Chapter 10 #2
“It’s a celebration, Royce. We just finished a set, let’s relax with a little fun.”
“Get off me!” My nails raked down the only skin I could reach, which was his arms.
The bass player was suddenly ripped away from me and pushed down.
I followed Ford as he shoved the man further into the back, knocking over a table that held water and snacks.
I held my breath as I watched the entire situation unfold.
I knew there was no way I could stop this, nor did I really want to.
The man was a fucking prick who deserved every moment of Ford’s wrath.
A few of his bandmates wandered close, and I wasn’t sure if they were going to intervene or not, but they just stood aside and watched. It seemed their apathy wasn’t just for defenseless women.
“Motherfucker.” Ford landed a heavy hit into the bass player’s face. “Don’t deserve to fucking breathe.” Another hit.
The pathetic mess could barely stand as he tried to get up.
I wasn’t sure if Ford was going to stop.
I’d never seen him fight before. Dad had hit him twice, and Ford hadn’t fought back a single time.
I knew he was only being a good friend, but there was an edge to his hits, and a rage that seemed determined.
The bass player hadn’t moved in a good while, while Ford continued to slam his fist. “He’s going to kill him.” Someone shrieked.
Oh shit. I stared at his patch, and something kicked into gear in my head. This was bad. For my dad, the club, for Ford…I had to get his attention.
“Ford!” I yelled, running closer. He didn’t stop.
Mom once told me that whenever Dad got into a mode where his protective instincts took over, there was only one way to make him stop before he killed someone.
Remembering what she said, I pushed my fingers through Ford’s thick hair, grabbed a fistful, and yanked as hard as I could.
His head reared back with a wince. “Ow, fuck.”
Holding his hair, I made sure he met my glare. “You are going to kill him.”
I could tell Ford considered continuing, so I squeezed harder. “Let him go.”
“Rose, he should have known he’d die the second he chose to touch you.
” Ford’s voice was pure venom, all midnight murder.
It made my heart twist around in an unfamiliar, alarming way.
His words regarding touching me and not being able to stop made a little more sense.
Whether this was a protective nature bursting from knowing me my whole life, I wasn’t sure, but regardless, heat swarmed my chest.
Releasing his hair, I kneeled next to him and cupped his face between my hands, ensuring he was still looking directly at me. “And you stopped him. You broke his entire face, Ford. He probably pissed himself. I’m still shaken up, and I’d really appreciate it if you came and talked to me.”
He released the bass player, who was coughing and groaning. Still alive, so that was good. Ford got to his feet, and instinctually I wrapped my hand around his and began pulling him toward the back where an employee break room the size of a hall closet was located.
Once we were inside and the door was shut, I spun on him.
“What the hell was that?”
Ford held his hand out, tilting it to see how puffy and red his knuckles were. “What the hell was what?”
“Ford, you literally almost killed someone because they were a little—”
Twisting his neck and emanating a hiss, he cut me off. “Don’t you dare try and downplay what he did to you. I had to sit there and watch while your face distorted in fear and you know what, Rose?”
He stepped closer, breathing hard. I backed up, knowing his question was rhetorical.
“That look on your face wasn’t shock, it was knowing.”
“Knowing? What are you talking about?” I let my chin fall, but he caught it.
Searching my face, he continued. “You knew what was about to happen next, and you knew that because it’s happened before. So, you’re going to tell me who else has touched you the way that fucker touched you, and how frequently it has happened.”
Oh my God. He was going to go on a murder spree.
I pushed past him, crossing my arms. “That’s kind of you to care, Ford, but it’s really none of your business.”
“You are my business, Rose. You have always been my business.”
I scoffed, rubbing my forehead. Was he honestly serious with this routine? “You have barely glanced in my direction in years, Ford. Fuck, before that. Since we were kids. I honestly thought you forgot who I was at one point.”
“Ever wonder why?” he asked with a bit of gravel caught in his throat. I’d almost consider it emotion, but I wouldn’t dare assume that Ford Ryan had a heart.
“Of course I wondered why. You kissed my cheek when I was nine, and then you ignored me for years, until…” I recalled the dashed pieces of hope in his expression when he’d held that Christmas card out to me.
“Until you made fun of me and my attempt at peace.”
That was rich. Fucking gold, coming from him. “Your attempt at peace, Ford?”
He didn’t move, just stood there, barely a foot away, the scent of his cologne and the leather from his cut filled my lungs. I secretly loved that his smell was so familiar and felt like home.
“You had been cruel to me earlier that week. Why would I suddenly assume you wanted peace?”
His poker face seemed to slip as sorrow etched away the hard edges along his eyes and jaw. “Because I caught every single stare you sent my way, Rose. Every time you came over to see Ellie but slept in the hall near my door. The times you waited in my treehouse and lingered in all my spaces.”
“You were a childhood friend.” My arms came up again, folding over my chest.
With a smile, he added, “You had a crush on me.”
Mortification thrummed through me. “So what?”
A small flutter of his lashes revealed a flash of panic. “So, I expected you to know that I had the same feelings for you.”
My mouth parted, but Ford suddenly stepped back and ran his hand through his hair.
“Don’t worry, Rose. It’s long passed.”
Why did hearing that create such a painful ache in my stomach? It rolled along a wave of rage that had suddenly burst inside of me and came sputtering out in a horrific accusation.
“You’re lying.”
His derision grated along my soul, making it flip and erode. “If I still had a crush on you, Royce, trust me, you would know about it.”
My anger was a violent thing in my veins. It burned and pinched in a way that I hadn’t ever experienced. Which was why I goaded him further. “Really, how?”
His lips curved maliciously, but his gaze was still soft, too soft for how cruel he was being. I knew his next words would be a proverbial fist, crushing my heart into ash. Yet I stood there, listening anyway.
“Because I would do something about it, Royce.”
The rejection seemed to cleave me open, forcing me away from the wall. I pushed his chest and seethed.
“Just like you wouldn’t be able to stop touching me if you started?”
He fell back a step, his eyes were ablaze, but I didn’t let him get a word in.
“Why pretend you care who touches me, Ford?”
A muscle in his jaw feathered. “You’re my responsibility. Killian has everyone watching over you. No one gets to touch you, Royce, not when your father is The Wolf of Rose Ridge. Not when he has the kind of enemies that would love to use you as bait.”
“So that’s it? This was all about my dad?”
His throat bobbed, but he hesitated.
“Was this all about my dad, and the club, Ford?!” I repeated on a yell.
His mouth parted right as Rodney ran in, cutting off our conversation.
“Royce, what the hell happened? An ambulance just arrived out front, and the police are on their way.” His shrewd gaze cut over to Ford. “No drama…right.” He scoffed before exiting through the same door he’d come in.
I flicked a quick look at Ford, daring him to stop me before turning around and returning to the only dream that ever mattered. Ford was telling me exactly how he felt about me. I just needed to believe him.