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Rad turned his gaze to Shelby. “Who the hell are you?”
Hunt stepped in before things escalated and his brother’s fiancée ended up in the middle of what could turn into a very bad situation. “Shelby, honey, back away from the table. Cyn, you, too.”
Cyn didn’t move an inch. “Rad and I were just talking. This is none of your concern.”
“Did you actually call the cops?” Rad’s bloodshot eyes narrowed.
“You’re an idiot,” Cyn snapped. “I’ve been right in front of you the whole three minutes you’ve been taking up my time. And how the hell would he get here so fast?”
Hunt put his hand on Rad’s shoulder and pushed him back up to standing. “No one called the police. I came in to see Shelby.”
“Me?” Shelby asked, surprised.
“Actually, I saw the truck, thought Chase was here, so I came in to make sure he was okay.”
Shelby nodded, understanding in her eyes. “He’s home with Eliza. It’s girls’ night. I’m supposed to be Cyn’s wing woman, but we’ve been having too much fun together for me to find her a proper date.”
“He doesn’t have to be too proper,” Cyn teased. “I like them a little untamed.”
“Well, then come on. If your sister won’t put out and you’re always ready...” Rad slurred those words through a lecherous smile.
Cyn cringed. “Just the thought of you makes me feel like I need a monthlong scalding-hot shower.”
Rad lurched toward her.
Hunt shoved him back. “Enough. Do you have a ride home?”
“I can drive.” Rad swayed on his feet, taking a swig from the nearly empty beer bottle in his hand. Then to prove Cyn’s point that he was anything but desirable, Rad belched long and loud.
Disgusted and wanting out of this situation, Hunt waved his hand, got the bartender’s attention and mouthed the wordtaxi. The bartender nodded.
Not half a minute later, the bouncer showed up and took Rad by the arm. “Let’s go, man. Time to go home.”
Rad tried to pull away but the bouncer was six and a half feet tall and a good two-fifty of nothing but muscle.
Rad pointed the beer bottle at Hunt. “You turned out to be a real asshole.”
“Back at you.” Hunt kept an eye on Rad as the bouncer led him out, then turned to Shelby. “How is Chase? Is he all healed up?”
Chase had gotten stabbed in the shoulder and back by Shelby’s biological father nearly a month ago. Though he’d gotten through the surgery and rehab without narcotics, Hunt worried Chase would relapse and fall back into his addiction.
Shelby touched his arm. “He’s fine, Hunt. Mostly healed. He’s been working at the ranch this past week, but not riding horseback or doing any heavy lifting until I tell him he can. He comes in for physical therapy at my office three days a week. I’m working with him on getting his strength back.” As a physical therapist, if Shelby said Chase was better, she meant it.
Cyn had taken her seat and sipped a whiskey on therocks a waitress had dropped by while he and Shelby spoke. She looked both irritated and suspicious of him.
“What?” he finally asked, wondering what was going on in her head. The woman always looked one second away from raging at him and hell if he knew why. He hadn’t done anything to her. Except issue her tickets when she broke the law. Otherwise he left her alone and hardly ever thought about her. Mostly. Because damn if she didn’t pop up in his mind once in a while. Not that she’d know about it. He replayed the scene between Cyn and Rad a dozen different ways in his mind and he was always too late to stop the assault from happening.
Maybe she blamed him for not arresting Rad sooner for how he treated Angela. But damnit, he was restrained by the law. And if Angela refused to cooperate, she tied his hands and Rad got away with being an abusive asshole.
Now he was mad about his lack of action and Rad’s continued bad behavior.
Cyn’s gaze took nearly a full minute to rise to meet his. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to,” he shot back grumpily.
“Hey, I was just sitting here with my friend, minding my own business, getting the scoop on how hot things are with Shelby and her Wilde man, when that scum interrupted us. I didn’t invite him over. I didn’t provoke him. I didn’t do a damn thing.”
She shot back the rest of the whiskey and stood and faced Shelby. “Sorry my sister’s dickhead ruined girls’ night. I’ll make it up to you. Let’s call it a night and head home.”
