Lib Novel Page 38
My hands ball into fists behind the counter. If he’s here to cause a scene, I don’t know what to do. There are not a lot of people here, but crowds have never stopped Freddy before. Maybe I should get Elsa.
I leave my post and am hurrying toward the back office when I hear Eve scream. My head whips to the side and my eyes widen in horror as I see her neck turned at an odd angle, Freddy holding her by the hair. He’s dragging her toward the front door, snarling, “You were laughing at me, weren’t you? I’ll show you, bitch. I’ll rip your face off! Let’s see you laugh then! Tear your fucking lips off! What the fuck are you looking at?”
The last part is aimed at the few people watching him drag the female server away.
Nobody intervenes.
I see Alex half rise out of his seat, but while he’s probably considering getting involved, I don’t have to think about it. Grabbing one of the wine bottles, I march over and smash it against the back of Freddy’s head, roaring, “Let her go!”
I may have just signed my own death sentence, but I’m not going to sit around like a coward and let someone get assaulted.
Freddy stumbles forward from the force of the blow, his grip on Eve’s hair loosening. I take advantage of that and pull her toward me. She’s sobbing now, trembling like a leaf. “I didn’t even do anything. I swear, I didn’t do anything!”
“Go get Elsa!” I shout at her, pushing her toward the hallway just as Freddy’s two buddies surround me.
“You?!” Freddy rubs the back of his head as he turns around to look at me. “Why is it always you? Do you have a death wish?”
“I told you before, Freddy: you can’t just come in here and do whatever you like,” I hiss. “People aren’t your playthings.”
His face contorts. “They are what I tell them to be. And I’ve had just about enough of you. I think it’s time you were taught a lesson.”
I sneer at him. “You tried that last time, didn’t you? How did that turn out for you?”
From the corner of my eye, I see Alex stand up, and I turn my head toward him, my voice cold. “Don’t even think about interfering. I don’t need your help.”
Alex’s expression is furious. Just as I’m turning back to face Freddy, I see his fist flying toward me. I duck immediately and grab his wrist, amazed at his stupidity in trying the same move as before. I pull his arm behind his back and kick him on the ass, making him fall forward onto the bar stools. His two friends rush at me, and I grab a decorative glass vase from an empty table and smash it on one of their heads. The shifter goes down, and using the sharp edges of the broken vase, I slash the other guy’s chest.
Freddy lunges at me, a knife in his hand. I hear Alex shout my name and see him dart toward me, fear in his eyes. But he’s too far away. Before I can move to avoid the knife, Freddy’s friends pop up and grab me by the arms, holding me in place.
My eyes widen. My heart is pumping.
Is this moron really going to kill me in a public setting?
There’s a manic look in Freddy’s eyes. Just as he’s about to plunge the knife into my chest, a hand seizes his wrist, stopping him.
“Who the fu—?” Freddy is turning his head, a curse on his lips, when his entire face turns white as a sheet. The knife drops from his hand. The person who grabbed his wrist shoves him aside and steps in front of me protectively. I’m facing a broad back and short blonde hair.
“How dare you attack a pack member like this?”
His voice is low and dangerous, and a shiver goes down my spine. I don’t recognize his voice, but there’s something familiar about it.
“I…We were…We were just joking around!” Freddy gasps out, his voice shaking. He sounds like he’s about to shit his pants. I have never heard so much fear in Freddy’s voice. Who is this mystery guy?
As if in sync with my thoughts, the man turns around. I suck in a breath.
I know him.
It’s Noah Black.
The Alpha Successor to the Red Rock Wolf Pack.
Chapter 8
Sophia Hope
Noah Black was among my biggest tormentors. The only reason he wasn’t the biggest one was that, since he didn’t live in the orphanage, he didn’t have round-the-clock access to me. We went to the same school, though, and he made my life hell. If I had to name the one person I feared most as a child, it would be Noah. He was nothing short of a psychopath as far as I was concerned.
So, to stand in front of me and protect me is very out of character for him.