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“She was afraid of you,” I say through gritted teeth. “Do you know her?”
He shrugs and laughs as he looks at the man to his left. “He’s askin’ if I know his girl. How the fuck would I know her?”
I narrow my eyes on him. There was no mistaking Andie’s reaction. She went ramrod straight the moment she saw him. At first, I thought it was her apprehension at meeting anyone while she’s with me, the way she was when I sent the stylist up to her.
But she didn’t run like the devil was at her heels when Erik went up to dress her.
“How the fuck would you know her?” I throw the question back and take a step toward him. His guards instantly move to block him, leaving only a sliver of his face.
“Our paths might have crossed, years ago. Trust me, she’s not worth getting worked over.”
“I decide who’s worth getting worked over,” I seethe. With every word that comes out of his mouth, I’m more certain he did something to hurt her. “I want to know exactly why she’s scared of you.”
“She couldn’t handle my big dick.” Through that tight space between his guards, I see him adjust his junk and smirk.
Everything disappears, my instant rage shrinking my vision to a single focal point, and Johnny is at the center of it. The idea alone that anyone has touched Andie, much less a leering scumbag like him, sends me over the edge of self-control.
I’m about to lunge when a hand grips me from behind and startles me out of my mission to tear him limb from limb.
“Now’s not the time,” Patrick growls near my ear. “You have bigger problems.”
Johnny laughs smugly. “Yeah, hold him back. Come on boys, this place stinks like whore’s pussy.”
Patrick motions to our men and they immediately surround Johnny’s gang and escort them out.
I shrug his hold off, furious. But there’s one thing that keeps me from throwing myself on him instead. Patrick is the first to take someone out when the need arises. So, for him to have stopped me, there’s a good reason.
“Have him followed,” I sneer, unable to shake the anger fully. “I want to know exactly where he is all night.” It will make it easier to take him out myself if I don’t have to hunt him down.
“Not now.” Patrick scans the area around us as he leans in and whispers, “Gustavo just got an anonymous bomb threat.”
“What?”
“We must evacuate the building.” As he says it, I glance at our security team, all of which are either reading the alerts coming in on their cell phones or already moving toward their designated emergency posts. It’s protocol to get them in place before the announcement is made in order to be able to guide guests out safely.
My jaw tenses so hard it hurts. “Gideon.”
“I don’t know. It may be false information, but we can’t take the chance.”
I nod. “Meet me at the Hufton.”
“Where are you going?” He grabs my arm when I make to walk away. “You’re supposed to be the first one out.”
“Andie’s in the bathroom.”
“Leave her. She’ll be fine.”
Several feet behind him I spot Sheila. She’s tapping her foot impatiently. Nervously.
“You go take care of your woman. And I’ll take care of?—”
Suddenly, there’s a loud crack through the air, like the sound of a gunshot magnified thousands of times. Everyone in the room, including myself, drops to the floor, covering our heads. Another crack comes, this one shaking the floor violently and bringing with it pieces of the ceiling crashing down.
Then chaos and smoke fill the room, and when my hearing returns the ringing in my ears is almost as loud as the screams.
“Get them out!” I shout to Patrick, who is coughing and rubbing his eyes furiously.
He doesn’t argue, but begins to feel his way out instead, scooping anyone he can on his path to the exit.
