Page 31 of Almost Beautiful (Beautiful 3)

As usual, the rest of the bar joined in. Any drunken idiots who were walking around looking for a fight had just found one.

Finch held me back from the growing mountain of swinging fists, a wide grin on his face.

As I tried to find my husband, I couldn’t help but wonder what the purpose would be for goading him into a fight. Ricky had already admitted that they could have arrested him for being underage.

As the brawl spread, America and I were pinned against the bar. Raegan reached for us, trying to help us over before we were crushed.

“Shep!” America yelled as I pushed her over the barrier while Raegan pulled. “Shepley!”

Once America was over and standing safely next to Raegan, I hopped over, too.

Travis was nowhere, and the longer he was out of my line of sight, the more I worried. I wasn’t sure what the men wanted. They could be cops, or FBI, or worse, sent from Vegas. Benny was still unhappy about Travis turning him down, and no one ever really got away with turning down a mob boss.

I yelled for my husband again.

The bouncers pushed through the crowd, pulling apart the numerous humans who were acting like animals—Travis included.

“Travis Maddox!” I yelled.

Travis stood up, wiping blood from his lip with the back of his hand, smiling down at the men still on the floor. His face was smug, his eyes bright. He’d missed fighting.

Shepley tugged on his shirt and Travis walked backward, and then turned at the bar, reaching for me. He helped me over, and then set me down on my feet.

“You okay?” Travis asked.

I frowned at him, but he wasn’t sorry.

Travis’s love for throwing punches would always simmer just beneath the surface, hoping and waiting to be unleashed on someone. People kept asking me if I felt different, and it was then that I realized that was the one thing that I’d hoped would change.

The crowd jostled and Travis turned away from me, holding a protective stance as if the men writhing in pain on the floor were still a threat. The bouncers led them out, signaling to Travis and Shepley that they had to leave, too.

Raegan came over, leaning in to speak to Travis. “You keep this shit up, Trav, and Jorie will ban you from this place for good.”

“She says that every time,” Travis said with a grin, wiping his mouth again.

“Are you ... Are you bleeding?” I said, turning him to face me.

Travis didn’t get hit unless he allowed it. That was sort of his thing.

I wasn’t used to seeing him bloody, and that made my paranoia even worse.

“Yeah,” Shepley said. “I might have elbowed him on accident.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t see that coming, huh?”

Travis made a face. “I did, but I was in a great position and mid-punch at that little maggot who called you and Mare bitches ... so I didn’t bother to dodge.”

“Come on, guys. Don’t make the bouncers escort you out,” Raegan said, patting Travis on the shoulder.

“I’m staying,” Finch said, pretending to tuck hair behind his ear. “I didn’t do shit and I just got my night started.”

“You sure?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

Finch kissed my cheek and waved, leaving us for the dance floor.

I sighed as we began walking toward the exit. I couldn’t blame Travis, but I was also disappointed. It was our last hoorah, and we’d barely been out for an hour.

We walked out with Shepley and America, our vehicles parked side-by-side in the parking lot.