Page 50 of Face Off

Briggs stood from the stool. “That’s enough.”

Ryan’s shoulders tightened, but I touched his forearm before he could continue.

His gaze dropped to my hand.

The contact affected both of us. Heat moved beneath my palm, familiar enough to pull at memories I wasn’t willing to follow inside a crowded bar. I left my hand there long enough to get his attention before speaking quietly in Spanish.

“No te molestes. No merece mi tiempo.”

Don’t bother. She isn’t worth my time.

Ryan went completely still.

His eyes lifted to mine, shock moving through them before he could hide it. I had spoken carefully, my accent imperfect but the sentence clear enough that no translation was needed.

Briggs looked between us.

Aura’s head turned sharply, though she couldn’t have understood what I said. Everyone else watched Ryan’s face and knew something had happened.

He continued staring at me for another second before answering in English.

“No, she isn’t.”

Lyric released a disbelieving laugh. “You’re speaking Spanish in front of me again.”

I removed my hand from Ryan’s arm and lifted my glass. “You complained about Ryan speaking his first language. I didn’t realize you planned to ban everyone.”

“What did you say?”

“Something that ended the conversation.”

Her eyes narrowed. “That’s rude.”

“So was everything you said in English.”

Briggs rubbed both hands down his face. “Can everybody stop?”

I looked at him and immediately softened. None of this was his fault, even if watching him tolerate it pissed me off enough to make restraint difficult.

“I’m finished,” I said.

Ryan picked up his beer. “I’m not.”

I glanced toward him. “You are if you plan to honor our olive branch.”

His mouth flattened.

“You agreed,” I reminded him.

“I agreed to an olive branch with you. She wasn’t included.”

“It’s a broad branch.”

“That sounds structurally unsound.”

“Trust the tree.”

His glare lasted another second before the corner of his mouth moved.