“I’m eighteen .”
“You said you were twenty-one,” Emilio reminded her darkly.
“I— ” Ava struggled for a reply. Surely he couldn’t be that angry. He couldn’t be that much older. She opened her mouth to continue defending herself but she was cut off abruptly.
“HEY!”
All of them turned.
A tall man in a ripped denim shirt was making his way toward them. He was all the way across the bar, on the other side of the dance floor. The place was dark, but not so dark that Ava couldn’t make out the blood on his face and the hateful gleam in his eyes. The two men he had flanking him didn’t look so happy, either.
Sienna squeaked and took a step back. Emilio took hold of her shoulder and pulled her farther away. Jonah didn’t seem to mind this time.
“Your handiwork, hermano?” Emilio asked Jonah.
Jonah nodded as he narrowed his eyes at the approaching trio of rednecks. “There was only one of them, though. Guess they multiply when they get blood on them.”
Emilio pulled Sienna back into the hallway and toward the exit door. “You take the one in the middle, then,” he suggested to Jonah. “I’ll take the other two.”
Jonah snorted as he pushed up his sleeves. “You’re pretty cocky.”
Ava watched a slow grin spread on Emilio’s face.
“Not the first time I’ve heard that.”
The men were already halfway across the dance floor. Patrons parted like waves and gaped in their wake.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ava said, stepping forward. “You two take the two on the left. I’ll take the third one.”
Jonah obviously wasn’t surprised, but Emilio snorted. “Not happening.”
“You don’t get a say,” Ava shot back.
She tried to move past him but Emilio grabbed her arm. “Muñeca, he outweighs you by about fifty pounds. Out the back door,” he ordered, jerking his chin to the green sign behind them. “Now.”
Ava’s teeth ground together. “Listen— ”
“Ava,” Jonah barked to cut her off. He dragged his eyes from the trio and locked onto hers. In a quieter, half-whisper he said, “Take Sienna out of here.”
Caught off guard by his urgent tone, Ava recalled the look on Jonah’s face just moments before. She glanced back to Sienna who was now a few feet away, chewing nervously on her bottom lip, eyes wide as she stared at the men coming for them.
Ava finally sighed. Jonah was right. Ava could handle herself, but this was no place for Sienna. “Okay,” she replied and turned away from them all. She strode toward the door, locking her arm with Sienna’s. “Let’s go,” she told the other girl. As Sienna stepped through the door, Ava turned back. “Good luck,” she called.
Emilio turned slightly and grinned at her. “Don’t worry, muñeca. I don’t intend to let them win.”
Ava’s jaw dropped, but before she could respond, Sienna pulled her through the open door. It slammed shut, reverberating on its hinges.
Chapter Seven
A va stared at the closed steel door. “Do you believe that?”
Sienna grabbed her arm. “Come on,” she pleaded. “We should leave.”
“But do you believe that? Let me win? Let me win?!” She glared daggers at the door where she secretly hoped Emilio was getting pummeled by rednecks. “He didn’t let me win! He was too distracted! He wasn’t prepared!”
“Let it go, Ava!”
“I can’t let it go! That’s bullshit!”
Ava took a step toward the door but Sienna dragged her back.
“Look, can we just go ?!”
The tenor in her friend’s voice made Ava pause. She turned to Sienna. Sienna’s lower lip was quivering. Her eyes were welling with tears.
“Shit,” Ava muttered and felt like the world’s worst friend. She was being a selfish dick. “What happened in there?”
Sienna wiped her cheeks with one hand and held her shirt together with the other to cover her chest. “The cute guy and I were dancing. No big deal. I liked it,” she admitted. “Then one of those assholes cut in. And he just let him! Just
“You said you were twenty-one,” Emilio reminded her darkly.
“I— ” Ava struggled for a reply. Surely he couldn’t be that angry. He couldn’t be that much older. She opened her mouth to continue defending herself but she was cut off abruptly.
“HEY!”
All of them turned.
A tall man in a ripped denim shirt was making his way toward them. He was all the way across the bar, on the other side of the dance floor. The place was dark, but not so dark that Ava couldn’t make out the blood on his face and the hateful gleam in his eyes. The two men he had flanking him didn’t look so happy, either.
Sienna squeaked and took a step back. Emilio took hold of her shoulder and pulled her farther away. Jonah didn’t seem to mind this time.
“Your handiwork, hermano?” Emilio asked Jonah.
Jonah nodded as he narrowed his eyes at the approaching trio of rednecks. “There was only one of them, though. Guess they multiply when they get blood on them.”
Emilio pulled Sienna back into the hallway and toward the exit door. “You take the one in the middle, then,” he suggested to Jonah. “I’ll take the other two.”
Jonah snorted as he pushed up his sleeves. “You’re pretty cocky.”
Ava watched a slow grin spread on Emilio’s face.
“Not the first time I’ve heard that.”
The men were already halfway across the dance floor. Patrons parted like waves and gaped in their wake.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ava said, stepping forward. “You two take the two on the left. I’ll take the third one.”
Jonah obviously wasn’t surprised, but Emilio snorted. “Not happening.”
“You don’t get a say,” Ava shot back.
She tried to move past him but Emilio grabbed her arm. “Muñeca, he outweighs you by about fifty pounds. Out the back door,” he ordered, jerking his chin to the green sign behind them. “Now.”
Ava’s teeth ground together. “Listen— ”
“Ava,” Jonah barked to cut her off. He dragged his eyes from the trio and locked onto hers. In a quieter, half-whisper he said, “Take Sienna out of here.”
Caught off guard by his urgent tone, Ava recalled the look on Jonah’s face just moments before. She glanced back to Sienna who was now a few feet away, chewing nervously on her bottom lip, eyes wide as she stared at the men coming for them.
Ava finally sighed. Jonah was right. Ava could handle herself, but this was no place for Sienna. “Okay,” she replied and turned away from them all. She strode toward the door, locking her arm with Sienna’s. “Let’s go,” she told the other girl. As Sienna stepped through the door, Ava turned back. “Good luck,” she called.
Emilio turned slightly and grinned at her. “Don’t worry, muñeca. I don’t intend to let them win.”
Ava’s jaw dropped, but before she could respond, Sienna pulled her through the open door. It slammed shut, reverberating on its hinges.
Chapter Seven
A va stared at the closed steel door. “Do you believe that?”
Sienna grabbed her arm. “Come on,” she pleaded. “We should leave.”
“But do you believe that? Let me win? Let me win?!” She glared daggers at the door where she secretly hoped Emilio was getting pummeled by rednecks. “He didn’t let me win! He was too distracted! He wasn’t prepared!”
“Let it go, Ava!”
“I can’t let it go! That’s bullshit!”
Ava took a step toward the door but Sienna dragged her back.
“Look, can we just go ?!”
The tenor in her friend’s voice made Ava pause. She turned to Sienna. Sienna’s lower lip was quivering. Her eyes were welling with tears.
“Shit,” Ava muttered and felt like the world’s worst friend. She was being a selfish dick. “What happened in there?”
Sienna wiped her cheeks with one hand and held her shirt together with the other to cover her chest. “The cute guy and I were dancing. No big deal. I liked it,” she admitted. “Then one of those assholes cut in. And he just let him! Just
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