Page 33 of Dare to Dance
He snarled. “They’ll be here in five.”
I laughed. “They won’t arrest me for wanting to take a piss.” I pivoted on my heel. My gut told me not to push this dude, but Ruby came first.
A large hand wrapped around my arm and spun me around. “I told you to leave. You’ve been making the girls very uncomfortable all night.”
I ground my teeth and fisted my hands. “Get your hand off me.”
Stars dotted my vision as I jerked away, or at least tried to. The fucker had a strong grip around my arm. I was trying desperately to keep myself out of trouble.Go outside and wait for her or find another way into the restroom.
But when Pete dug his nails into me, breaking skin, all sense of doing the right thing vanished. With my free hand, I threw the first punch. He let go of me. Then, like a linebacker, he tucked his chin to his chest and came at me. Before I could react, my body was pinned up against a wall. A crowd formed. One guy from the band tried to pull Pete off of me. But Pete was in his zone. He grabbed my head as I reared back for a punch. My face met his knee. Once. Twice. Three times. The adrenaline flowing through me was fucking high, making the pain weak at best. Blood oozed out of my nose, slipping into my mouth. When the iron taste exploded on my tongue, I shrugged out of his hold then threw a fist toward his face. He ducked.
“Seriously?” I asked in a deep voice. “You want to fight me?”
We circled around each other as if we were in a boxing ring. Actually, the crowd around us formed a ring of sorts.
Pete smirked, showing crooked teeth. “I’ve been dying to bash your head in all night. I hate when men drool at the waitresses.”
I couldn’t argue with his last statement. Kody had even said I could pass as a stalker. The thought of apologizing flitted through my mind. But I wanted to fight. I wanted to feel my knuckles connect with muscles and bones. I wanted to hear the “oof” or the grunting sounds coming from my opponent and witness the blood flying in all directions. Yeah, I was a little out there, but that was the thrill of boxing.
“Hit him, Pete,” a male voice said. “Like you used to do when you boxed.”
I waved him on. “Yeah, Pete. Hit me.”
His eyes became slits. His nostrils flared, and he lunged at me. We tangled with each other, punching with fists and elbows. Blood, spit, grunts, and heavy breathing ensued. The voices around us were barely noticeable. I pushed him away. When I did, he spun around, and before I could flinch, his booted foot hit the side of my head. I stumbled backward. The dude didn’t box. He fought dirty. Then again, we weren’t in a sanctioned event.
I squeezed my eyes shut as I bent over, pain gripping my ear. Before I could get my bearings, a hand was secured tightly around my neck.
“Stop!” a female screamed. I couldn’t make out if the voice belonged to Ruby above the ringing in my ears.
I scanned the faces as best I could while Pete anchored my neck in place. My lungs burned for air. I opened my mouth. Nothing. I took in air through my nose and choked. I had to give him props for his dirty move. Then again, Mixed Martial Arts fighters used roundhouse kicks.
A pair of hands landed on Pete’s shoulders. I blinked several times and found Tommy lurking behind him. “Pete.” Tommy’s voice was hard. “Let go. This dude will kill you.”
Pete laughed through gritted teeth. “Does it look like he’ll kill me?”
With my airway cut off, I had no way to retaliate.
“All right, break it up,” a baritone voice said.
“Cops are here,” Tommy announced.
“It’s about fucking time.” Pete dropped his hand. “Hey, Roy.”
I bent over again, taking in breath after breath as my lungs jump-started. The people around us parted then scattered. I searched the room for Ruby, but no luck.
Norma ran to my side. “Are you okay?”
“Where’s Ruby?” I sounded like a guy who’d been smoking all his life.
“I lied to you. I’m sorry. She took a break. She went down to the diner to get a coffee.” Regret shone in her brown eyes. “I thought she’d be back by now.”
My pulse sped up as I straightened. “She took off because of me, didn’t she?”
“Give her some space. You can’t expect her to throw herself at you. Seriously, where have you been for four years? Why didn’t you call her when she called you repeatedly? After a while, a girl gets the hint that the boy doesn’t want anything to do with her.”
Kody came in with a wild-eyed expression on his face. “What happened?” His hair was soaked.
“Where have you been?” I asked, not that I was thinking of my brother when I was getting my head bashed in.
