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"Owwww!" a voice cried out. Mira.
"Leave my friends alone!" I looked at Owen in disbelief.
Owen snorted contemptuously. "We're far from finished with each other, Isabella Abbott!"
"Yes, we are!" I wasn't going to let this guy tell me anything anymore. He had made my life hell for long enough.
"You'd like that!" Owen wasn't intimidated.
"What's going on here?" A deep male voice interrupted us. A hand was placed on my arm.
Carter.
Owen was still standing next to me, but I felt myself relax immediately. Nothing would happen to me now.
"This woman..." Owen began.
Carter interrupted him. "As I see it, my fiancée doesn't want you near her. And you're not respecting that wish. I don't like that. I don't like that at all." Carter's bright blue eyes now looked cold. Ice cold. This was not a man I'd want as an enemy.
Owen apparently thought the same. "I... uh..."
"Let Isabella go." A clear command from Carter. Owen's grip on my arm loosened. "I'd better escort you outside. It's not always easy to find the exit in this hotel. Several people have gotten lost trying." Carter's voice sounded polite, but was just as icy as the look in his eyes. He grabbed Owen by the collar with one hand and led him out. The girls behind me giggled, and after a moment, I joined in.
Owen really did look ridiculous, being thrown out by Carter like that.
I was saved.
Carter had come back at the right moment and protected me.
An invaluable feeling.
No man had ever done anything like that for me before.
Carter Jenkins was full of surprises.
Chapter 8 ~ Carter ~
Igrabbedthegreasyguy who had been harassing Isabella by the collar and shoved him out of the bar.
"Don't you dare show your face here again and ruin these ladies' evening!" I growled at him. "They've earned their fun fair and square. If you must harass someone, do it somewhere else. Better yet, don't do it at all. Guys like you shouldn't be let out on the streets." By now, we had reached the main entrance of the hotel.
"Isabella owes me money. Her FIANCÉ owes me money. Has she not told you that yet?" The guy sneered at me.
Did Isabella really owe this guy money?
So what if she did.
Maybe she had borrowed a little from him in a tight spot. He looked a bit like one of those sleazy loan sharks that roamed the streets of New York.
The guy eyed me suspiciously.
What if he wasn't telling the truth?
"We'll discuss that another time. You're leaving now," I ordered and shoved him out the revolving door into the dark New York night. I watched him to make sure he wouldn't come back. Then I rubbed my hands together and turned back to return to the bar.
The girls greeted me with great enthusiasm.
"Wohooo! A real gentleman. You're the hero of the night!" The bride-to-be, who was celebrating her farewell tonight, playfully nudged me in the side and laughed. She had obviously had quite a bit to drink.