Chapter 30 Chapter 30

Chapter 30 Chapter 30
Sydney 

Something inside of me snapped and I stomped my heel on his foot. He yelped, his grip loosening just enough for me to wrench my wrist free.

“Don’t you ever touch me,” I hissed, shoving him back. “Ever.”

His face turned red, a vein pulsing at his temple. “You crazy bitch, I was just trying to…”

He reached into the pocket of his jacket and for a second I was sure he was going to pull out the weapon he’d threatened me with when we heard a voice. 

“What the hell is going on here?”

I looked past Marcus to see Bruce walking towards us in long strides, his eyes flashing.  My breath caught in my throat. 

Marcus turned, his face still twisted in anger. “This is none of your business, Westin. I just want a taste of whatever pie you’ve been eating and…”

He didn’t get to finish. Bryce moved his fist, smashing it against his jaw, his bones cracking. Marcus stumbled backward, crashing into the wall but everyone had heard his gasp and the entire room was slowly starting to freeze. 

“Jesus Christ!” Someone screamed. “The guy is bleeding!”

I could hear more footsteps hurrying towards us but I couldn’t move. Could barely breathe. Marcus touched his jaw, his fingers staining with blood. He stared at them, his eyes widening. 

“You fucking psycho! I’ll have you arrested!”

“Go ahead,” Bryce took a step forward, forcing Marcus to lean deeply into the wall. “Call the damn police and I’d be more than happy to explain to them exactly what you were doing. The marks on her wrists should help.”

He was pointing at my hand. I looked down at my wrists. Strange. Red marks were forming where he had grabbed me. I hadn’t even clocked the pain until now. Marcus straightened, blood dripping from his split lip.

For a moment, I was scared he would do something stupid in front of the gathering crowd but he didn’t. He grabbed a napkin from our table and pressed it to his bleeding mouth. 

Turning, he fixed a hateful glare on Bryce. “This isn’t over Westin. You’ll be hearing from me.”

Bryce didn’t look like he could care. With no response, Marcus turned, heading for the exit. Everyone was staring at us now. I could practically imagine what the news blogs would look like. What story would they have? What would Marcus tell them?

“Are you hurt?” Bryce was staring at me, his grey eyes filled with concern. 

I shook my head. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. Bryce Westin had saved my life. Again. 

“We’re leaving.” He murmured, reaching for my elbow. He was weirdly gentle and I knew it was because of what had happened. “Can you walk?”

I nodded. “I’m fine.”

It was practically a lie. My legs felt unstable. Bryce wrapped his hand around my elbow, guiding me through the crowd. They moved out of the way even though they kept staring at us. I could hear them whispering. 

My heart thudded loudly in my chest. My hands were shaking.  I wanted to worry about other things like how they would publish a story by morning or what Eric would think but all I could think about was Marcus. I could still feel his fingers digging into my wrist and that fear of being trapped with nowhere to go. 

Oh God. 

We reached the exit and the cool air hit my face like a slap. I let out a small gasp as Bryce spoke to the valet. 

I wrapped my arms around myself. I was starting to feel cold. I wanted to say thank you or something but the words wouldn’t come out. The Mercedes pulled up and Bryce moved forward opening the door as I slid in, with him following. 

I watched as the hall disappeared in the side mirror. 

“Fuck!” Bryce muttered, rubbing his chin. “Fuck. I should have known McBroten was a pig. I shouldn’t have left you with him. That was so…”

“Thank you,” I blurted before I could stop myself. 

He glanced at me, surprise flickering across his face. “What?”

“Thank you for…” I trailed off, my hands gesturing widely. “For looking out for me.”

I tried to imagine what Eric would have done. He wouldn’t have put his reputation on the line, much less risk potential money. He would have made excuses or found a way to blame me if I were being honest. The psychopath. 

He nodded, squeezing my thigh. We drove in silence for a few more minutes and I barely recognized the road back to our hotel. The chauffeur pulled into the hotel’s underground parking garage trying to avoid more attention.

Bryce stepped out, coming around and opening my door, still being weirdly gentle. I took his hand, allowing him to pull me up. He smiled at me. “Come on, let’s get you upstairs.”

We headed inside, getting into the elevator. As the door slid open, we headed for our suites, my hand fumbling for my keycard in my clutch. Sliding the door open, I walked inside without closing it. 

I tossed my clutch on the bed and turned to see Bryce still standing in the hallway. As though he was trying to decide whether he should follow me or head to his suite. 

Weird. 

“Are you going to be okay?” He asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

I should say yes. I should thank him once again and send him away. I should handle my shaking hands and beating heart alone. Wasn’t that my curse afterall? To deal with my issues alone? If it were Eric I would deal with them alone anyway. 

But it wasn’t Eric. 

I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

He stepped inside, shutting the door quietly behind him. “What can I do to help?”

I stared at him for a moment. He’d already done all he could. I was just scared. 

“I’m scared,” I whispered, looking away. 

“I’m so sorry Sydney,” he moved closer, reaching for my hands. “I’ll be here with you if you need me. I won’t let anyone hurt you under my watch.”

His hands were warm. I looked down at his fingers around mine, his thumb brushing across my knuckles. This should feel wrong but it didn’t. When I looked up, he was staring intensely at me. My breath caught in my chest. I tilted my head back and he moved closer.

We were inches apart now, close enough for me to see the flecks of silver in his grey eyes and see his breath hitching in his throat as I placed a hand on his chest. 

He held my hand and I froze. “Sydney…”