Broken: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 3) Page 20

  Beth looks down at her glass, which she’s gripping with both hands. “No, I – no. Thank you.”

  “Come on, babe,” he says, leaning closer to her and laying his arm along the back of her chair. “Just one drink. Let’s get acquainted.”

  She sits forward, trying to put some space between herself and this guy’s arm. Just as I’m about to get up and physically remove him from our vicinity, Shane beats me to it.

  “Get up. Now.”

  The idiot looks up to find Shane standing directly behind him, hands fisted, looking like he wants to throttle the guy. Beth gazes at Shane with relief.

  “Hey, buddy, mind your own business, will ya?” the idiot shoots back to Shane, sealing his own fate. “I saw her first.”

  Chapter 30

  Beth’s unwanted admirer shoots out of his seat, his right arm jacked up behind his back, squawking his fool head off. Shane slams him face-down on our table and presses down, pinning him fast with his hand around the back of the guy’s neck. “Either walk out the door right now, or I’ll break your arm. Your choice.”

  Hal comes running over from the bar, holding a baseball bat in his big hand. “What the hell’s going on?”

  “This asswipe was hitting on Beth,” I say. “He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  Hal lowers the bat and frowns at the guy whose face is planted on our table top. “You certainly picked the wrong girl to harass, Clyde. I’d do what this fella says, if I were you.”

  The idiot – Clyde – hyperventilates in between grunts of pain as Shane ratchets his arm up even higher. I can tell from the angle of the guy’s arm that his joints are being strained to the max, and something’s close to snapping.

  “All right, I’ll go!” Clyde cries. “I’ll go!”

  Shane releases Clyde’s arm and hauls him upright, then marches him toward the door. Shane says something to Clyde, and Clyde’s head bobs up and down repeatedly in agreement. Then Shane opens the door and shoves Clyde outside. When he returns to our table, Hal’s hovering over Beth, apologizing repeatedly.

  Shane pulls his chair close to Beth’s and sits down, taking her hands in his. “You all right, sweetheart?”

  She nods, but I can see she’s shaking. Her anxiety is getting the best of her.

  Shane picks up one of her hands and kisses her knuckles. “Do you want to leave, honey?”

  She shakes her head. “No. I want to watch Jonah perform. I’m fine now. Really.”

  Shane frowns, and I know he wants to take her back to the cabin. He reaches out to touch her face, his expression etched with concern. He lowers his voice. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m okay.” She takes hold of his hand and squeezes it. “I’m fine now. He startled me, that’s all.”

  Shane cups his free hand around the back of Beth’s head and leans in to kiss her. She responds, practically melting into him.

  Watching them together makes my heart ache. They’re so in tune with each other. I can’t imagine having that for myself. I’ll admit I want it, but I just don’t think it’s possible. For one thing, I’m a pain in the ass – just ask my family. But more importantly, I have trouble in the trust department. I trusted Logan, and look how that turned out. Granted I was an idiot back then. Logan was one of the most popular boys in my high school, and for some stupid reason, I equated that with integrity. I was dead wrong, and I paid the price for my naiveté. I’m sure as hell not going to let someone get close enough to betray me again. I’d rather be alone than suffer another gut-wrenching betrayal.

  “Hey, is everything all right?”

  I glance up to see Jonah standing beside my chair. “Yeah. Shane had to go into protective boyfriend mode to save Beth from a slightly-inebriated admirer, but we’re good now.”

  Jonah looks very much at home with an acoustic guitar in his hands, the strap slung over his broad shoulders. I can’t help noticing how drool-worthy he looks with his short, scruffy beard and his unruly hair pulled back in a haphazard ponytail. I also can’t help noticing the fact that almost every female gaze in this joint is glued to his fine ass. He looks hot as hell in ripped jeans and old T-shirt. It’s like high school all over again, and this time Jonah’s the most popular boy in the school. Hell, he may be the most popular guy in the entire country right now.

  “Are you okay with this?” I say, nodding at the guitar. “Performing tonight?”

  “Sure.” He grins, and I can tell he really means it. He’s calm and relaxed, and his eyes are lit with excitement. “The guys in the band are really great. They know my stuff, and they’re going to play backup.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen! If I could have your attention!” Hal stands in front of the microphone on stage, brandishing a bottle of beer in his hand. “We’ve got a special treat tonight. Jonah Locke is in the house, and he’s generously agreed to play a few songs for us.”

  The audience erupts in boisterous applause, and all eyes turn to Jonah.

  Jonah reaches out and squeezes my shoulder. “I’ll be back. Save my seat.” And then he jogs back to the stage to join his impromptu back-up band.

  “Break a leg, tiger!” I yell after him, and half the women in the room give me the evil eye.

  After taking center stage, Jonah drags his microphone stand into position and does a quick sound check. “I’d like to thank Hal for giving me the opportunity to play for you tonight. I’d also like to thank Eclectic Fusion for joining me on stage.”

  More applause, as Jonah starts strumming his guitar. He plays just a few plaintive chords at first, as if he’s getting a feel for the instrument. He adjusts the microphone at bit, and someone lowers the lights in the bar. A hush falls over the room, and a spotlight shines down on Jonah, drawing every eye in the place to center stage. I can’t take my eyes off of him, and I catch myself holding my breath with anticipation. He looks magnificent up on that stage, his arm muscles and tendons flexing as he plays the guitar. His fingers are long and confident on the neck of the guitar as he picks out the chords. He seems happy and completely in his element.

  I realize I’ve never seen him like this before. At least not in person. I’ve seen him perform on TV award shows and in music videos on YouTube, and since I became his bodyguard I’ve seen him up close and personal when people are pulling him in a myriad of directions. But I’ve never seen him look this happy, this content. This is where he belongs, on a small stage, in a small, intimate venue like this, playing on his own terms. Playing for the love of the music, and not for photographers or publicity or riches. The man’s already got more money than he knows what to do with. He certainly doesn’t need more of it. He needs the freedom to be who he is, not who Dwight or his record label want him to be.

  When he leans into the mic and begins to sing, his low, rough voice resonates throughout the space, giving me goosebumps. His gaze meets mine and he smiles, and my belly does a somersault. A shiver courses through me, making me want things I shouldn’t.

  Beth leans close and whispers in my ear. “You lucky girl.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m not blind, Lia. I see the way he looks at you. And the way you look at him.”

  “You’re crazy. We’re just friends.” But the truth is, I don’t know what we are. We’ve had sex, yes, and it was good. Really good. And yeah, I broke my rule – two rules – for him. And I don’t want to be anywhere else but here, with him. I like being by his side, I like protecting him, but that’s because it’s my job. “He’s just a job, Beth. Don’t read anything more into it.”

  She chuckles. “Keep telling yourself that.”

  When the guys from Eclectic Fusion join in with Jonah, adding the drums, bass, a keyboard and another guitar, they sound great together, like they’ve been playing together for years.

  The audience is hanging on every word he sings, and I hear more than a few people singing quietly along with him. A lock of hair falls forward, brushing the side of his face, and I want to reach out and touch that unruly
lock of hair, wrap it around my finger. Possessive much?

  A break comes in the lyrics, and Jonah plays a riff off the melody, and the audience applauds. I see a lot of phones up in the air, as folks snap pictures left and right. Some of them are even recording the performance on their phones, and I’m sure it will end up on YouTube before the night’s out. Dwight will be pissed if he finds out about the impromptu performance, especially because he’s not making a buck off of it.

  In the middle of the second song, I systematically scan the room, sweeping the entire room. It’s a habit. I’m looking for anything – or rather anyone – out of place. I spot Neal Barker and his buddy seated at a table for two against the back wall of the room. They’re sitting in the shadows and their small table is littered with a number of empty beer bottles and shot glasses. Barker, clearly in the process of getting drunk, is glaring daggers Jonah on the stage.

  Barker looks pretty rough, with a huge shiner for a right eye and abrasions on his forehead and right cheek. But what concerns me most is the icy hatred in his eyes as he follows Jonah’s every move on the stage.

  For the rest of the performance, I keep one eye on Jonah and the other on Barker. Fortunately, Barker and his friend maintain a low profiles. It’s not a good sign, though, when their server brings them another tray of shot glasses. Alcohol makes people do crazy things.

  Beth leans toward me. “Is something wrong?”

  I smile at her and shake my head, then turn to watch the stage. But I can’t help glancing back at Barker again. He’s really pissing off the little hairs on the back of my neck. I swear to God, if he tries to go after Jonah, I will flatten him.

  As if my very thoughts summoned him, Barker looks my way and our gazes lock. He raises a shot glass to me and gives me an arrogant salute before downing the amber liquid.

  The third and final number comes to an end, and I feel bad because I’ve only been half-listening. The crowd jumps to their feet and hoots and hollers as they applaud.

  Jonah grabs the mic, smiling and a little breathless. “Thank you all very much, and have a great evening! Thanks, Hal!”

  Jonah waves at the crowd, then pulls the guitar strap over his head and hands the guitar to one of the band members. After shaking the hands of his impromptu back-up band, Jonah jumps down from the stage and jogs across the room to our table. He heads right for me, an infectious grin on his face, and I can’t help jumping up to meet him.

  He swings me up into his arms, holding me tight. “That was incredible,” he says against the side of my head. “I haven’t had that much fun performing in a long time.”

  He sets me down and cradles my face in his hands. His gaze locks with mine, as if he’s searching for something, and then he leans down and kisses me right there in front of everyone in the freaking bar.

  I can hear the speculative murmurs all around us, along with the flashes of a dozen cell phone cameras capturing the image. “Dwight’s definitely not going to be happy,” I say.

  “Why?” he says.

  “Because he wants to maintain the illusion that you and Makayla are still together. These pics, which you know are going to end up on social media, prove otherwise.”

  “Well, fuck Dwight, and fuck Makayla.” Jonah laughs as he pulls me close. “Let’s go home.”

  I have a strong suspicion I’m the one who’s about to get fucked, and the thought sends a shiver down my spine. I turn to catch Beth’s eye, and she’s beaming at me, with a smug I told you so expression on her face. Shane’s expression gives away nothing, and I can only imagine the lecture he’s going to give me.

  Hal tears up our tab for the night, so our dinners and drinks are on the house. He shakes hands with Shane and with Jonah, and he extracts a promise from Jonah to come back and perform again sometime.

  Just as we’re walking out of the bar, I glance at Barker’s table, only to find it empty.

  Well, fuck.

  Chapter 31

  I half expect we’ll get jumped outside the bar, but the sidewalk is empty for a block in each direction. As we walk the four blocks back to where I parked the Jeep, I’m on high alert for an ambush. I’m expecting Barker to waylay us at any moment. That much anger and resentment, combined with that much alcohol, is a recipe for disaster.

  Shane and Beth walk ahead of us, Shane with his arm around Beth to keep her warm as the wind has really picked up and it’s chilly outside. It looks like we’re in for a storm tonight. It’s dark and the shops are closed. There are a few street lights on, but that still leaves plenty of dark spaces, and the alleys between each block are shrouded in darkness. Barker could be anywhere. I’m itching to pull my handgun out of my ankle holster, but I don’t want to worry Jonah or Beth if I don’t have to.

  Shane’s got the front covered as Jonah and I take up the rear. At one point, Shane glances back at me, his eyes narrowing. He knows alert mode when he sees it. I just shrug at him as I scan the area and come up with nothing. There’s no sign of Barker when we reach the Jeep, so I relax a bit. If Barker was going to try to jump us, he most likely would have done it out on the street.

  It’s a quick drive back to the cabin. It’s just starting to rain now, and everyone is tired. I can tell Shane’s eager to get Beth to bed, because as soon as we’re parked, he whisks her out of the Jeep and up the front steps. And if I’m honest with myself, I’m eager to get to my bed too. But not because I’m sleepy. All I can think about is putting my hands on Jonah’s naked body. I want him. I need to feel that powerful body surging into me, filling me. Having him once wasn’t enough. Twice wasn’t enough. I’m starting to think I’ll never get enough of him. Already I can feel my body heating, my arousal growing with the knowledge that we’ll be alone in just a few minutes.

  “You okay?” Jonah says, turning toward me in his seat. “You’ve been awfully quiet since we left the bar.”

  I keep my eyes looking forward, staring at the cabin rather than looking at him, afraid I’ll give too much away – like how much I want to jump his bones. “Just tired. It’s been a long day.”

  I’m not sure what he was expecting me to say, but he frowns as if disappointed.

  The wind is whistling loudly through the trees now and buffeting the Jeep, heralding the impending arrival of a thunderstorm. I see a bright flash of lightning off in the distance, high over the treetops, and hear the accompanying boom of thunder on its heels.

  Jonah opens his door. “We’d better get inside before the rain starts.”

  He walks around to the driver’s side and opens my door. “So, what did you think?”

  I step outside and close the door behind me, leaning against it. “About what?”

  “The show. Tonight was the first time you’ve seen me perform live.”

  I feel the sting of the first few drops of rain on my bare arms. “It wasn’t bad.”

  He laughs. “It wasn’t bad?”

  I try not to smile, but it’s a lost cause. My grin gives me away. “All right, I thought you were amazing. But I didn’t think I should tell you, because your ego is big enough as it is.” Not true.

  He pulls me into his arms, and I can feel his erection pressing against the front of his jeans. “I loved having you in the audience tonight. Thank you for being there.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. It’s not like I had a choice. I was just – ”

  He stops me with a hot and hungry kiss, which revs me up even more. There’s an ache blossoming inside me, and I feel flushed all over, breathless.

  “Don’t you dare say you were just doing your job,” he says. Then his expression grows serious, and he looks so damn vulnerable. “I’m not just a job to you, am I?”

  The doubt on his face makes my heart hurt. I always used to think of myself as brave, fearless in the face of danger. Now I know it’s total bullshit, because I’m afraid to tell Jonah how I feel. Hell, I can’t even admit it to myself. “Jonah.”

  He leans down and presses his forehead to mine. His hands come up to
cradle my face, and he kisses me gently, almost reverently, and the vice grip on my heart tightens.

  “Lia, I – ”

  We both freeze at the telltale snick of a switchblade being released. I whip my head to the side just as Neal Barker presses the razor-sharp tip of serrated hunting knife against Jonah’s jugular. A bright red bead of blood wells up beneath the tip of the knife as Barker nicks the skin.

  “Don’t move, fucker!” Barker hisses. His breath is saturated with alcohol. The man’s clearly drunk, and his hand is shaking, which doesn’t bode well for Jonah. “If either of you moves, I’ll cut his throat! I guarantee you he’ll bleed out before anyone can get out here to save his ass.”

  I can’t breathe, and for a moment it feels like time has stopped. In the split second that it takes my heart to make its next beat, I weigh the odds, my response options, and the likely outcome. It’ll take too long to pull my gun from my ankle holster, so it’ll have to be hand-to-hand.

  I shove Jonah to the ground with my right hand, out of the reach of the knife, then bring both hands up to trap Barker’s wrist. I step into him, twisting my body and pivoting as I snap Barker’s wrist back at a 120-degree angle. Barker screams as I apply pressure to his broken wrist, driving it back at an even more unnatural angle. Half-stunned from hitting the ground so hard, Jonah scrambles to his feet.

  “Stay back!” I yell at Jonah.

  “You fucking bitch!” Barker wails.

  “I haven’t even started, asshole!” I increase the pressure on his median nerve until he loses all sensation in his hand and the knife falls harmlessly to the ground with a thud. I kick the knife away, then twist Barker’s wrist up behind his back. He drops to his knees, keening in an eerie, high-pitched wail. I shove him face down onto the ground, then follow him down, pinning both arms behind his back and planting my knees into his kidneys to pin him to the ground like a bug. Grabbing a zip tie from the pocket of my cargo pants, I secure his wrists behind his back, then finally draw my handgun and shove the muzzle into the base of his skull.