Chapter 7

Damien moved faster than I could track.

His fist connected with Ryan’s face in a sickening crack.

The punch landed with a wet, ugly crack that echoed down the quiet street. Jax’s head snapped back like someone had yanked an invisible string.

Blood sprayed from his nose immediately, dark and messy under the streetlight. He stumbled sideways, knees buckling, and hit the pavement hard on his ass with a grunt that sounded more surprised than pained.

For a second he just sat there, blinking up at the sky like the world had flipped on him.

Tyler looked like he was about to piss himself. He took one wobbly step back, foot catching on nothing, and almost went down too. His hands shot up in surrender, eyes wide and panicked. “Whoa, whoa, Voss, we didn’t know it was you, man. Swear to God. We were just checking on her like Marcus asked. That’s it.”

Jax wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand, smearing it across his cheek. He laughed, but it came out wet and forced. “Nice shot, Voss. Didn’t know you still got it in you. Relax. We’re not here to start shit with the big bad brother.”

He tried to push himself up, acting like the punch was nothing, even though his nose was already swelling and blood kept dripping down his chin. “Elena’s just drunk and emotional. Marcus sent us to bring her back. Family business. You know how it is.”

I stood there swaying, the whole scene playing out like a movie I was watching from far away. The streetlights blurred into soft halos.

Damien looked bigger than usual, dangerous in that quiet way that always made my stomach flip even when I told myself not to look. I smiled, slow and drunk and weirdly pleased. Seeing him like this, protecting me even when I was the one who dragged him into this mess… it felt good. Warm.

Like someone finally saw me.

Damien didn’t move from his spot. He just stood there, shoulders relaxed but eyes locked on Jax like a predator deciding which part to break first. “Get up,” he said quietly. That flat, scary calm that made Tyler flinch again.

Jax pushed to his feet, still trying to play it cool. Blood kept leaking from his nose, running over his lips. He grinned through it, red teeth showing. “What, you gonna fight me over Marcus’s leftovers? She came to you tonight, right? After he fucked up. Guess the Voss boys share more than just the last name.”

Tyler was shaking now, backing up until his back hit the wall behind him. “Jax, shut the fuck up, man. That’s Damien Voss. You remember what he did to those guys last year who tried to—”

“Shut up, Ty,” Jax snapped, but his voice wavered. He took a step toward me anyway, reaching out like he was going to grab my arm again. “Come on, Elena. Let’s get you home. Marcus is waiting. He said he’s sorry. We’ll smooth it over. No need for big brother to get involved.”

I tried to step back but my legs wouldn’t cooperate. The world tilted hard and I stumbled. Jax’s hand closed around my wrist, pulling me toward him. His grip was sweaty and too tight. “See? She wants to come with us. Don’t she?”

Damien still didn’t move his feet. He just reached out with one arm, fast as a whip, and grabbed the back of Jax’s neck. He squeezed. Jax’s eyes bulged.

The cocky grin slipped off his face as Damien yanked him backward without even shifting his stance, forcing Jax to stumble away from me. Damien’s fingers dug in hard, controlling him like a puppet.

“Apologize to her,” Damien said, voice low and deadly calm. He didn’t raise it. He didn’t need to. “Now.”

Jax tried to twist away, but Damien’s grip was iron. Blood kept dripping from his nose onto Damien’s hand. “Fuck you, Voss. She’s just a drunk bitch who—”

Damien squeezed harder. Jax choked, knees buckling again. Tyler dropped to his knees right there on the dirty pavement, hands clasped like he was praying. “Please, Voss. We’re sorry. We’re really fucking sorry. We won’t come near her again. I swear on everything. Marcus just asked us to check on her. That’s all. We didn’t mean nothing by it. Elena, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. We were out of line.”

I blinked slowly, the scene still feeling like a dream. My head was so heavy. Everything was blurry and warm. I smiled again, softer this time, watching Damien hold Jax like he was nothing. It was hot in a scary way. The kind of hot that made my drunk brain spin even faster.

Damien crouched down slowly, still gripping Jax’s neck, forcing the bleeding man to look at me. “Apologize,” he repeated, quiet and patient. “Or I break something you can’t fix.”

Jax struggled for a second longer, pride fighting the pain. His face was turning red, blood running down his chin onto his shirt. Then the fight drained out of him.

“Sorry,” he rasped, voice strained. “I’m sorry, Elena. We shouldn’t have touched you. My bad.”

Damien held him there a moment longer, like he was deciding whether that was enough. Then he shoved Jax away. The man crumpled to the ground, coughing and holding his neck.

I swayed harder. The ground looked really comfortable now. My eyelids felt heavy. “Damien…” I mumbled, the word thick on my tongue. “I think… I need to sleep. Everything’s spinning.”

Damien stood up and turned to me. His expression softened just a fraction when he looked at me. “Go inside, Elena. Your apartment’s right there. Get some water. Sleep it off.”

I stared at him, trying to make sense of the words. They floated around in my head, not quite sticking. Sleep sounded good. But moving felt impossible. The street kept tilting. Damien’s face was the only steady thing.

He took one step toward me, hand reaching out like he wanted to steady me.

Then headlights swept around the corner. Another car. Fast. Loud. Marcus’s silver BMW screeched to a stop right behind Damien’s, door flying open before it even fully stopped.

Marcus got out, eyes wild, taking in the blood on Jax, Tyler on his knees, and me swaying next to Damien.

“What the fuck is going on here?”