Lifting the bar top and easing out from behind the bar, Kane left Jacob Heyman, one of the club’s few bartenders, to tend to the customers lined up for what seemed like miles.
As he got closer to Lucie and the man she was talking to, or rather arguing with, he realized immediately who it was. Justin Jones. Not the man Kane wanted to see tonight. Or ever for that matter.
“Is there a problem here?” Kane asked, keeping his voice low and his eyes trained on Justin. He was received with a stern look from Lucie and an easy disregard from Justin. Bastard.
“Why don’t you mind your own fucking business,” Justin retorted and Kane could smell the booze on his breath. He was beyond intoxicated.
“She is my business,” Kane replied, moving to stand directly in front of Justin, crossing his arms over his chest. He easily had a good six inches on Jones and probably at least thirty pounds of solid muscle. Not that the man was scrawny, but Kane knew he could hold his own. He didn’t expect it to come to that though.
“How so?” Justin asked, turning to look at Kane directly. He seemed genuinely interested in knowing just how Kane played into this.
He didn’t respond immediately because he wasn’t looking to embarrass Lucie, but he needed to get this situation under control and more importantly, get Justin into a cab before he did something stupid like try to leave the club drunk.
Kane glanced over to see Jacob looking his way, and he nodded his head toward the phone just beneath the bar. The bartender didn’t need any more explanation as he picked up the phone and dialed the number taped close by.
“Why don’t we take this outside?” Kane asked, and he knew immediately that Justin was going to get all riled up. He had no intention of fighting the man, but he needed to get him outside and on his way.
“I’ll go outside, but only if she’ll go with me,” Justin replied, looking toward Lucie.
Kane waited to see what she would say. When she nodded her head, he held out his arm to allow her to lead the way.
Once outside, Justin did the unthinkable and Kane could only stand back and stare. The man broke down in tears right there on the sidewalk with probably a good fifty people waiting to get inside. What the fuck?
“Please, Lucie,” Justin begged, staring at her with tears streaming down his face.
Lucie glanced back at Kane, then turned to face Justin once more, grabbing his arm and leading him a few feet away. The distance between them didn’t offer her any more privacy than before, but Kane wasn’t about to mention it. If he had to hover over her, he damn sure planned on hearing what she had to say.
~~*~~
Lucie had no idea what the hell prompted Justin to show up, begging her to give him another chance. He had never had a chance in the first place. It wasn’t like they were dating, nor had they ever even been on a date. He just frequently showed up at the club, showered her with attention which she tried to avoid, and left fairly decent tips.
He’d asked her out a time or two, but Lucie had always politely declined. Just like she had tonight. And yet here they were, standing in front of Club Destiny, the man crying like a baby in front of her while Kane looked on from just a few feet away.
Why did she have to have this conversation in front of Kane? She had already told Justin that she was seeing someone because, well, just because it seemed easier than telling him she wasn’t interested. No, she wasn’t seeing Kane in the technical sense, and he’d probably laugh if he heard her say it. But, with Justin crying and people beginning to gather around them, she needed to put an end to this quickly. She only hoped the cab that Kane had prompted Jacob to call would arrive quickly and save her – and him – from further embarrassment.
“I’m seeing someone, Justin,” she repeated the same statement she had given him earlier, only this time she lowered her voice, hoping that Kane wouldn’t hear her.
“Who? Who are you seeing?”
Well, so much for trying to be discreet. Lucie couldn’t find the words, so she stared back at him, hoping to buy herself a little time.
When Justin moved forward, wrapping his fingers around her arms, Lucie tried to pull back, but his grip was too tight.
“Tell me, Lucie. Who the fuck are you seeing?”
“She’s seeing me, asshole. And I’ll give you three seconds to get your fucking hands off of her.”
Kane’s voice was so deep and so low that Lucie barely registered the words he said. It didn’t matter what he said, his intentions were clear. To her surprise, Justin immediately released her arms and Kane pulled her up against his side. When she tried to back away, his hand tightened around her waist, holding her closer.