Chapter 10
Dante
Theo needs to work on his poker face. He might think he’s fooling the world, but his apprehension was glaringly obvious when Monica came by and told him that douchebag had crashed the party.
I mutter a hasty excuse as I jump up from my seat to follow them.
Dmitri calls my name, and I slow to a stop before I reluctantly glance back at him. He takes a second to study me before releasing a heavy sigh. “If you’re not willing to give him what he wants from you, you can’t stop him from seeing other people.”
“It’s not like that,” I scoff, averting my gaze, because if I’m being honest with myself, it’s exactly like that. “I don’t trust Jesse.” Also true.
“I’m with Dante on this one,” Eric chimes in, and I turn back to glance at him. He shrugs as he cranes his neck, watching Theo and Monica walk away. “That guy gives me the heebie-jeebies.”
Once again, Dmitri stops me as I turn to go after them. “I know you think you need to protect him, but before you play the hero, make sure he really needs your help. Don’t do it for the wrong reasons.”
Instead of wasting time arguing, I just nod and navigate through the crowded space in the direction they went.
Once Theo and Monica are in my line of sight at the entrance, I stop and observe from the shadows.
Jesse is your stereotypical arrogant douche, glaring at the bouncers for doing their jobs.
Once he notices Theo, his demeanor does an entire one-eighty, and he turns on the charm and smiles in an instant.
How can Theo be so oblivious to how fake he is?
Eventually they entwine their hands and wander around the room to mingle.
I keep an eye from a distance, but all they do is chat while they walk.
Jesse captures a few snapshots of them with prominent figures in the crowd—always angled so Theo’s in the frame, and always making sure the camera catches the right people.
“What are you up to?” Tai’s voice hits me from behind, and I meet his gaze over my shoulder.
“Have you moved from pining from afar to full-on stalking? Most people make that jump in a few weeks… months, at most. You’ve been in love with the guy for years now and you’ve finally resorted to following him in the shadows? ”
“I’m not…” I scoff and roll my eyes. “This isn’t stalking. This is… keeping an eye to make sure he’s okay.”
“Right,” he drawls. “Of course. How silly of me.”
I shake my head and turn back to where Theo and Jesse were standing, but there’s no sign of them. “Where’d they go?” I snap at Tai, who simply shrugs.
For five minutes, I circle the room and scan the crowd, but don’t spot either of them.
My stress is through the roof as I lean against the wall, pushing my hands over my head.
My intuition is screaming at me, warning that something is seriously wrong, and I never ignore my instinct.
The longer I walk, the more sure I am that I need to find him.
I duck down the hallways toward a set of bathrooms, going so far as peeking into every stall.
“Fuck!” I shout, heading back into the hall when a chilly breeze blows over my skin.
There’s a near-invisible alcove, covered in shadows so dark they almost hide the glass doors that lead outside. A rock is wedged in the doorframe, keeping one door propped open.
The moment I cross over the threshold, the cool autumn air wraps around me while my eyes struggle to adjust to the dim lighting.
A metallic clank is the only sound in this eerily quiet courtyard, and my head snaps toward it.
I step around the corner, blinking hard to clear my vision, and when I finally see, my rage paints everything red.
Jesse has Theo pinned against the bricks, muffling his cries with a hand while forcing his pants open. Fury explodes through me like lighter fluid to an open flame, and there’s no room for rational thought. I charge forward, grip his jacket, and hurl him to the ground.
The satisfying thud of his body hitting the pavement is music to my fucking ears. Ignoring his shouts, I turn to Theo. My gaze snags on his tear-stained cheeks before locking onto his wide eyes, brimming with terror.
“Dante,” he chokes out, collapsing against my chest as shuddering sobs wrack his body.
In all the years I’ve known Theo, he has never seemed small. Not once. Despite his slight frame, he’s always been larger than life. His personality fills every room and confidence rolls off him in waves in every situation. There’s never been anything weak or breakable about him until this moment.
Right now, curled into me with tears streaking his pale skin, he looks frail and afraid. The sight is more agonizing than any pain I’ve ever felt, and I’m no stranger to pain.
“I’ve got you,” I whisper, wrapping my arms around him as he continues to sob. “I’ve always got you.”
I hold him tighter, one hand cradling the back of his head, the other splayed across his back like I can shield him from the world that just tried to break him.
His fingers clutch my jacket in desperate fistfuls, knuckles white and breath hitching against my collarbone.
Every tremor that runs through him feels like a fresh wound carved into my own chest.
There’s a low groan somewhere behind me, then movement in my periphery has me spinning to shield Theo. Jesse stands, a wrath tinted with hysteria licking behind his eyes.
“He’d be mine if it wasn’t for you,” he growls, launching himself at me.
An unnatural calm spreads through my body, because this is what I need.
This I can control.
Every other emotion fades away as my instinct to protect what’s mine takes over. A triumphant smile digs into my cheeks as my fist meets his nose, savoring the satisfying crunch of fragile bones yielding to my knuckles.
“Motherfucker!” he screeches, hands flying over his face as blood gushes down his lips and chin. “You broke my nose, you asshole!” He charges again, and his longer reach allows him to connect a glancing blow to my cheek, but it’s barely more than a graze.
“Oh, you want to play, tough guy?” I taunt, pushing all my strength into a powerful right hook aimed for his chin. The impact sends him staggering backward, and another shove to his chest drops him to the ground for the second time.
“Stay down,” I growl, planting my foot on his throat with enough pressure to make his breath rattle. I bend over so every detail on my face is clear, not wanting him to miss a single word. “Touch him again and I will fucking end you.”
The door flings open and heavy steps rush in our direction.
Without removing my weight from his neck, I turn to find Tai charging forward with the same two bouncers who had detained Jesse at the entrance earlier.
Tai’s eyes widen for half a second at the scene—Jesse pinned with blood streaming down his face, Theo trembling behind me—then narrow with understanding.
“Jesus, Dante,” Tai breathes, but there’s no judgment in it, only grim approval as he steps up beside me.
One of the bouncers is a mountain of a man with a shaved head and arms like tree trunks. He moves in first, grabbing Jesse’s collar and hauling him up like he weighs nothing. The other bouncer already has cuffs out, snapping them around Jesse’s wrists while he sputters and curses through the blood.
“Get him out,” Tai says, voice hard. “And make sure he doesn’t come back.”
The bouncers nod, dragging Jesse toward the door. He twists, spitting blood and venom. “This isn’t over, you fucking—”
Tai steps forward, cutting him off with a single look. “It is. You just made sure of it.”
“Take him out the back,” I add. “Don’t give him the satisfaction of being dragged through the crowd.”
Jesse’s protests fade as they haul him through the door and out of sight. The courtyard falls quiet again, save for Theo’s shaky breathing and the distant thump of music from inside.
Tai’s eyes dart to Theo, and I see the heartbreak register in them the instant he takes in Theo’s tear-streaked face, rumpled clothes, and the way he’s trembling against the wall.
Tai takes a cautious step toward him, voice gentle. “Are you okay? What did he—”
Theo backs harder against the bricks, hiding his face in his hands as his head thrashes back and forth. “No… go away. Don’t touch me, don’t… don’t look at me,” he wails, voice breaking on every word. The sound claws at my throat, making each swallow a struggle.
“I’ve got him,” I say to Tai. “I swear to you, I’ve got him. Can you get his bag from the bus?”
Tai’s normal composure is gone, and his eyes are glassy as they find mine. “Yeah,” he says quietly. “I can do that.” He glances at Theo once more, tears shimmering in his eyes as he walks away.
The courtyard falls silent again, and I turn to Theo. He’s hiding in his hands, shoulders curled inward like he’s trying to disappear. I step closer, careful not to spook him. “Why don’t you sit?” I ask, forcing my voice to stay calm despite how much I want to burn the world to the ground.
Theo shakes his head against his palms, refusing to look up.
My heart breaks a little further. “It’s just us now, okay? It’s just us, and I’ll stay with you. You’re safe.”
I walk over to the bench and drop onto the cool wooden slats. “Theo, you’re in shock. Come and sit down, okay? Please? There’s plenty of room for you to keep your distance. I won’t touch you.”
Another loud sob escapes his throat as he drops his hands and rushes toward me, launching himself into my lap with such force that it knocks me back. His head hits my shoulder as he curls into me, arms wrapping around my neck like he’s afraid I’ll vanish if he lets go.
“He didn’t…” he tries to whisper. “I couldn’t…”
The unbearable way his voice breaks makes me glad Jesse is gone. If I could lay eyes on him right now, he’d be nothing more than a chalk outline, and I’d happily spend the rest of my life in prison.
“Don’t let go of me, Dante,” he gets out through the hiccups and sobs that punctuate his words.