Page 34 of Her Three Rangers
She proved me wrong, though, handling it all like a champ—not even so much as a wobble as we made our way outside and back to her truck.
We were just a few feet away when someone behind us shouted her name.
“Doctor Grace Black, I’ll be damned.”
I felt her go stiff against my side as we both turned to look toward where the voice had come from. A middle-aged man in a crisp white shirt and blue jeans that looked like they had never seen the light of day walked around the front of a bright red truck, a woman with big, bleached hair taking his arm and cooing something into his ear as he sneered in our direction.
“Hello, Garrick,” Grace nodded. “We were just leaving. Enjoy your night—”
“Oh, I will,” he said, interrupting her with a harsh laugh. “And from the looks of it, I’m sure you will, too. Don’t wanna keep the rest of your… friends… waiting.”
I took a step forward, tucking her behind me as I stared him down. “Listen, man. I don’t know if anyone’s told you before, but you don’t need to speak to a lady like that. Now, go on inside and this won’t need to go any further.”
Neither Garrick nor the woman he was with moved a muscle for several long seconds, and I was pretty sure I was going to have to deck the guy just to show him I wasn’t fucking around.
Finally, she had the sense to tug at his arm and nod toward the door. “Come on, honey,” she said, shooting me a sideways glance. “If people see us talking to her, they might start saying those things about us, too…”
“What things?” Grace asked, her icy tone making them both turn back toward us as she stepped out from behind my arm.
I tensed, ready to step in if needed.
If I couldn’t punch this asshole, Grace shouldn’t get to fight with Blondie Big-Tits, either.
“Oh, haven’t you heard?” Garrick asked, in just exactly the kind of tone I had just warned him about. “Word on the street is that you’ve been whoring around with a bunch of bikers, that you’ve shacked up with them and ugh—”
I had crossed the distance between us and hauled him up against that shiny red truck before he could finish. The girl with him had started screaming, but I didn’t give a fuck. Grace could handle her.
“Here’s what you’re gonna do,” I hissed. “You’re gonna shut that fat fucking mouth before I knock your teeth down your fucking throat. Understand?”
His eyes narrowed and his face was starting to turn purple, but I wasn’t sure whether that was from anger or the fact that I was holding onto his collar so tightly that he couldn’t breathe.
Whatever. Either way didn’t matter to me, as long as he didn’t speak.
“Now, unless you want me to really embarrass you in front of your lady friend, I’d suggest you get the fuck inside before I decide to stop being nice.” I started to let go, then changed my mind, knocking him against the truck again just because I could, half-hoping to leave a big, ass-shaped dent in the side. “One more thing,” I said. “You ever talk to Grace that way again in front of me, and I’ll cut your goddamn tongue out and shove it up your ass.”
His eyes went wide, and he wheezed loudly as I pushed him back one more time, letting him stumble against the side of the truck as I turned back to Grace.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She nodded, but I already knew things were definitely not okay. I was tempted to walk right back over and kick that motherfucker’s ass for ruining the end of our night, but I would have to save it for another time. Right now, I just needed to get her back home.
“Let’s go,” I said, taking her hand and ushering her back to the vehicle.
Only after I had started the engine and began to pull away did I hear him calling after us.
“You’re gonna pay for this, asshole!”
I didn’t even waste the time to turn and look back at his pathetic ass. I had more important things to take care of.
I had to make sure Grace really was okay.
Grace, Cody, Jaeger, and I sat around her living room, the three of us on the floor while she laid across the couch.
As if the night hadn’t ended on enough of a sour note, I was pretty sure those two or four or more margaritas had caught up to her.
Once I’d gotten her home safely, I spent a few minutes making absolutely sure she was okay before heading out to the tents to get Cody and Jaeger. It had taken a lot to calm them down when I told them what happened, and the only thing that really stopped them from going back to beat Garrick’s ass was that Grace wanted us to come back up to her house tonight.
That had been an hour ago, and everyone—myself included—had calmed down considerably since then.