“You shouldn’t go around touching women without their permission. That will get you into trouble.”
“Fuck, girly, you don’t want to talk to Curly like that.” It was the guy with the baggy jeans. Suddenly, she was surrounded on three sides by rough, mean-looking bikers.
Just awesome. How did this keep happening to her? And where the heck was Millie?
“Listen to me, you cu—”
“You don’t want to finish that sentence, Curly,” a deep voice growled from behind her.
Instantly, she relaxed. She knew that voice.
Curly took a step back, hands coming up. “No harm meant, Razor. We’re just having a chat.”
“Tabby, come here.”
Turning, she looked up at Razor and winced at the cold, calm look on his face. Oh, he was mad.
“You know her?” Curly asked, attempting to sound casual. “Didn’t realize. We were just talking, right, Tabby?”
“Don’t talk to her. And you stay where you are, Rat. I’m not finished with you.”
Tabby turned to see the wiry older guy was trying to move away. His name was Rat? Seemed fitting.
“Tabby. What’d I just tell you to do?”
Um. Oh, right, go to him. She wasn’t so sure that was a good idea.
“Tabby. Here. Now.”
Or maybe she should go to him. Yep, keeping him happy was probably the best thing to do. She walked slowly over and he gently drew her behind him. “Stay there.”
So. Bossy.
But she’d wait to tell him her opinion.
“Problem?”
A big, bald-headed man walked up. Spike. Her mind flashed back to that night.
Luther hitting her. Pain. Fear.
Sneaking up on him with that poker. Smack!
Fear and elation filling her as he slid to the floor. She’d wanted to kill him. Had been sad when she hadn’t. What sort of person did that make her?
Spike storming into the house. The look of relief on his face as he held Millie.
What would it be like to have someone care for her like that?
“Tabby? Baby, you okay?”
She suddenly realized that everyone was staring at her. She nodded at Razor, who had a fierce frown on his face. “Did they touch you?”
“Um, Curly slapped my ass.”
Something scary filled his face. Something scary. He turned back to the two men.
“Hey, man, I didn’t know!” Curly cried.
“Spike, watch her. But don’t touch her. Gonna go have a chat with these two assholes.”
She opened her mouth to protest. She didn’t want to leave Razor. She needed to stay with him. And she didn’t want him dealing with these assholes. There were two of them and only one of him. What was he going to do? He wouldn’t just talk to them, right?
But then Spike was in front of her, blocking her way.
“Um, I really need to speak to Razor.”
Spike just shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. Damn, the man was like a brick wall. She stepped to one side, wincing as she put too much weight on her sore ankle. Ouch. He followed her movement, still blocking her. She moved to the other side, keeping her weight off her injured foot, but he slid in front of her again.
“For such a big man, you sure are light on your feet,” she muttered. Her cheeks were growing red as she realized they’d gained an audience. “Please move.”
He shook his head.
“You should have been a ballerina.”
“Oh my gosh, he’d be so cute as a ballerina.”
Tabby turned to find Millie had walked up behind her. “I can see it right now. I wonder if they make tutus that big, though.”
Spike scowled fiercely at the other woman and Tabby put herself squarely in front of Millie, ready to defend her. Thankfully, she’d said those words really quietly. Which was a shock since Millie didn’t seem to have a quiet button. But Tabby didn’t think anyone else had heard over the rest of the noise in the room.
Spike’s eyebrows rose at her move.
“Um, Tabby. What are you doing?” Millie asked.
“Just stay behind me,” Tabby told her. “I know how to take a punch.”
Was it her imagination, or did the whole bar go quiet? She knew they hadn’t. But it felt that way.
“What? Tabby, Spike isn’t going to hit me.” Millie moved up beside her. Tabby attempted to get in front of her again, but the other woman wasn’t having it. Spike’s scowl had turned fierce and she wasn’t sure if it was because she was keeping Millie from him or because she thought he might hit the other woman.
“Of course. I know that.”
She hadn’t, though. She’d acted on instinct. That she was now kind of regretting, given the looks both of them were giving her.
“Millie, take Tabby to the others,” Spike commanded.
Millie nodded, reaching out to take Tabby’s hand.
“But what about Razor?”
“Razor can take care of himself,” Millie reassured her.
“Where did he go with those men?”
“Took them outside for a chat,” Spike told her, walking behind them. He was careful not to get too close.
She looked at him over her shoulder. “Both of them? What if they try to hurt him?”
Spike gave her a look of disbelief. “Razor can take them.”
Shaking her head, she tugged on Millie’s hand. “I need to go help him. He could get hurt.”
And it would be her fault. All because she’d decided to come here. This had been a stupid mistake. But she wouldn’t let Razor get hurt because of her.
“I have to—”
“He’s fine,” Spike told her. “But I’ll go if you stay.”
“You’ll go make sure he’s okay?”
Spike nodded.
“All right, but hurry.”
Spike just eyed her then turned to Millie. “Stay with Jewel and Jason.”
“You got it!” Millie said cheerfully, tugging her over to a corner table where she could see some other people sitting. She didn’t recognize any of them. Where were the guys from work? Were any of them here? Then she spotted Sav over by the bar talking to a dark-haired man. Sav noticed her at the same time and his eyes widened. He looked over across the room as though searching for someone.
Then he turned his gaze back to her and crooked a finger.
She shook her head. She wasn’t going over there. If Sav found out what was going on then he might feel the need to get involved, and he couldn’t afford to get into trouble because he was on parole.
Millie tugged at her hand. “Why is Sav trying to get you to come over to him?”
“No idea, let’s go sit with your friends.”
“Uh-oh, he doesn’t look happy.”
“Does he ever?” she asked desperately.
“True. He’s not the most cheerful person. Still, maybe we should go over there.”
“Nope.”
“Are you scared of him? He won’t hurt you. And Duke’s right there. He’s Sunny’s fiancée. Remember, I told you about her.”
“I’m not scared of Sav. I just don’t think it’s a good idea for him to know what Razor is doing.”
“Why not?”
“Because he might decide to get involved and he can’t.”
“Oh. I wish I understood any of that. But okay.”
Tabby turned away and headed back in the direction they were going. This time, she was pulling Millie along.
“Uh-oh.”
“Uh-oh? Nope. No uh-oh’s,” she said desperately. She wished she could move faster, but she was still limping, and being on her ankle for so long wasn’t doing it any favors. Especially with the way she’d played dodge’ems with Spike.
“He’s headed this way.”
Tabby quickly slid into a seat next to a gorgeous, blonde-haired woman who was impeccably dressed. Seriously, Tabby needed some pointers because she looked like a model. Next to her was another blonde-haired woman who wor
e a T-shirt with a sequined unicorn on the front.
Next to her was a stunning woman with darker hair. She wore a tight, red top and an amazing necklace that Tabby instantly wanted to touch. The woman’s gaze narrowed in on Tabby, studying her.
There were two men leaning against the wall behind them, chatting. One of them was covered in tattoos and had his hair longer on top and shorter at the sides. The other guy was bigger and looked younger. He had his long hair pulled back
Nerves flooded her. What was she doing?
“Hi, I’m Tabby.”
“Hi, Tabby, I’m Sunny.” The girl with the sequined top waved at her. “This is Betsy.” The gorgeous woman on her left gave her a quiet hi. “And Jewel.” The dark-haired woman nodded, then her gaze moved up to the man that Tabby could feel looming up behind her.
Millie took a seat next to Jewel and Duke moved to stand behind Sunny, putting his hand on her shoulder.
“Tabby, didn’t you see me?” Sav asked.
“So, what are you all drinking?” she asked everyone. The two men that had been talking moved closer to the table. The bigger guy stood behind Jewel. While the tattooed man moved to Betsy. Right, now she thought she had a good idea of who was who with what Millie had told her.
“Um, Tabby, Sav is talking to you.” Sunny leaned forward with a small smile.
“I know.”
“Oh. Aren’t you going to talk to him?”
“Nope.”
Sunny’s eyes widened and her gaze moved from Tabby up to Sav. Tabby wasn’t going to turn around and see what he looked like after she declared that.
“Why not?” Millie asked. “Was he mean to you?” She glared up at Sav as she said that.
“Oh no, Sav is very nice.”
“He is?” Duke asked, a funny look on his face. “Nice, huh?”
She thought she might have heard a grunt from behind her, but she wasn’t checking to look. Where were Spike and Razor?
“Yep,” she replied, with a fake-cheerfulness. She thought she’d done a crap job by the way everyone was looking at her.
“Sooo, what were you all talking about?” she asked desperately. “Please, go ahead.”
“Wow, you’re really crap at small talk, huh?” Millie asked.
“Millie!” Sunny said. “Maybe she’s nervous.”
“Oh, she’s nervous all right,” Jewel drawled. “But I think it has more to do with the big guy looming over her.”
“Is Sav making you nervous?” Sunny asked. “Sav, maybe you should back up a bit.”
“No,” Sav bit out. “Tabby, where is Razor?”
“I don’t know. Shouldn’t you know? I just arrived. How would I know?”
They all stared at her.
“What’s going on?” Jewel asked. “Is Razor in trouble?”
“Nope. No trouble.”
“I’m going to find him,” Sav declared.
“No!” Tabby popped up out of her seat and clasped Sav around the waist. He froze. “You’re not going anywhere!”
“Do you understand me?” Razor snarled in Curly’s face as he pinned him to the wall.
“Yeah, yeah, I won’t ever look at your missus again.”
Razor didn’t correct him. It served his purposes for Curly and Rat to think that Tabby was his. It would give her some protection.
From them. But not from their other enemy. He had to remember why he was supposed to be keeping a distance.
Fuck, it was hard, though. The other night when he’d kissed her, he’d wanted to keep going. So he’d quickly drawn away.
And look what happens when you do that. She goes and gets herself into trouble.
Maybe he didn’t need to worry about Mr. X hurting her when she seemed intent on putting herself into dangerous situations.
Fuck.
Perhaps Reyes was right. Maybe he could have her and keep her safe. Perhaps staying away from her wasn’t the best idea. But was she ready for what he wanted?
She did kiss you.
And that had shocked the fuck out of him. But what did he really know about what she wanted? About whether she wanted a relationship? Especially one with someone like him.
He didn’t want to take advantage of her. Didn’t want to be like every other man in her life.
He dropped Curly. The other man grabbed Rat and they scurried away. Rat held his arm across his stomach. Razor had reinforced his orders with a bit of violence. But he’d held onto his control.
“Thought they’d leave here bleeding.”
Razor turned to find Spike standing there.
Rat and Curly were idiots, they were part of a group who had supported the old leader, Smiley, and had stayed on.
“I made my point,” Razor said, clenching and unclenching his fist. In his younger days, he’d have taken it further than a few nasty threats. But he was older and wiser.
Kind of.
“What are you doing out here? You’re meant to be watching Tabby.”
Spike raised his hands. “She sent me out here. She’s worried about you.”
Razor grunted. “I can take care of myself. She’s the one that needs watching. What the fuck was she doing, coming here alone?”
“Millie invited her.”
“What? Why didn’t you tell me? She shouldn’t be walking in on her own. Hell, the walk from her car to the front door is fucking dangerous at night in this neighborhood.”
“I know, man. Said she wasn’t coming. Didn’t know.”
Razor let out a deep breath, reminding himself that this wasn’t Spike’s fault.
It was his.
He should have been keeping a closer eye on her.
“Damn it. She has no sense of self-preservation. What was she thinking?”
Spike just shrugged and headed back inside. Razor followed him. Part of him thought he’d be better off taking a few minutes to calm down. But a bigger part of him needed to see her. To ensure that she was all right.
“Fuck, what’s she doing?” Spike asked.
And he looked up. His mouth dropping open as he took in Tabby. And Sav.
Tabby had her arms around the other man, holding on tight. Sav was staring down at her in shock.
What. The. Fuck.
Two things stopped Razor from attacking the other man. One, Tabby was in the way. And two, was the way Sav had his hands up. He looked shocked.
It was clear he didn’t want to touch her.
Yeah, that saved him. Because Razor had had enough. No one was touching his girl. Getting near his girl.
Done. He was done.
14
“Let her go.”
The demand came from behind her. Razor’s voice flooded Tabby with relief. He was all right.
“Not touching her,” Sav replied. “Don’t know what she’s doing, but it has nothing to do with me!”
Why did Sav sound worried? Nothing much ever seemed to concern him.
“Tabby, let Sav go.”
Huh? Oh shit! She hastily let go of Sav then stumbled backward, her bad ankle giving out beneath her. Razor grabbed her and she suddenly found herself in the air and over his shoulder.
Um, what the hell!
“Razor, put me down!”
“If you say one thing about my age, I’m going to spank your ass right now,” he growled.
“Razor!” Millie scolded. But Tabby thought there was something funny about her voice. Was she trying not to laugh?
“Tabby and I are going for a chat,” Razor told them. “All of you, stay out of it.”
Then he turned and walked away. Strangely enough, he managed to walk through the room without anyone getting in his way. As he moved out of the main bar, she thought she heard laughter. Someone must have told a funny joke.
She sighed. She could use a funny joke right now.
“Razor, put me down,” she demanded. He strode along a passage, then stopped and knocked.
“Come in,” a voice she recognized called out. “Razor. Well, hello, Tabby.”
/> “Hi, Reyes,” she said quietly from where she still hung down Razor’s back. She tried to move. “Will you please let me down?” Reyes was likely getting a lovely view of her ass.
“No. Stay still,” Razor told her. “Reyes, I need your office for ten minutes.”
“Only ten minutes?” Reyes asked with amusement. “You’re losing your touch.”
“I didn’t bring her in here for that,” Razor said.
For what?
“Ah, good to know. Take as long as you want. I’m leaving. Emme isn’t pleased that I wouldn’t bring her tonight. She’s got some of Markovich’s guards at home with her. She’s getting antsy, always being under guard.”
“Poor girl,” Razor said.
Um, hello! She was still here. She wiggled around. If he was going to just stand there having a chat with his friend, then she was out of here.
Smack!
Her eyes widened as Razor’s hand landed on her ass. It wasn’t hard. It didn’t hurt. But it did shock her. He never usually touched her without warning her and tonight, he’d not only swung her over his shoulder, but he’d smacked her ass?
It was like something had snapped with him.
“Give you two some privacy.” Reyes crouched down to look at her. “Be good to him, Tabby.”
What? What did that mean?
“I’m just an employee.”
Reyes grinned. “Not for much longer.”
What did that mean? Oh no, was she going to lose her job? But she was coming to love it. Sure, in the beginning, it had been tough trying to figure it all out. However, she enjoyed getting out of her apartment each day. And most of the guys were good to work with. Well, except for Weasel Dick.
The door clicked shut and Razor eased her gently over his shoulder, putting her down on the desk.
“You should be more careful of your back,” she scolded him as he placed his hands on either side of her on the desk.
“No.”
“No? No, what?”
“No.”
“Razor, are you all right?” There was a tic by his right eye.
“No.”
“I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Yes.”
She straightened. She would be glad to help him after everything he’d done for her.
“What is it?”
Fierce Daddy Page 16
