Page 63 of SEAL of Valor

Wearing a pair of boots and a white sundress with a blue jean jacket over her shoulders, Reese is standing near the bar talking to her Charleston friend, Anastasia, and Tessa. She throws her head back and laughs at something her friend said, and the sight of her unguarded smile kicks my pulse into overdrive, making my heart hammer against my ribs.

“You want to go?” Ryker asks because, of course, he noticed. Any member of my team would have, because not noticing things was so often the difference between life and death.

“No. Let’s find a seat on the other side of the bar.” There, I can see her, but I should be far enough that she won’t notice me. She’ll linger in that spot…just out of reach. Where she’s been since our annulment was final.

But as we start walking again, I notice a group of guys turn their attention to the girls. They start toward them, so I shift direction and push through the crowd toward them, all while my gaze is trained straight ahead.

I see both Anastasia and Tessa flash their rings, which only has the men turning their full attention to Resse and her friend from Charleston.

She smiles politely but shakes her head.

The man closest reaches out anyway and touches her hair. He trails his fingers through the silky red strands even as she tries to pull away. I note the way she grips the side of the bar top, her face paling.

Yet he leans in even closer.

My vision turns red, my mood darkening like a coming storm.

I’ll tear that hand off if he doesn’t keep it to himself.

Reese tries to pull away again, but he moves in, caging her against the bar. Both Tessa and Anastasia step in, trying to get him to back off, but he doesn’t shift his attention. All while his other buddies keep her Charleston friend distracted.

Even Maverick takes notice from behind the bar and starts forward, but I beat him there in four long strides.

“Get lost,” I growl.

The man moving in on Reese turns toward me, then looks me up and down. “She doesn’t want me to.” He starts to lean in closer, so I grip his throat and throw him backward into the crowd. He slams into his two buddies who were chatting up Reese’s Charleston friend, and they manage to catch him before he can hit the ground.

Ryker and I both place ourselves between them and the women, and I clench both hands into fists, more than happy to unleash two decades of rage on this guy if he decides to take another step toward me.

“What’s your problem!” he yells at me, the stench of liquor clinging to the air between us.

“You’re drunk and about to make a mistake that’s going to cost you a lot more than your pride,” Ryker warns. “Walk away.”

The guy glares at Ryker, then me. “You’ll pay for that.”

“Go right on ahead and try,” I snarl. Everyone in the vicinity is watching us, some clearly ready for a fight, others wary that one will start.

Maverick comes up between us and turns toward the guy who is currently deciding whether or not he wants to live to see another sunrise. “Get out.”

“Are you serious? He started it!” The man’s cheeks are flushed, his words slurred.

“You couldn’t keep your hands to yourself. As far as I’m concerned, he’s shown restraint. Now get out of my bar, or I’ll remove you myself.”

The guy looks back at his buddies, then locks his gaze on me.

“Go ahead,” I goad. “I dare you.”

“Not worth it.” He snaps, then turns and leaves the bar, both of his buddies pushing through after him.

Maverick turns toward me. “Thanks for not killing him.”

“Yeah.”

“Reese!”

At Anastasia’s worried tone, I turn just in time to catch Reese as she sways to the side. Her pupils are dilated, her gaze glassy and unfocused.

“How much did she drink?” I ask the others.