Page 19 of Dangerous Secrets
Vance was barely moving and continuedto take wheezing breaths, eyes screwed tightly shut.Her stomachclutched.
“Oh my god, what if Ireally hurt him?”
Walker let out a bark of laughter.“You hurt him all right, but I’m guessing it’s no more than hedeserved.”He gave her an all-encompassing look, which only addedto her nerves.
“Why are you looking at melike that?”
He shook his head.
Vance uncurled slowly and rolled ontoall fours.Walker pushed him with the toe of his boot and sent himsprawling back onto the pavement.“Stay down, man.You’re not goinganywhere.”He sounded casual, but there was an undercurrent thathad Delaney giving him a sharp look.
His fists were clenched and his jawlooked like it was swelling.He was holding himself back, but shewas sure if Vance made one wrong move, Walker’d unleash the powercoiled in his tough body.
“Sorry I wasn’t heresooner so I could kick his ass for you.I got held up.”He glancedtoward the door to the bar.“What’d he do to deserveit?”
“Wait, what happened toyour jaw?Was that you banging around outside the bar?”
“Answer the question,Delaney.Tell me what Norris did so I know whether I need to breakhis face.”
There it was again, Walker’srock-solid steadfastness.Even when they’d been kids, he’d alwayshad her back.Now she found his behavior confusing.He’ddisappeared for years yet he acted like he had the right to stepright back into that role.
She took a deep breath and held it,then let it out slowly so she could speak without adrenalinecausing her voice to quaver.“He had his hands all over me, pushedhis groin against me.I told him to leave me alone, but he said hewas going to get what he heard I’d given you.”
The fists that’d begun to relaxtightened again and Walker’s expression turned murderous.Hesquatted and put his face near Vance’s.“You fucker.You’re luckyall you got is a knee in the nuts.I ever find you near Delaneyagain you’ll get more than that.We clear?”His tone was low andcoarse, with an undercurrent of violence that sent a shiver downher spine.
“I can take care ofmyself, Walker.I’ve been doing it a long time.”
“Yeah, I can see that.Butnow he knows I’ll watch out for you too.If he lays a hand on youagain, I’ll rip his smug face off.Right, Norris?”
She opened her mouth, but the look heshot her had her shutting it with a click.He’d always beenheadstrong and fiercely protective of those he considered “hispeople,” which had basically meant his immediate family, andhers.
He’d also been strong-willed and, inhis own way, a staunch fighter for justice.Until everything hadblown up in his face and he’d ended up in prison for a crime hehadn’t committed.
She couldn’t imagine how those eventsmust have messed with him.But that wasn’t her problem.Walker hadmade it clear the summer they’d spent as a couple was over.He’dmoved on, and so had she.
Mostly.
Vance pushed himself to sitting,Walker still crouched in front of him.“We understand each other,Norris?”
“Fuck off,” Vance hissedbetween his teeth.Something in Walker’s expression must’ve gottenthrough because Vance muttered, his tone surly, “I don’t want heranyway.She’s frigid.”
“Walker.”Delaney put ahand on his shoulder not so much because she didn’t want himbreaking Vance’s nose, but because No-Neck, the guy who’d walkedinto Easy Money with Vance, was lurching toward them from acrossthe parking lot.
In one swift move, Walker rose to hisfeet, shifting in front of her.“Stay behind me.”
No-Neck approached the circle oflight.Blood dripped from a cut lip and the skin around his eyelooked puffy.He eyed Walker with a sullen expression.“What thefuck’s going on here?”
Delaney moved so she could see the guyover Walker’s shoulder.“Your friend got handsy with me, that’swhat happened.”He wasn’t someone Delaney recognized from Sisters.He looked like a bouncer.Between his thick muscles and crookednose, she figured fighting wasn’t new to him.
Vance tottered to his feet, his facepasty white.No-Neck’s presence must’ve given him courage becausehe snarled, “You’ll be fucking sorry for this.Both of you.Astupid bitch and an ex-con.I’ll ruin you.”
Moving so fast Delaney could onlyblink, Walker grabbed Vance by the front of his shirt, slamming himback against the truck high enough to force him to his tiptoes.Vance wasn’t a small man, but Walker handled him like he weighed nomore than a sack of potatoes.“Watch who you’re threatening,asshole.”
No-Neck lunged forward, focused onWalker, and Delaney did the only thing she could think to do.Shestuck out her foot.
No-Neck let out a surprised grunt andwent sprawling on the pavement.
CHAPTER EIGHT
