Page 31 of Broken Daddy
Suddenly the table of guys were surrounded by a number of locals and relief filled her.
“Let her go and leave,” Hayes rumbled. “Right. Now.”
The jerk pushed her off his lap and she landed heavily on her side.
Great. That was going to be another bruise to add to the collection.
Immediately, Hayes picked her up. But rather than speak to her or check that she was all right, he pushed her behind him.
Huh.
That was kind of rude.
But then she got it as the guy that had grabbed her stood up. Hayes grasped hold of his arm and twisted it behind his back, spinning around.
She gulped in shock as Hayes marched him to the door.
“Hey! What the fuck!” the guy yelled. “Let me go! That’s fucking assault. I could go to the cops.”
“Good luck with that,” Mac called out. “Known the Chief for years. Wonder who he’ll side with?”
They all grumbled as they stepped out and she breathed a sigh of relief, turning to Mac.
“I’m so sorry,” she told him, feeling herself tremble.
Stupid.
She’d been so stupid. Why hadn’t she just ignored that guy? Or been nicer? Why did she have to let herself get so carried away?
Mac pointed at her. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about, girl. That was all on them. Fucking assholes. Knew I should have kicked them out as soon as they walked in.”
He muttered to himself as he strode off. To Devi’s surprise, several of the men who’d stood up to those guys stopped to check on her.
And then Hayes was in front of her. And he had a face like thunder.
She swallowed heavily.
Uh-oh.
“I haven’t seen you in a couple of days.”
Really? That’s what you want to say?
Was she insane? Donovan had come to the café with Sondra the past couple of days and each time her stomach had dropped even as she’d told herself she didn’t care.
That she didn’t need to see Hayes.
But she had to admit that she’d been . . . well, she wasn’t sure what she’d been since she didn’t want to examine that emotion very closely.
It might be something that she didn’t want to admit.
He raised his eyebrows as he glowered down at her. There were no other words to describe that look on his face.
“Forget I said that,” she said in a high-pitched voice, backing away.
He shot his hand out and she flinched. She couldn’t help it. It was just instinct.
Something flashed through his face. It was so quick that she kind of wondered if she’d imagined it.
