Page 21 of Hurt

Hands grabbed her hips and dragged her into Asher’s lap. Willow cocked her elbow back instinctively, slamming it into Asher’s face and lurching up to her feet. She could still feel Asher’s fingers digging into her skin.

“Don’t touch me, you absolute stubbed toe of a man!” Willow spit.

Asher grunted and held his hand to his face. There was no blood. Willow’s elbow had just missed his flat nose. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Sid scrambling to get through the tables and to them, one hand on his phone as he was undoubtedly calling Molly.

Asher looked up with a hand on his nose. There was rage in his eyes. Standing up quickly, he kicked the chair out behind him and grabbed Willow by the neck. Fingers pressing into the tender sections of her skin, she felt her breathing beginning to strain.

“You fucking whore,” Asher snapped.

Willow snarled back at him, “I wouldn’t touch you with a hazmat suit and a ten-foot pole. The only chance you have of ever getting laid is if you crawled up a chicken’s ass.”

Asher spat at Willow. She was processing how disgusted she was when she saw the fist coming at her. She didn’t even have time to raise her hands to protect her face.

A large hand grabbed the fist and stopped it in mid-punch. Asher’s whole body shook with the force of his hit, suddenly striking an immovable object. Willow stared at the hand holding Asher’s fist only inches from her face. There were four thick white gold rings adorning thick fingers.

Roland yanked Asher’s arm back, wrenching it up behind his shoulder blades and forcing the smaller man to the floor. His face was impassive, but his light eyes were glowing. Rage and anger burned in them as he forced Asher to kneel at Willow’s feet.

Silence descended on the bar. The Vega Cabals leaped to their feet, and Elijah stepped up behind his boss, one hand sliding under his jacket to reach for a weapon that wasn’t there.

Kurt appeared with a pool cue in hand. He yanked Willow behind him. Willow could see the bright anger in his eyes. He was looking at Asher like he wanted Roland to rip his arm off.

Grant pushed through the crowd. He looked calm as his eyes drifted from Willow to Roland.

“Let him go, Roland,” he commanded softly.

Roland stared down at the quivering Asher. He didn’t say a word, but his lips were pressed together, and there was a slight tremble in his hands as if he was holding himself back.

“Roland. Not here,” Grant reminded his brother of their location.

Willow couldn’t take her eyes off Roland. Her heart was beating so hard she was sure everyone could hear it over the music.

Reaching forward, she let her hand slide over Roland’s forearm.

“Roland,” she pleaded, barely audible, but it was enough for those beautiful eyes to shift to her. They stared at her for a moment, enveloping her in their piercing strength.

“Touch her again, and I’ll kill you with my bare hands.” Roland’s words were even. Backed by strength and conviction. There was no need for him to shout, he was fully capable of following up on his threat, and they both knew it.

Releasing Asher, he watched Willow.

Jamie came around and crossed his arms. “Is this a bad time to point out that chickens don’t lay eggs out of their ass?”

“Shut up, Jamie.” Elijah sighed.

Kurt leveled the pool cue at both the Weavers and the Vegas. There was palpable tension in the atmosphere. There was no way the Vegas would allow such an attack.

Ezra had been watching the events play out with a wily smirk on his dark face. Finally, he pushed himself up and swaggered to the center of the conflict.

“You hit my brother.”

“It was justified,” Grant spoke for Roland.

“How?” Ezra asked. “The dancer isn’t under Weaver protection. She’s free game.”

Kurt growled, fingers tightening on the cue. “She is under The Sunspot’s protection.”

Willow saw how her brothers’ hands were shaking, the tip of the pool cue wavering. He had stared down Roland without an issue, but the moment Ezra’s unpleasant gaze slid to him, he began trembling.

Still, he stood fast, keeping himself between Willow and Ezra.