Chase tilted his head to the side. "I don't believe I know anyone by that name. Then again, I don't tend to exchange names with my prey. None of them really matter; they're just warm-ups. Appetizers. Only the main course can really sate my hunger."
It wasn't hard to guess what the main course was. Or who.
I bit the inside of my lip, thinking. But my phone vibrated in my purse, breaking my concentration. I pulled it out and saw Lucas's name on the caller ID, so I shot Chase a tight smile. "Excuse me a moment," I murmured, sarcastically polite.
Without waiting for his response, I slipped out of Zed's embrace and took a couple of steps away from the table before answering the call.
"Hey, Lucas," I said, bringing the phone to my ear. I kept one eye on Zed and Chase, making sure they didn't kill each other, but otherwise I was focused on why Lucas was calling. "Is everything okay?"
"Hey you," he replied, sounding relaxed. "Yes, totally fine. I just wanted to check in and let you know that your security team is doing exactly as instructed and guarding the place like we're holding the Hope Diamond here."
I wrinkled my nose at the accusation in his voice. "Better safe than sorry, right?"
He gave a sigh. "Hayden, you told me you were assigning a security guard. Not seven."
"Eight.” I quickly moved on. "Look, I said I was assigning a security team. Or... that's what I meant. But better to be overprotected than under, right? No harm done?"
He huffed, but I could tell he wasn't that mad. Over at my table the waitress had returned with our drinks and Chase was manhandling her again. Poor girl. I needed to leave her a hell of a tip when we left.
"...haven't had anything suspicious happen here," Lucas was saying in my ear. "Chase is probably still trying to scrub that permanent marker off his face."
I snorted a laugh because of course Zed had shown Lucas the picture he’d taken. "Yeah, I wish," I replied. "He's here being a slimy creeper."
"Wait, what?" Lucas exclaimed. "Hayden—"
A burst of movement caught my attention, and I missed whatever Lucas was saying. Zed had just grabbed Chase by the throat and thrown him to the ground, making several people scream in fright.
"I've gotta go." I ended the call as Zed put the nose of his gun against Chase's forehead.
As calm as possible, I strode over and planted my hands on my hips as I peered down at Zed and Chase.
"Zed," I snapped, my voice like a whipcrack.
He didn't look up at me, but he also didn't pull the trigger. "This demented fuck just tried to drug your drink, boss." He bit the words off like they were dipped in poison, and my blood ran cold. "Check his hand."
Giving Chase a cold glare, I put the ball of my shoe on his wrist and applied pressure until his fingers opened, revealing a roughly crushed pill in the middle of his palm.
He didn't look like he felt even slightly guilty, just grinned up at me. "Can't blame a guy for trying," he said, seeming unconcerned by Zed's knee on his chest, hand around his throat, or gun to his head. "Little payback for that stunt at the café yesterday. Besides, you used to beg me for a little angel dust in your cocktail."
Zed drew a deep breath, his grip tensing on the gun. He was a microsecond away from pulling that trigger.
"Careful, Zayden," Chase taunted. "You wouldn't want to test my insurance policies, would you? There're so very many people that you both care about these days. So very many lives that could be ruined with the right series of events."
My stomach knotted tight, and cold sweat ran down my spine. As badly as I wanted to crush Chase under my heel, he was still three steps ahead of me. He wouldn't be forever, though. I just had to be patient.
"Zed," I barked again. "Put the gun away."
Several of the Meow Lounge security guards were hovering on the fringes of our little scene but clearly reluctant to become involved. They knew damn well I could handle it without their intervention, and I appreciated the restraint.
The same couldn't be said for my second. He didn't shoot Chase, but he did pistol whip him with the butt of his gun.
"Let's go," I snapped to him, with my anger at his lack of self-control warring with my satisfaction at seeing Chase get smacked in the face.
Zed grunted an angry sound and climbed to his feet as he put his gun away. Chase was out cold but wouldn't stay that way forever.
"Please accept my apologies for the disruption," I told the closest security guard.
He just nodded, clearly not knowing what the fuck to say back to that. Zed grabbed my hand and just barely restrained himself when he clearly wanted to drag me out of the club behind him. But I was no damsel in distress, and I sure as shit wasn't his arm candy.
I paused near the bar to pull a wad of cash from my purse and hand it to the girl Chase had assaulted. She was trembling near one of the other waitresses, tears rolling down her cheeks, and just gaped at the money in confusion. No amount of money could erase an unwanted touch from your skin, but fuck, at least she could pay for some good counselling if that's what would help. Or she could blow it on shoes and handbags. Therapy came in all shapes and sizes.
Zed and I didn't exchange another word as we headed outside, striding toward where we'd parked the Ferrari in a lot across the road. Before we reached the car, though, a solid weight slammed into Zed from behind, throwing him to the gravel and wrenching his hand out of mine.
"Come on, De Rosa," Chase taunted, straddling Zed's waist and pounding a hard fist into the side of his head. "That all you've got? You can't kill me, but I didn't think you were that much of a little bitch." Smack, another hard hit to Zed's face as my second scrambled to get his guard up.
"Seriously, Chase?" I snapped, bracing my heels on the gravel to hold my balance. "You're still relying on surprise to get your hits in? Pathetic."
My insult was enough to get his attention, allowing Zed to buck up underneath him and shove him off. Chase, for all his stereotypical villain grandeur, had clearly let his fighting skills slip. Zed turned the tables in a flash, pounding the crap out of my unhinged ex with a violence that made my breath catch.
I did nothing to get between them, just stood back and enjoyed the show for a minute as blood flew and clothing tore. Chase fought back as best he could, but Zed was lethal. He rained blows down on Chase's body, hitting him deliberately to make it hurt, and I took way too much pleasure out of the sound of Chase grunting in pain.
A flash of metal caught my eye a split second before Chase slashed Zed's side, making him shout and roll out of reach in an instant.
Fear trickled down my spine as Zed pressed his hand to his side and pulled it away coated in blood. He didn't look worried, only more determined, but I'd seen enough.
"Stop this," I ordered, getting between them before they could reengage. "Zed, get in the fucking car."
Chase, back on his feet as well, sneered in Zed's direction. "Better do what Darling says, De Rosa. That's a good dog."
I whipped a small knife out of my chest strap and threw it with lightning speed. The short blade hit its intended target, sinking deep into Chase's shoulder and making him grimace.