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She gave a nervous laugh, and something about it made him curious to see what she looked like. He turned slightly and saw a beautiful woman with flawless brown skin, dark hair pulled up into a ponytail. She was much shorter than the jerk standing next to her. The guy was invading her personal space, and from her expression, she didn’t appreciate it.
“It’s only a drink, baby,” the guy sneered. He raised his arm for the bartender who was busy preparing a mixed concoction. “A pretty little thing like yourself must be thirsty.”
“Again, thank you for the offer, but I don’t want another drink, I have one.” She raised the glass in her hand.
Her eyes cut over to Niko, and instantly, he felt as if he had been punched in the gut. His breath lodged in his throat as he took in the silent plea in her eyes.
Niko turned away for a moment. It was none of his business what went on. The bar had security and a few bouncers he was cool with. He glanced over by the door. Butch, who had been manning it, appeared to be handling something outside. Niko’s gaze roamed around the bar, and he didn’t see the others. He released a curse under his breath.
“Do women even know what they want? Whatcha drinkin’?” the jerk face asked. He sidled closer to the woman who stepped away but bumped into another man behind her.
She was practically trapped.
“Shit,” Niko muttered. He knocked back the rest of his drink and held off a wince as the clear liquid burned its way down his throat. He reached for the bottle he had ordered when he and Will had arrived. He poured himself another drink. If he was going to do something as crazy as get rid of a creep for a woman, he might as well enjoy his nice expensive vodka first.
“You know what? I’m going to leave,” she said.
“Nah, baby. You don’t have to go,” Asshole said.
“Get your hand off me,” the woman snapped.
That did it for Niko. His gaze slid to her, and he took in the guy holding her arm in a firm grip. Niko moved behind him, resting his hand on the jerk’s shoulder. It had been a long while since he’d gotten into a bar fight. He’d admit he and his brother had been in a few in their younger years. Now that he was a businessman, he didn’t think that would look good, but he wasn’t going to stand for a man not adhering to a woman’s wishes.
“The woman wants to be left alone, buddy,” Niko growled. His chest burned from the warmth of the alcohol.
“Nobody asked you.” The guy swung around and shrugged off Niko’s hold. He faced Niko but still had the woman’s arm in his grasp.
She cried out and stumbled with him as he moved toward Niko.
“Didn’t have to. The woman obviously didn’t want to hurt your feelings, but I don’t give a shit about them. Get the fuck out of here and leave her alone,” Niko snarled.
He inched closer to the idiot, standing toe to toe with him. Niko quickly sized him up. The asshole had a little more weight on him around the abdomen area. His eyes were dilated, a sign he probably had something in his system.
“Now let her go.”
A small crowd now gathered around them. Niko hoped one of the bouncers would be over so he wouldn’t have to beat this guy to a pulp.
“Why? You want her for yourself? Go find you own piece of puss—”
Niko didn’t give him a chance to finish his sentence. His fist shot out and landed a hard punch to the side of the guy’s face. Pain exploded throughout Niko’s knuckles, but he ignored it. The guy staggered back, releasing the young lady. The crowd roared, the onlookers appearing unfazed. Instead of dispersing, they remained where they were as if hungry for a fight.
“What’s going on here?” Butch hollered, barreling through the crowd.
Behind him was Rich, another bouncer.
“You son of a bitch!” the guy yelled.
He dashed forward, but Butch caught him up in a bear hug. The guy was no match for Butch’s strength. The bouncer was a former NFL player and had fought in an amateur MMA league.
“Now don’t go doing something you’ll regret,” Butch warned.
“What happened?” Rich asked, coming over to stand by Niko. Rich was a cop who was moonlighting as a bouncer to make ends meet.
“The asshole wouldn’t leave her alone.” Niko motioned to his right, but he didn’t see the woman. She had disappeared through the melee. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. Where did she go? Niko quickly gave a recount of what had happened.
Butch dragged the unruly guy away through the thinning crowd. Apparently, since there wasn’t going to be an all-out brawl, they were no longer interested.
“Well, thanks for stepping in. It’s crazy tonight.” Rich slapped him on the shoulder.
