Page 29 of Shield

The tension in my chest snaps like a rubber band. I glance at Vin, and his grin mirrors mine as I turn my cap backward.

Let’s fucking go.

Vin grabs the back of the guy’s shirt and yanks him off of Valentina, tossing him toward me.

I catch him as he stumbles back and then plant my fist in the middle of his face. “How about I turn your face into an asshole?”

Groaning out something unintelligible, he grabs my shirt, hanging off of it with all his weight until it tears from collar to hem.

“Fucker,” I mutter, ripping the shredded fabric off me and pulling him up so I can hit him hard in the gut.

Security comes running, as they should, but I’m not done yet. I pound my fists into him, pouring all my frustration over Siena into tearing him apart. My hat falls off, my hair falls in my face as sweat drips down my bare chest. I keep pummeling him until Vin pulls me off.

“Feel better?” he asks with a grin, handing me my ball cap.

I can’t help but grin back, pushing my hand through my hair, blood dripping from my knuckles, as the security guards drag him off.

Before I can respond, Valentina is on me again. Her tits are practically hanging out of her dress as she digs her nails into my chest and drags them down hard, drawing blood.

“My hero,” she purrs, licking her lips as she looks up at me. “Let me thank you for your kind service.”

“Fuck,” I snap, grabbing her wrists and prying her off me. “Thank me by getting the hell away from me.”

The expression on Valentina’s face sours like spoiled milk, but she’s not looking at me. “Who ordered the trash?”

I follow her gaze, confused, when it lands on Olivia. They don’t like each other, I know, but it’s not that level of hatred.

Olivia’s eyes pop wide as she locks eyes with me. She gives me a panicked little shake of her head, then darts a glance over her shoulder nervously.

Next to me, Vin breathes, “Oh, shit.”

When I zero in on what Olivia’s looking at—or who—my blood runs cold.

Siena is staring back at me, and she looks like she’s going to be sick.

Actually, she looks drop dead gorgeous. I’ve never seen her dressed like this, and I can’t stop myself from staring at her, raking my eyes up and down her body, my cock thickening. I fucking hate that she didn’t dress like this for me, that she’s looking this fucking amazing out around other men, but holy fuck.

Her metallic mini dress shows off her round tits and ass, and her spiked matching heels do something amazing for her legs. Her shiny hair is pulled back in a slick ponytail, and despite the fact that she’s wearing more makeup than I’ve ever seen on her, her face is pale. Like she’s been gutted.

It takes a second to process why before it hits me: she thinks I’m with Valentina. Granted, it doesn’t look good—me shirtless at a club with Valentina hanging on me—but the fact that this scene has such an obvious effect on her has me fucking elated. I know it shouldn’t, but it means she cares. As much as I need her to hate me right now, it’s obvious that she’s hurting without me, and seeing her jealousy fills me with arush of hope.

Olivia is laying into Valentina, and Valentina is giving it right back to her, digging her claws into me. I don’t hear any of it, the sound of my own blood rushing in my ears drowns it out.

Shoving Valentina off of me and into Vin, who clamps his arms around her to stop her from following me, I close the distance between Siena and I. When she sees me coming, she stiffens, jerking away from me.

Then she turns and bolts.

14

Siena

Sprinting in five-inch spike heels is not advisable, especially when you’re wasted and in a packed club with sticky floors slick with spilled booze, spray paint, and God knows what else.

It’s immediately clear that I didn’t think this through. I ricochet off the hard shoulders of people crammed into the space, a pinball in a neon-lit machine.

But thank God it’s so crowded. I’m not small, but I’m smaller than Matti, and I slip between people more quickly. Unfortunately, he’s far more graceful than I am.

When I slam into some random guy’s back and start to fall, the stranger turns just in time to catch me.

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