Playing with Fire: A Standalone Dark Romance

Chapter Forty-three

“I think it’s broken!” Olivia cries.

“Shut up, Olivia!” Willow hisses, bundling her friend in her arms as she gives us a smile that I’m sure is supposed to be innocent.

Watery eyes meet mine, her hand clutched to her chest, “I don’t want to go to jail.”

“What the fuck is going on?” I demand, reaching for my wife who comes willingly. If that doesn’t puff out my fucking chest then I don’t know what will.

I take her hand in mine, gently removing her fingers to see bruising on her knuckles, the swelling making me pause. “What did you do?”

“We gotta go,” Willow rushes, “Now.”

“What. Happened?” Sebastian demands.

I keep Olivia close and when Willow opens her mouth to talk, the door to the women’s bathroom opens and Regina storms out, looking a little less put together than when I last saw her. Makeup smudges beneath her eyes and that’s blood trickling from a small cut on her bottom lip.

“She assaulted me!” Regina accuses loudly, drawing the attention of some lingering guests in the hall. “Call security! I want to file a report!”

“She tried to attack me,” Olivia whispers to me, turning her back on Regina. “I didn’t mean to.”

I place a palm on her back, offering her some silent comfort.

“Did you see anything, Willow?” I ask.

Willow’s wide eyes meet mine, “Um. No. I didn’t see anything.”

“What!?” Regina screams, “You saw it all.”

“No,” Willow shakes her head, “I didn’t see anything. Olivia wasn’t even in the bathroom.”

“That’s right,” Sebastian agrees, “She was with me.”

“What!?” Regina hisses, “No, she wasn’t.”

“Have you had a bit too much to drink, Regina?” I ask. “Should I call someone to collect you?”

“What?” She hisses and lunges forward as if to grab Olivia.

I move her back quickly, shoving her behind me.

“I don’t give a fuck who the fuck you are,” I warn, “Come near her and I will end you.”

Regina stops dead and Sebastian takes her arm. “Time for you to leave.”

“She attacked me!” She screams, “She assaulted me!”

“Everyone thinks you’re lying, Regina.” Sebastian tells her lazily, starting to drag her out, “Time to leave.”

She fights and struggles the whole time until the ruckus draws more attention, including that of some of the men here I know work with her father. She stops screaming when she sees them but doesn’t cease her fight to get away from Sebastian. He’ll have her gone so I turn back to Olivia, her eyes wide.

“I didn’t mean to hit her.” She tells me, “I’m sorry. I just… she…”

“Shh,” I soothe, curling a finger under her chin, “Let me see your hand.”

“Girl,” Willow whistles, “While decking the bitch is what I was rooting for, you do not have a good swing.”

“I’ve never hit anyone before!” Olivia defends. “I don’t like confrontation.”

Willow softens, “I know, babe.”

“Go on,” I tell her, “We will be through in a moment.”

“You good?” She asks her friend and when Olivia nods, she rubs her arm and then turns, following the path Sebastian just took with Regina.

With no more eyes on us and only the dull hum of music filling the hall, I lift Olivia’s hand, running my thumb over the swelling, the bruising darkening by the second.

“Is it broken?” She asks.

“I’m not sure,” I tell her, “Perhaps we should go to the hospital. Get it checked.”

“Absolutely not!” She pulls away from me, “I can’t leave yet and how am I supposed to tell them what happened? I’ll go to jail!”

“You’re not going to jail, Olivia.”

“No,” She shakes her head vehemently, “No hospital.”

My teeth grind, “Olivia you’re hurt. In pain. If it’s broken, we need to know.”

“I can’t believe I hit her.” She shudders.

“You defended yourself,” I smooth a hand down her hair, “I’m proud of you.”

At my words she melts a little, her dark eyes turn soft and round, “You are?”

“I am, kitten,” Cradling her injured hand, “But please, I don’t want to fight on this, let’s go to the hospital.”

She shakes her head, “Malakai, I don’t want to.”

“And if it’s broken?”

She looks down, not answering.

“How about this,” I offer as much as it pains me. I want to throw her over my shoulder and take her out of here kicking and screaming, “We get some ice and I give someone a call who can come check out your hand?”

She looks up at me, “And?”

“If he says you have to go then we go.”

“Fine.” She relents.

I nod, “Good girl.”

Another shiver.

I add praise to the list of things that make her weak for me.

Guiding her back toward the main room she hesitates at the doors, “Is she gone?”

I nod, “Sebastian would have forced her to leave.”

“I’m banning her,” Olivia pouts, resuming her walk back into the room.

“Banning her?” I guide her toward the bar, waving down one of the servers.

“From my hotel. She isn’t welcome.”

“Okay,” I soothe. “Ice. In a towel. Now.” I order the guy who comes over.

He immediately nods, rushing off to get me what I need.

I accept the ice from him and take Olivia’s hand, gently laying it over her swollen knuckles. Holding it there, I meet her eyes, “Did she hurt you anywhere else?” I ask, pushing down my temper.

“No,” She shakes her head, “I mean she pulled my hair, which is how the punch happened but no. She didn’t do anything else.”

“If I knew she was going to attack you, Olivia, I would have never allowed her near you.”

“I know,” She breathes. “But that woman has a weird obsession with you.”

I nod, “I know.”

“It’s borderline stalking,” She cringes.

“Don’t worry about it,” I say, “She won’t come near you again.”

I lay her hand down on the bar, keeping the ice on it, “Hold this.” I tell her. When she takes it, I pull my cell from my pocket, “Don’t move, I’ll be back in a moment. I’m just going to give doc a call.”

At her nod, I start for the exit, looking back to check on her once more before I get outside and dial doc’s number.