Because, against all fucking odds, I was falling for Jade. I knew it, and I didn’t even care. I only hoped I wasn’t alone in it.
Every time I thought about Jade, emotion twined within my need for her like a vine, all the stronger as the fibers wound together. The word love feathered along the edges of my thoughts, and I shied away every time. Because I knew what it was to lose someone who mattered. I also knew what it was to let someone down.
I lost track of the conversation for a moment when I looked across the bar toward Jade. She was laughing at something. She had a glass of wine in her hand and was leaning her head back to take a sip. When it came to Jade, lust was my new master. My entire body vibrated with it from nothing more than a glance in her direction.
Dani reached for her drink from the bartender, and the group of women turned and began to approach our table. Jade’s eyes caught mine from across the room. It felt as if that master cracked a whip, the snap of it sharp and electrifying. It sent a fiery sizzle through the air between us.
Evie had reached our table and was resting her hand on Dawson’s shoulder when Jackson murmured, so low I barely heard him, “Oh, fuck.”
“What is it?” Shay asked when she stopped beside him, her brow furrowing in concern.
Jackson caught my eye before nudging his chin in a direction beyond my shoulder. Glancing over, I saw a man I’d never seen before walking out of the back hallway toward the bar.
Shay had followed Jackson’s eyes as well. “Oh no.” She looked at me. “You need to get Jade out of here.”
Confused, I asked, “What are y’all talking about?”
Jade reached the table, hearing my question. “What’s going on?” It didn’t appear she’d heard Shay’s comment.
My gut gave a decisive vibe when I saw the man who stopped by the bar. I didn’t trust him. Not one bit. The hairs on the back of my neck rose. He was unremarkable—average height and average build with brown hair. He wore jeans and a T-shirt with a pair of tennis shoes.
Jade’s face froze the moment she saw the man. I knew without being told that this had to be the guy who tried to spike her drink. Or rather, had spiked her drink but an observant waitress had prevented anything else from happening.
I was standing before I realized what I was doing. Meanwhile, Evie stepped away from Dawson’s side and grabbed Jade’s hand. “Don’t even go over there. It is not worth it.”
Jackson stood with me and spoke right at my shoulder. “Don’t make a scene, man. Jade won’t appreciate that.”
“Doesn’t pretty much everybody know what the hell went down? Why is he even here? I thought he got arrested,” I muttered.
Shay had rounded the table to stand beside Jackson. Dani reached us and answered my question. “He was arrested, charged and so on. He served hardly any time. Because he didn’t actually pull it off.”
Unbelievably, the idiot looked over after he got a beer, his eyes locking on Jade. He began to approach our table. “Oh, hell no,” Dani said, angling toward him.
My fists clenched, and I hadn’t realized I started to move until Jackson gripped my arm, hard. I was strong, but so was Jackson.
“What the fuck, man?” I cast a frustrated glare over my shoulder before shaking my arm to free it.
“Dude, I get it. I’d like to clock him. I agree that he totally deserves it. Just don’t do it in front of an audience. That’s all I’m saying.”
Jade strode directly to him with fire burning in her eyes. Dani was right beside her. “What the fuck are you doing here, Brad?”
Jade had plenty of loyal friends, and for that I was relieved. Jackson released my arm, and I walked over to stand beside Jade, not even thinking about it when I reached for her hand. Dani was on her other side, and the rest of our group clustered behind her.
Jade’s hand was icy cold in mine, but she didn’t swat me away. I could feel the tremor running through her, and fury burned through me in response. All I knew was a sketch of what had happened. But this man—Brad, apparently—had allegedly been Jade’s friend, and he tried to drug her.
Jade narrowed her gaze on him as we all stood around her, her own personal backup team. “What the hell, Brad? Don’t come anywhere near me.”
Brad, asshole that he was, responded, “Jade, I’m not even on probation. I am allowed to be in public places. You never even gave me a chance to explain.”
“There is no explanation that makes it okay for you to try to spike my drink with a date rape drug,” Jade spat.
I sensed she was about to crack. Her eyes were bright with tears, and she was visibly shaking. Dani met my eyes, the concern evident in her gaze. Just then, one of the two bartenders approached. I didn’t know Darren particularly well, but knew him to be a decent guy who didn’t put up with much bullshit. He stopped beside Brad. “You need to leave,” he said flatly.
“What the hell?” Brad protested. “I have a right to get a fucking drink.”
Although I’d never laid eyes on Brad before, I sensed he wasn’t accustomed to much confrontation. I imagined what little time he spent behind bars hadn’t been particularly pleasant for him.
Darren shrugged. “This is a private business. You may have a right to get a drink, generally speaking, but we don’t have to serve you. If we ask you to leave, you have to leave. Now, we can do this one way, or another. You can walk out and leave the bottle on the counter. I didn’t see you come in, and our new bartender doesn’t know who you are. If he did, you wouldn’t have been served. You can walk out on your own, or I’ll escort you. Take your pick.”
Brad glanced around and muttered something under his breath. “Fuck y’all,” he added, raising his voice before turning and stalking away. He tossed his almost full beer in the trashcan by the door to the back hallway, just hard enough against the wall that it broke before it fell in the trashcan.
I heard Darren speaking to Jade. “Sorry about that, Jade. I didn’t see him come in.”
Shay was saying something to her as well.
Confident no one was going to leave Jade alone, I leaned over, giving Jade’s hand a squeeze. “I’ll be right back.”
Releasing her hand, I followed Brad out, barely hearing Jackson behind me. “What the hell are you doing, man?” he asked as he jogged to catch up to me when I was about halfway down the back hallway.
“Don’t worry, I won’t get myself arrested. You’re welcome to tag along.”
Jackson muttered something under his breath, but he stayed with me.
I slammed through the back door out to the parking lot, my eyes landing on Brad as he walked. I closed the distance between us quickly. The moment I caught up to him, I grabbed his arm and spun him around.
“What the—” he began.
“Here’s the deal. Stay the hell away from Jade.” I stepped right up to him, almost chest to chest.
“Who the hell are you?”
“A friend. Unlike you.”
Jackson hung back, but he was right there, and I knew he would step in if needed. Considering we didn’t have an audience, I didn’t think he was going to do a damned thing unless things got out of hand.
Brad, apparently on the slow side, laughed. “Right. I’ve known Jade a hell of a lot longer than you. It was all a big misunderstanding.”