My palms were sweaty, and my heart was fluttering like a bird in a cage. Bruce was trying to calm me down, but he seemed equally stressed out. “It’ll be all right, Evelyn. Don’t worry. Just let me go out there and check it out. I’ll make sure—”

“No!” I said, panicked.

“Evelyn, please, these are my people.”

“I know. Trust me, I know. But we have to stay here. My friend is coming, and he’ll know what to do. He’ll take care of them. He doesn’t want anyone to get hurt any more than you do.”

“Who the hell is this friend of yours?” Bruce asked.

“He’s—well, um.” I had no idea how to answer that question. Was Derek even technically my friend? No. Not even close. He was still a stranger to me. But there was no doubt in my mind he would come and would fiercely protect all of us. He’d made me a promise.

Bruce shook his head at me. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Anxiety shot through me as he made to go around me. He went to the back door and right before he opened it, it burst open with such force, it slammed into the back wall. The doorknob punched a hole in the drywall, and a bunch of the staff came rushing back.

Their voices were panicked, and I caught the words “fight,” “bald guy,” and “mean guy” come out of several mouths. Justin came back last, and he slammed the door closed behind him. He looked frazzled as he peered around wildly and started doing a headcount. “Is anybody missing?” he called.

Bruce did a quick head count too. “That’s everyone.”

One of the girls, Alicia, looked like she’d seen a ghost as she hurried away from the door and bumped into me.

“What the hell is going on out there?” Bruce asked, grabbing her by the shoulders.

Her blue eyes were wide. “There are two guys out there, and it looks like it’s going to get pretty bad.”

I rushed up to them. “The big bald guy and another? What did he look like?”

Alicia pursed her lips as she tried to process my question. “Um. He was big. And kind of rude. He had brown hair and a beard.”

Derek.

Why didn’t I feel relieved?

I’d called him. I’d wanted him to come, but knowing he was out there was horrifying. I interrupted Bruce as he tried to talk to Alicia and make sure she was okay. “Is he alone?” I asked. “The guy with the beard, did he come in alone?”

Alicia nodded.

My panicked heart fluttered more desperately.

What was this feeling? Why did I care so much about him being out there on his own? I barely knew the man. Collectively, I’d probably only spent forty-five minutes with him in total. But there was something about him that made me feel connected to him.

“I already called the police,” Bruce was saying. “They said they already received a tip, and they have cars en route to us now. They said we just need to stay out of the fray.”

I pointed at the emergency exit door. “We should get everyone out of here.”

“We should be safe back here,” Bruce said.

I shook my head. “Don’t make assumptions with this guy. If he gets his hands on one of us, he’ll use us as a hostage, and Derek won’t be able to do anything about it.”

“Hostage?” Alicia whispered.

I nodded. “Yes. Now, let’s get moving. Bruce, get everyone out through the back.”

Bruce only hesitated for a second longer before he took up my instructions and started hurrying the staff to the back door. Just as he pushed it open, I heard the brawl begin in the front of the house of the cigar lounge. For a moment, my heart stopped completely.

Breaking glass. Something striking something solid. An angry yell. More breaking glass. Soft thuds like a fist pummeling a body.

I shook my head to clear the images that sprang to life in the back of my mind. I had to keep it together a little longer.

Then, I spotted the fire extinguisher beside Bruce’s desk.

I acted without thinking. I raced forward and grabbed the extinguisher. Nobody was paying attention. They were focused on Bruce, who was focused on getting them the hell out. Good.

I rushed out through the door and down the hallway, emerging behind the bar to see the destruction the two men were causing.

There was blood. Enough of it for me to be concerned.

Derek had The Hand down on the ground and was wailing on him. The Hand had his arms up to protect his face and was laughing. Legitimately laughing. It was almost like he liked being struck, like he got off on it. Knowing how insane he was, I suspected he was enjoying it.

Derek let out a furious yell as he buried his fist in The Hand’s ribs.

The big man seized the opportunity to turn the tables. He struck with a punch of his own, and I heard it connect with Derek’s jaw, who slumped backward in a temporary state of confusion.

As The Hand stood above him, I tried to scream, but my voice was caught in my throat like in a nightmare. I was powerless as The Hand bent down and grabbed ahold of the front of Derek’s muscle shirt. As he yanked him forward, I spotted a deep gash on Derek’s shoulder. It was pumping out blood that stained the carpet beneath him.

Derek came back to his senses as The Hand drew him in close. I watched as the big bastard wound back and struck Derek again. He didn’t let his shirt go. He hauled him back upright as the punch muddled Derek’s mind and prepared to strike him again.

If I didn’t do something, Derek was going to be killed. I knew it like I knew The Hand wouldn’t refrain from hurting a woman.

I grit my teeth and rushed forward with the fire extinguisher.

The Hand was oblivious to my approach as I came up behind Derek. The Hand was hunched over him. He had landed another hit while I ran over, but that was all he was going to get. I’d decided.

I pulled the nozzle and the fire extinguisher shot white spray and foam out of it in an explosive burst. I aimed it straight into the bald man’s face, and he staggered backward in surprise. I followed his retreat, and a horrible high-pitched sound hurt my ears.

I realized it was my own scream.

I stepped over Derek, who was pushing himself up to his elbows on the floor, and continued to scream bloody murder as I went after the man who had terrified me in the alley. There was something empowering about having him back away from me. I found myself wanting to hurt him. I wanted to make him suffer.

Something was wrong with me.

The fire extinguisher ran out of steam, and the bursts of foam and spray subsided to nothing. I stood between The Hand and Derek as the big man wiped foam from his face and shook it off his hands. He looked up at me, fury burning in his eyes.

“Hello, kitten.”

I took a step back.

Derek called my name. “Get the fuck out of here!”

I was frozen to the spot. Staring at the big man before me brought back all the fear I’d felt that night in the alley. This time was a hundred times worse. He was moving toward me, one slow, agonizing step at a time. He was smiling once more like he’d just happened upon a new plaything. Me.

I tightened my grip on the fire extinguisher. “Stay away from me.” I tried to sound as commanding as possible, but I sounded terrified and pathetic.

He laughed at me.

“I mean it. Stay back!”

He kept coming. I could hear Derek trying to push himself to his feet behind me. He’d had his senses knocked clean out of him. I’d be blown away if he managed to stand up so quickly after the hits he’d just taken. I needed to buy him some time. That’s why I came out here in the first place, wasn’t it? To help him? He needed me.

I couldn’t let him down.

I moved to the right and slipped between two tables. My shoes crunched over broken shards of glass as I backed slowly away, keeping my eyes trained on The Hand, who followed me, pushing tables and chairs out of his way as he came.

“Come here, girlie. Let me show you what I do to women who think they can tell me what to do. Come on,” he hissed, taking a swipe at me.

I stumbled back, rolling an ankle, and winced. But I kept backing up, weaving between tables without having to look back where I was going. I was glad Britt had told me to memorize the floor plan on my first day to make my serving routes easier.

I knew I was going to run out of space soon. It was only a matter of time before he was on me. I had to delay him. I gathered my courage. “Why do you like hurting people?”

He hesitated but only for a second. It was enough for me to put an extra two feet between us. “It’s a good thrill, kitten. You want me to show you? Are you curious?”

I shook my head. “No. I’m curious why you’re like this. What happened to you to make you so evil?”

He chuckled. “Nothing happened to me.”

“Liar.”

He lunged for me, and I screamed. Then, out of sheer instinct, I darted to my right and wound back with the fire extinguisher. I swung it through the air, and it slammed into the side of his head hard. I yelped in surprise as I struck him, and he staggered back. I hurried farther away too.

I’d been hoping I’d have enough strength to knock him out cold, but that would have been too easy. He rubbed his bald head with one hand and looked at me. Now, he was really pissed. Now, he wanted to really hurt me. “Get your ass over here,” he hissed.

Then, Derek was there standing between us. He was in rough shape. I could tell by the way he was slightly bent over that he was hurting. Blood was still leaking out of his shoulder.

“Derek,” I whispered. It was a plea. He didn’t need to save me again.

He didn’t say anything. Shoulders heaving with every breath he took, he just stood there and stared The Hand down. I was sure the brawl was about to begin again, and this time, it wouldn’t end until one of them was dead.

Fear so raw hit me, and I grew dizzy.

The thick silence around us was cut by the whir of sirens not far off.

The Hand flinched. His gaze flicked to Derek. “Catch you around, Lost Breed.” He turned and ran through the back door. I was glad I’d sent Bruce and everyone outside.

Derek made to go after him, but I bolted out in front of him, dropped the fire extinguisher, and put my hands on his chest.

Derek reached out to press a hand to one of the tables to brace himself. I peered up into his face. His cheek was turning purple, and he had a split lip. “Oh, no,” I breathed, reaching up to cup his face. “I’m sorry. Are you okay? Oh. I’m so sorry.”

He closed a hand over mine. “Don’t be sorry. I’m fine.”

“Fine?” I asked incredulously.

He straightened to his full height and grimaced. “Yeah. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Do me a favor,” Derek said as he sank down into the nearest chair. “Bring me a glass of whiskey?”