I smoothed out my shirt and nodded. “I’m good.” Anger vibrated through me, my body trembling. Damon inched closer, Hudson flanking my other side.
“I’m going to make sure they’re okay.” Fenton disappeared.
“He was... fuck,” I roared, my body quivering with anger as I stared at the door leading to the restrooms. “What’s taking them so long?”
“Our guys can handle it.” Damon moved in front of me. “You need to calm down.”
“I’ll calm down when I see... Eva.” I pushed my friends out the way and rushed over to her. “Are you okay?” My eyes scanned her face, her body.
“I’m... I’m okay.” Her voice shook. “I told him I wasn’t interested, but he didn’t... he...”
“Ssh.” I pulled her into my arms. “You’re okay. Everything’s okay.”
Travis and Fenton appeared a second later, dragging the guy with them. His lip was busted open, blood trickling down his jaw as he hung limp between the two burly bodyguards.
What the fuck?
But it all made sense when my brother stalked out from behind them. He looked furious, his eyes wild and fists clenched at his side. Levi found me across the room and froze. Something passed between us. A momentary ceasefire. We weren’t in a good place right now, but we could both agree on this.
On protecting the terrified girl in my arms.
I offered him an appreciative nod, and he returned it. Then he was gone, swamped by the rest of our security team.
“Come on.” I said guiding Eva into my side. “We’re getting out of here.”
Travis stuck to us like glue as we exited the club. The SUVs were already waiting, the huddle of paparazzi smaller than when we’d arrived.
“Rafe, Rafe, over here. What happened?”
“Is Eva okay? Eva, Eva, did something happen?”
“Stay back.” Travis shielded us as the camera flashes went off around us, lighting up the dark alley like July fourth.
“Hey man, back the fuck off.” I glanced over my shoulder to find Hudson scuffling with an overeager journo.
“Travis,” I yelled, trying to catch his eye. The last thing we needed was Hudson getting into it with the press.
“Stalter can handle it. Get Eva in the back.” He yanked the door open and jogged around to the driver’s side. Eva climbed in and I slid in after her. Letty and Phoebe came next.
“Crap, it’s getting crazy out there. Hudson is—”
The door slammed shut and another bodyguard hopped in the passenger side. “Everyone good?” Travis asked, our eyes meeting in the rear-view.
Eva nodded, her fingers twisted into my shirt as she stared out the tinted window.
“Hey”. I slipped my fingers underneath her jaw and gently angled her face to mine. “You’re okay. I’ve got you, Starshine.” Seeing that guy caging Eva against the wall, hearing her cry for help… it hadn’t just sobered me, it had yanked me back to Earth with an almighty thud.
“I can’t believe that happened,” she breathed, blinking away the tears clinging to the corners of her eyes.
Letty’s cell phone blared to life. “It’s Ali,” she mouthed, taking his call. The intern sat beside her, surprisingly calm considering the circumstances.
“Hey, you okay?” I asked her, and she nodded.
“Is it always so...”
“It gets easier.” Eva sat up straighter. “I didn’t think I could handle it at first, but you do. One day, it just all becomes less… intense.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Eva glanced up at me, pressing close to my side. “I will be.”
When we got back to the tour buses, Alistair was waiting for us. “What the hell happened?”
“Some guy cornered Eva,” Hudson offered.
“Shit, are you okay?” His expression softened as he laid eyes on Eva.
“I’m fine, just a little shaken up.”
“And you?” He looked to me. “You cool?” I knew what he was asking me. Did he need to bail me out of anything.
I shook my head. “I’m good. But Levi—”
Just then, my brother appeared. He stopped, frowning at us. “The asshole had it coming.” He shrugged. “I’m only sorry I didn’t get another couple of punches in.”
Alistair hissed under his breath.
“Security handled it,” Letty added. “There should be no blowback.”
“Well since you’re all here, we can get on the road. Duke will be glad to get ahead of schedule. Letty and Eva will remain on the second bus. Phoebe you’ll also be with the girls.”
My brow went up and Damon snickered.
“What?” Alistair gawked, his eyes shifting from me to Damon and back again.
“Eva’s with me.”
“Rafe, we’ve talked about this. She can’t just—”
“I don’t know about anyone else,” Damon interjected. “But I need a drink. Why don’t we all hang out on the Van Hool tonight and we can deal with the permanent sleeping arrangements tomorrow.”
“Sounds good to me. We can initiate Pheebs into the fold.” Hudson grinned.
“You’ll do no such thing.” Alistair glared at him. “Phoebe is—”
“Sounds good to me.” All eyes fell on the new girl. “I mean,” she stuttered, “if it’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay.” Letty grabbed her hand and started pulling her away. “Come on, we’ll grab some pillows and blankets from our bus.”
“I don’t like this.” Alistair rubbed his temples.
“Relax, Ali, boy. It’s one night,” my brother said.
“You’re telling me, you’re okay with this?”
“I’m not going to be a dick about it, if that’s what you mean.” Levi caught my eye again. “Someone tried to hurt Eva. I think we’d all sleep better knowing where she is tonight.” He stalked off, climbing aboard the bus like what he’d said was nothing.
It wasn’t nothing though.
For someone like Levi it was every-fucking-thing.
“Did that really just happen?” Hudson asked.
But I was too busy staring at the door to the bus, wondering if maybe, just maybe, me and Levi were working toward peace.
Or if the only thing linking us anymore was the girl curled into my side.
“I don’t think I can sleep yet.” Eva let out a soft sigh.
“Sleep? Who said anything about sleeping? The night is still young, and we have a new recruit to toy with.”
“Hudson, please don’t traumatize the new intern before she’s even had chance to settle in.”
“That was you not so long ago.” He quipped back as we moved toward the bus.
“I wasn’t that bad, was I?”
“Nah. You were special. You were so freakin’ shy, but you had this inner strength. We all saw it.”
“Is that a compliment?” Eva smirked at him. Hudson pulled himself up, hanging half off and half on the bus.
“Don’t let it go to your head, Country.” He winked and disappeared inside.