Wild Shot (Lauderdale Knights #10)

Chapter 1

Jordan

It’s been nearly four years since the last time I saw her, but I’d know Victoria Denali anywhere.

Her elegant profile.

The way she moves when she tosses her honey-blonde hair.

Her slender figure.

Even her laugh.

Four long years, but being this close to her makes it feel like yesterday.

When her family single-handedly ruined my life.

And ripped my heart out in the process.

Yeah, the last thing I need is to talk to her.

Not now, not ever again. I put a couple of twenties down on the bar to cover my tab and begin making my way toward the door.

I’m almost there when a group of guys comes bustling in, drunk and obviously looking for trouble.

Exactly the kind of trouble I neither want nor am interested in.

“Vicki, come on, baby, give me some sugar!”

Christ, that’s my cue. I’m out of here.

“Stop it, Franklin!”

Victoria’s voice. Sharp. Annoyed. Slightly on edge.

God fucking dammit.

I know that tone—she’s not happy to see this Franklin guy.

Don’t get involved.

The angel on my shoulder makes sense.

Victoria is trouble. Always has been.

“Franklin, stop it!” Her voice is higher this time, and a bit frantic.

You’re really going to let some guy manhandle her?

The devil on my shoulder knows me far too well.

This is going to go bad, I already know that, but I turn around anyway.

Oh, yeah. I’m going straight to hell in a hand basket, but there’s no way for me to ignore what I see.

Victoria is up against a wall, and some dick weed is trying to kiss her, even as she squirms and turns her head, pushing at his shoulder. Not that she’s big enough to stop him.

I take a few long strides, yanking the guy away from her.

“She asked you to stop. You have trouble understanding a simple word like no?”

He whirls, ready to take a swing, but falters when he sees me.

Yeah, buddy, take a good look because I will flatten your sorry little ass.

“I was just messin’ around,” he says, scowling. “Who the hell are you?”

“The guy who’s going to knock you out if you don’t find someone else to annoy.”

“She likes me!” he protests.

I don’t take my eyes off his face as I say, “Victoria, you want this guy touching you?”

“N-no.” I don’t know if she’s nervous because it’s me or if the guy has rattled her.

“She does not like you,” I growl, giving him a hard shove. “Now go somewhere else.”

“Fine.” Franklin looks like someone kicked his puppy and he gives Victoria a baleful look. “I just wanted to have some fun. Geez. You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend.” He stalks off in the opposite direction, leaving Victoria and me alone.

“Thank you,” she says after a moment. “We danced earlier, but when he tried to buy me a drink, I told him I wasn’t interested. I thought he left but I guess he came back.”

“Whatever.” I wave a hand. “Glad you’re okay.” I turn to leave, but her fingers close around my arm.

“Jordan. Wait.”

I pause but don’t turn around.

“Thank you. I mean it. He was getting really aggressive.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Can I buy you a drink as a thank you? It’s been a long time.”

“Four years.” I slowly turn and meet her gaze.

Fuck, but she’s still pretty. Even prettier now than when we were together. We were seventeen and eighteen when we first met, eighteen and nineteen when our relationship nearly ruined my life.

But those big green eyes are the same.

My fingers remember what it felt like to fist wavy blonde hair.

Perfect little body, though maybe a tad bit curvier than before, but in all the right places.

I have distinct memories of what it felt like to be inside her, sucking on those gorgeous tits, making her scream my name and—

Jesus. Fucking. Christ.

I cannot do this.

No matter how sexy she is.

She fucking destroyed me—mentally, emotionally, and professionally.

So, I do the only thing that works with Victoria—I turn into an asshole.

“I can’t think of what we might have to talk about.”

She blinks, a flash of hurt in those emerald depths.

“You were nothing but trouble, and if tonight is any indication, you still are.”

The hurt is gone, replaced by a flash of anger.

There. Good. Exactly what I’m going for.

“You weren’t exactly blameless!” she shoots back. “I didn’t get pregnant by myself.”

“No, but you sure as fuck made me suffer for that mistake.”

We glare at each other.

“Forget it,” she says, shaking her head. “I should have known you haven’t changed or grown up.”

I smirk. “What you see is what you get.”

“Ugh.” She turns on her heel and walks away, heading over to a group of ladies hanging out at a high top.

I watch for a second. The sway of her ass in that very tight little dress. Long legs that bottom out in a pair of high stilettos. Gorgeous hair that falls halfway down her back.

Why does she have to be so damn gorgeous?

Even when she was just seventeen, a senior in high school, I’d taken one look and she was all I thought about.

All I cared about. Fate—and her father—had other plans for us.

Even though we waited until she was eighteen before we had sex.

Even though I treated her like a fucking queen.

Even though I loved her more than life itself.

“I thought you were leaving?” My friend and teammate, Milo Holland, comes over and lifts one eyebrow.

“Ran into a guy giving a woman a hard time, told him to knock it off.”

“You just randomly got involved in something that had nothing to do with you?”

I shrug. “She asked him to leave her alone multiple times. And he kept grabbing her. Besides, I used to know her, so I wanted to make sure she was okay.”

He follows my gaze, zoning in on the table of ladies Victoria is hanging out with.

“Which one?”

“Blonde. Green dress.”

“She’s hot.”

“She’s trouble,” I mutter. “And before you say anything stupid, no is still no.”

He frowns. “Of course it is! I wasn’t going to say anything about that.”

Why was I so quick to defend her? Jesus, she’s always had this effect on me. I really need to get out of here. I glance at Victoria one last time and see her striding across the busy dance floor toward the big pink neon Restrooms sign.

And before I can turn away, I watch as Franklin follows a little way behind her.

“God dammit.” I clench my jaw.

“What?” Milo is watching too. “Is that the guy?”

“Yeah.”

“You want me to go make sure she’s okay and you can take off?”

I hesitate because the answer is yes. Fuck yes. I’d love for him to handle it so I can get the hell out of here.

But I won’t.

I’m not going to leave Victoria’s safety to someone else. Especially now that I see two more guys trailing behind Franklin. Like they have some kind of plan.

“I think it’s going to take more than one of us,” I say as I make my way in the direction they went.

The scene in front of me makes me see red.

Despite what Victoria said, I have changed. I’m not the same hothead I was four years ago. I’ve come a long way since then and have no plans to go backward. But Franklin is nowhere to be seen, and his two friends are standing in front of the entrance to the ladies’ room, like they’re guarding it.

Oh, hell no.

I walk up to them and pause.

“Little situation in there,” one guy says. “Our buddy’s taking care of his girl.”

“His girl?” I arch my brows. “You mean my girl?”

Holy shit, what did I just say?

“Your girl?” One of the guys looks momentarily unsure of himself.

“You have about as long as it takes me to finish this sentence before I knock the shit out of both of you.”

My words seem to register a second too late, because I elbow one guy, shove the other, and push my way into the restroom.

And the scene in front of me makes my blood run cold all over again.

Victoria against the wall, mouth covered by one of Franklin’s hands as he attempts to lift her dress and unzip his pants at the same time with the other. She’s squirming and fighting, but her slight body is no match for him.

There’s no time to think because I grab the guy by the collar, yanking him back so hard his shirt rips and he crashes into the opposite wall.

“What the—” He lunges for me, but I put myself between him and Victoria, planting my feet and shoving him back.

“We can do this all day,” I say gruffly. “You think you’re tough, roughing up a woman half your size? Come at me, bro.”

He growls, but it’s obvious he’s rethinking his plan.

We both know this won’t end well for him, and I have no doubt Milo is keeping the other two from coming in to help.

“She’s been teasing me all night,” he hisses.

“Liar!” Victoria seems to have gotten her wits about her now. “We danced once and I told you I wasn’t interested.”

“Stupid cunt—then why’d you dance with me?”

I take a step closer to the guy. “Get out while you can still walk.”

He huffs, gives Victoria a hateful look, and then stalks out of the bathroom.

“Oh my God. Jordan. He almost… I mean, he was going to…” Victoria turns to me, eyes wide, and then she bursts into tears.

Mother. Fucker.

I can’t stand to see a woman cry.

Especially not this one.

“You’re okay,” I say quietly.

Then, as the devil on my shoulder bursts out laughing, I pull her into my arms.