Page 72 of Break the Barrier

“When you married Bookie, you became his ol’ lady, which means that your word was your bond. Anything you see, you keep your mouth shut about.”

“Sounds to me like you just admitted he did it.”

He smirks over at me. “I’m not talking to you.”

Without warning, he reaches to move past me and roughly latches onto Thea’s wrist.

I don’t think, I act.

My right arm cocks back, aware of Thea’s proximity, and rams into the guy’s nose, drawing blood and most definitelybreaking bones. I wait for him to retaliate, but he doesn’t, holding his nose and wailing like I just cut his arm off.

I turn, nodding at my boys who act as security, getting him out of the bar and grabbing Thea and hauling her close to me, and leave the scene behind.

I don’t stop until we’re back behind the bar, locked away in her office. I didn’t once see her sisters out there. They were so busy with the crowd that they missed everything.

Thea will be happy about that.

“Are you okay?” I turn her to face me, my eyes and hands running over her skin and her arms, checking for anything out of place. When I reach her wrist, she hisses in pain.

“He yanked a little too hard.”

I grit my teeth as I inspect her wrist. “I should’ve hit him harder.

She gives me a halfhearted smile. “I’m pretty sure you broke his nose.”

“Good,” I say, looking around the office. “Where’s your first aid kit?”

She points with her good hand, and I walk over, digging through it before I find a breakable ice bag.

“No, it’s okay, don’t waste it.”

I give her a look, and she sighs. “I’ll buy you more.”

Thea’s quiet as I lay it against her skin, willing it to rub away the faint red marks that asshole gave her.

“You called me your wife.”

Her comment makes me smile, and I look up at her. Her expression tells me she’s amused, but her eyes are tired. “Slipped.”

“Someone could have heard you.”

I’m quiet for a moment, concentrating on holding her wristgently. “Would that have bothered you? I mean, technically, you proposed to me in this very bar.”

She bites her lip, her brown hair falling into her face, and I take my free hand to push it out of the way.

“I thought we weren’t going to tell anyone.”

“What?” I start, amused. “That I married you in order to keep you safe? That we transferred everything to my name and changed your name to Cash so they couldn’t find you?”

“Logan…”

“Are you ashamed of me, Thea?” I ask, humor clear in my tone.

Her eyes meet mine, and for a moment, the humor in the room disappears, and all I can see is her. Her big brown eyes, her long brown hair that she keeps saying she wants to chop off, the subtle pink that tinges her cheeks and matches her full, gorgeous lips.

“Never.”

Her whispered answer lets me drop all thought out of my head, and I wrap my hand around the back of her head, pulling her to me, and the ice bag drops to the floor with a quiet thud.