27. Jasper
27
JASPER
T he bar is sensory overload—thick with noise, pulsing bass, and bodies packed shoulder to shoulder. The lights are low and hazy, flickering across the crowd like a strobe, making it near impossible to tell one from another. The air smells like sweat, cheap beer, and fried food, and everything in me itches to be somewhere quieter. Safer.
But then I see her.
My rainbow.
She’s in the middle of the dance floor, her hands clasped with Ember and Rowie as they spin and twirl in a loose circle. Her hair flies around her shoulders in soft waves, her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling with laughter. Her smile, so fucking wide and unguarded, cuts through the chaos like a damn spotlight, and the sound of her laugh reaches me even through the pounding music.
She’s radiant. Alive in a way I don’t think she’s ever been before. And for that alone, I’d put myself in the middle of ten more places like this.
Cassian elbows me in the ribs. “You gonna blink sometime tonight or just keep staring at her like a lovesick dog?”
I grunt, not bothering to look away. “I’m not here to have fun. I’m here for her.”
He follows my gaze and smirks. “She looks good. Happy.”
“She is. And quit fucking looking at her so closely. Get your own girl.” I take a long sip of my drink, scanning the dance floor for any signs of someone getting too close.
Cassian laughs and shakes his head, mumbling something about me being a possessive asshole. Hell yeah, I am. She’s mine.
“Once she starts that job, one of us needs to be that coffee shop every shift. Eyes on her.”
Cassian doesn’t hesitate. “Done. We’ll all help with keeping her safe. You know that. I’ll install a discreet camera system at the café. She won’t even know it’s there.”
Relief hums low in my chest, even though my shoulders stay tense. I nod once. “Thank you. And even though I hate that she’s going to be leaving The Ranch on a regular basis, thanks for helping her find a job. It’s important to her, so it’s important to me.”
My brother nods back and scans the crowd with me.
A moment later, Theo saunters up, a beer in each hand, and passes one to me. “Jesus, you look like you’re casing the joint.”
“I might be.” I take the beer and mutter, “Depends on who touches her.”
Theo snorts. “You know, we made up. Ariana and me. She even said we could be best friends.”
I shoot him a glare sharp enough to cut steel. “Over my dead body.”
He raises his hands, grinning. “Relax, caveman. She’s still yours. I’m just the comic relief.”
“Keep talking and I’ll relieve you of your pretty fucking face.”
Theo just laughs, clearly enjoying himself.
Rylan strolls over, eyes flicking toward the dance floor. “Cage, ease up, man. You’re scaring people. You’ve been glaring at that guy who looked in Ember’s direction for ten minutes straight.”
Cage doesn’t even blink. “He breathed too close to her.”
Rylan raises his eyebrows. “Okay, noted. Apparently, oxygen is off-limits too.”
Cassian chuckles. “You’re going to get clocked, Rylan.”
“Worth it if it gets Cagey all riled up.” Rylan shrugs with a grin.
The banter circles like it’s our love language. My brothers, each of them dangerous in their own way, but loyal to the core. We would all die for one another.
My eyes drift back to Ariana.
She’s leaning her head on Ember’s shoulder now, laughing so hard she nearly doubles over. The light catches her face just right, and for a moment, everything else fades.
I let out a slow exhale and take another sip of beer.
She’s my girl.
And I’ll burn this place down if anyone dares to take her from me.
But for now, she’s safe.
She’s smiling.
And that’s all that matters.
At least, it felt like she was safe until right this minute.
One moment, I’m standing near the edge of the dance floor, watching Ariana laugh, her head thrown back, golden pink hair flying as she twirls between Ember and Rowie. Her cheeks are flushed, her eyes bright, and for a moment, the world feels still—like everything is exactly where it should be.
Then the doors open.
A rush of air barrels through the room, followed by a wave of men. Loud. Aggressive. Shouting as they flood the already-packed bar.
Cassian stiffens beside me, eyes narrowed. “Something’s off.”
He’s right.
I scan the dance floor again, my gaze locking on Ariana as she throws her arms around Rowie, spinning with laughter.
I take a step forward.
“We should get them out of here,” I start.
But I don’t even get the words out.
Because in a blur of motion, a fist comes out of nowhere and slams into Dom’s jaw. The sound is sickening, a crack of knuckle on bone, and then all hell breaks loose.
Someone hits Ghost next. Next, a bottle smashes against a table. A chair goes flying. Screams erupt. And just like that, the entire bar detonates into chaos.
“Jasper!” Cassian shouts beside me, but I’m already moving.
Bodies shove and slam into me from every direction. The music cuts out, replaced by the roar of a hundred voices shouting over each other. My eyes dart wildly across the room.
Ariana—Where is she?
I shove past a guy stumbling with a bloody nose, then duck as another man gets tackled to the ground. The floor is slick with spilled drinks, broken glass crunching under my boots.
“Ariana!”
I see Rowie first. She’s crouched against a table, arms over her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. Theo dives toward her, pulling her to safety.
“Where is she?” I shout, voice hoarse, heart pounding in my throat.
Cage has Ember by the wrist, dragging her toward a hallway just off the main bar. I tear through the crowd, clearing a path with my fists and shoulders until I reach them.
“Where is Ariana?” I bark, grabbing Rowie’s trembling shoulders.
She shakes her head, sobbing. “I don’t know! She… she was right behind us, and then she was gone. People were pushing?—”
Ember cries, “We tried to hold on to her!”
A vise clamps around my chest. My lungs can’t find any air.
Gone.
I charge back into the mess, eyes darting, body on fire with panic.
“Ariana!” I roar.
She’s not on the dance floor.
Not by the bar.
Not near the exit.
I push deeper into the now-thinning crowd, heart pounding so hard it hurts. My hands tremble. Every second that passes without seeing her face feels like a countdown I can’t stop.
Then something glints near the open door to the alley.
A wallet.
Trampled. Scuffed.
I crouch fast, grabbing it with shaking fingers. Flip it open.
And stop breathing.
A photo ID stares back at me.
It’s him .
The man from the bar parking lot.
The man who swore he’d make her pay.
The man I made pay instead.
And now she’s gone.
My pulse roars in my ears as I straighten, the wallet clenched in my fist like a loaded weapon.
I don’t think.
I move.
Because my girl is out there.
And that motherfucker just made the biggest mistake of his life.