Satisfied, Bull headed back to the bar and I closed the space between me and Lila. “Bambi…”

Her gaze lifted to me and her face crumpled, then she spun away, shoving her way through the crowd, and ran for the back of the bar. I went after her.

Quinn opened the door for her, letting her out to the staff-only area, and stepped in front of me before I could follow. “Nope. No way.”

“Jesus, Quinn, let me go talk to her,” I ground out.

“Not a shit show in hell,” she said.

“I’m not going to say anything to upset her, I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

She scowled up at me. “Are you really that stupid? Or are you playing dumb?”

I was not going to yell at Quinn. Not only did I like her but her huge bear-sized husband was watching us and he looked ready to come over. I did not need him dragging me out by the scruff of my neck as well.

So I took a deep breath, trying to calm down, not easy when I was confused and still close to vibrating with rage. “I’m gonna need you to spell it out, Quinnie, ’cause I have no fucking idea what you’re on about.”

She hissed, actually hissed at me. “She liked you, Riff, really freaking liked you, and you dumped her…and I mean, that’s fine, I guess, whatever. You weren’t feeling it. But that doesn’t change the fact that she wanted to be with you, that she feels things deeply. Lila has that big, tender heart, and I know she says she’s over you, but she’s not. She didn’t really even like Brooks, not really, so when you bring your new woman home with you, then make out with her on the dance floor three freaking feet away from Lila, that shit cuts.” She planted her hands on her hips. “Move on, do your thing, Grifter, but not in front of her. You want to whisper sweet nothings in your girlfriend’s ear, do it at another goddamn bar from now on.”

I blinked down at the much smaller woman spitting fire at me and frowned. They thought what? I assumed Trix would have filled them in, but then thinking about it, I hadn’t actually told her who Sofia was to me. I’d kind of assumed Soph had told Trix while they were together. Come to think of it, Trixie hadn’t been overly friendly with me since I started working at Rocktown Ink. Shit.

“Sofia’s not my woman, she’s my sister-in-law,” I said, heart pounding.