Chapter 39
Camden
Iclench both fists at my sides. Every muscle in my body tenses with the urge to knock this motherfucker out cold.
I don’t know who this guy is. I don’t know why he’s glaring at Ellie. I don’t know why he’s grabbing her. Honestly, I don’t fucking care.
All I know is that he has two seconds to let go of her, or I’m going to kill him.
A second later, he lets go of her arm and holds up his hand. She stumbles back. I reach out for her, gently grab her arm, and pull her close to me
“What happened? Are you okay?” I ask.
She nods even though I can see the tears in her eyes. She blinks quickly and purses her lips, like she’s trying not to cry.
My stomach twists into a knot. She’s not okay.
A wild, unfamiliar energy swoops through me.
“Baby, what happened?” I ask gently. “Who is this guy?”
She opens her mouth, but he starts speaking.
“We’re old friends just catching up. Right, Ellie?”
I don’t miss the way this guy stares at her like he’s trying to drill a hole in the side of her head.
She doesn’t say anything. She just tears up again and stares down at the drinks she’s holding.
I look at him. “I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to my wife.”
His brow lifts, and I can tell by the way he tenses and shoves his hands in his pockets, he’s nervous. Good. He should be. He hurt my wife, and I’m going to make him pay for that.
Ellie sniffles. “This is Damien, my ex. He was…” Her voice shakes as she trails off. “He said—”
“We were just talking,” he says, cutting her off.
I glower at him. “Shut up,” I bite before turning back to her. I make sure my tone is softer when I speak to her. “What did he say?”
“That he wished he would have been rougher to me when we were together. That he should have just held me down and done what he wanted with me.”
A bonfire explodes inside of me. In an instant, I feel like a rabid animal eager to rip something, anything to shreds.
Damien shakes his head. “She’s lying.”
Her mouth falls open as tears fall down her face. “I’m not lying. That’s exactly what you said.”
Just then, Sophie runs up to us.
“Hey, is everything okay?” she asks, looking between the three of us.
Gently, I guide Ellie to her. “Will you take Ellie back to the table?”
As soon as Sophie and Ellie are gone, I grab Damien by the collar of his shirt, drag him through the bar, and shove him through the back door.
He mutters something about how Ellie is a liar and owes him money, but I don’t say anything. I’m not going to even respond to whatever bullshit this asshole is making up about her.
I toss him into the dingy brick wall of the alley.
“Fuck!” he groans when he lands on his shoulder.
“You threatened her?” I say as I stand over him.
“She’s lying. That bitch.”
I punch him in the stomach. He cries out and falls forward.
I crouch down and glower at him, anger blasting through my veins.
I look him in the eye. “Watch your fucking mouth. That’s my wife you’re talking about.”
His eyes widen before he glares at me.
“Easy, man.”
It takes a second before I register the sound of Xander’s voice behind me. I’m too enraged. Too focused on how every cell in my body is ready to tear this guy to shreds with my bare hands for hurting Ellie. My Ellie.
A hand lands on my shoulder and hauls me up. Xander plants a hand on my chest, holding me in place.
“He’s not worth it, dude.”
I’m clenching my jaw so hard, it feels like my skull is about to break in half. I’m running off pure instinct right now. My instinct to protect Ellie. My instinct to get rid of anything and anyone that would ever harm her.
I try to move around Xander, but he holds me in place and shakes his head.
“He’s not worth it,” he repeats, louder this time. “If you beat the shit out of him, you’ll get arrested and thrown in jail.”
I try to step around him again, but he holds me back.
“Camden, you’re a tourist. If you get caught kicking the shit out of some guy in a bar, how do you think that’ll go? They’re gonna throw the book at you.”
The rage cloud in my brain starts to dissipate. Xander’s right.
I force myself to take a breath. It doesn’t do much though. I can still feel the rage and adrenaline pumping through my veins like lava.
Xander walks me back toward the door. That’s when I notice Blomdahl is standing there too.
“Come on. Let’s go back inside,” Blomdahl says.
I reach for the door.
“Have fun being married to my sloppy seconds, asshole. Your lying bitch of a wife owes me money. You know what that means, don’t you? You owe me now too.”
The three of us stop walking. I start to turn around, but Xander holds me back. I’m about to tell him to let me go, but Blomdahl steps forward and punches Damien in the face.
A sharp cracking noise echoes through the darkened alley. Damien groans and falls back into the wall, holding his nose.
We both gawk at Blomdahl.
“Dude, what the hell?” Xander says.
Blomdahl shrugs, his expression unbothered.
“I’m a dual citizen. They’re not gonna do shit to me,” he says. “Besides, you guys fight on the ice for me all the time. It feels good to fight for you for once.”
Xander is smiling and shaking his head as we walk back inside the bar.
I look at Blomdahl. “Thanks, man.”
“Anytime. Now go check on your wife.”
The three of us weave through the crowded bar to where the ladies are. I zero in on Ellie, sitting at the table, her shoulders hunched. She’s wiping tears from her cheeks as Sophie hugs her arm around her.
My chest goes tight, the need to be next to her, to hold her and comfort her, surging through me like a tidal wave.
When Sophie sees me, she scoots over. I thank her for looking after Ellie, then sit down. I notice the ladies are quietly looking at her, clearly concerned for her. Ellie must have told them what happened.
“Hey,” I say in a gentle voice. I grab Ellie’s hand in mine.
Her big blue eyes are red and puffy as she looks at me. She squeezes my hand tight, and the tension inside of me starts to fade. I’m with her now. No one will touch her now that I’m next to her.
“What happened? Did Damien say more awful things to you?” she asks.
“We didn’t talk much.”
“Oh…” Her brow furrows before recognition flashes in her eyes. She swallows hard.
“You okay, Ellie?” Blomdahl asks.
She nods and tries to smile. “Sorry, guys. I didn’t mean to bring down the mood.”
“You didn’t,” I say softly. “What happened wasn’t your fault.”
“Yeah, don’t apologize,” Xander says. “That guy was a dick.”
Sam, Del, and Ryker show up and join our table.
“Sorry we’re late,” Sam says. “Our rideshare got lost on the way here.”
Everyone gets pulled into their own conversations. I focus on Ellie, noticing how tense she still is. Her shoulders are tight and she keeps fidgeting with the hem of the long dress she’s wearing.
She smiles when people chat with her, but I can tell it’s forced, that she’s just trying to go along with the conversation and not draw attention to herself.
“We don’t have to stay,” I say quietly. “If you want to leave, I’m happy to take you home.”
Relief flashes in her eyes. “Really?”
I nod.
“But you just got here. I don’t want to make you leave right away. Don’t you want to hang out with everyone?”
I shake my head. “All I care about is you.”
Her mouth parts open the slightest bit, like she’s surprised at what I’ve said.
She looks relieved. “You mean that?”
“Of course I mean that.”
She lets out a shaky breath. “I’d like to go home, if that’s okay with you.”