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James collars me as soon as I’m off the floor and walks me round some people I haven’t spoken to yet. I shake some more hands and nod.
Two minutes pass. Four. Six.
She’s been gone too long.
I’m about to make my excuses and go look for her when I hear a shout above the music.
“Get off me!”
I know that voice. I’m already running, past the bar and into the corridor where the toilets are.
Halfway down it is Vale, doubled over, one hand clutching his crotch and the other gripping Briony’s wrist.
Even as I watch, she twists it free, exactly the way I taught her. She sees me and runs straight into my arms.
“Briony. You okay, baby? What did he do to you?”
“Nothing. He didn’t get the chance.” The story comes out in a rush. Vale was waiting outside the toilets. He blocked her way, told her she had a sweet little arse, and put his hands on her waist. So she shouted and kneed him in the balls. He grabbed her wrist as she tried to get away.
Behind us, people are gathering. The commotion has drawn an audience.
I tuck Briony into my side and turn on Vale. “What the fuck did you think you were doing?”
Vale straightens, still wincing. “I only wanted a chat. The bitch didn’t have to knee me in the nuts.”
At bitch, I go for him, but Briony grabs hold of me with both hands. “No, Ryan! Not here. Save it for Paris.”
Every part of me wants to put him through the wall. My fists are clenched. My heart is hammering. But half the room is watching now, including the NMFC bosses. One punch, and I could lose my title shot. Everything I’ve worked for since I was fourteen.
That’s what he wants.
So instead, holding Briony close, I walk away. It’s the hardest thing I’ve done in a long time.
“Send me a thank-you card, Sloan,” Vale calls after me. “Only reason you’ve got a title shot is I wrecked Cruz’s leg.”
Somehow, I keep walking.
Ten minutes later, in the car back to our hotel, my leg is going up and down like a piston. I can’t stop it.
“I cannae wait to get in that cage wi’ him,” I say. “I’m gonnae take him apart, piece by piece, and he’s gonnae feel every bit of it.”
Briony puts her hand on my knee. “He didn’t hurt me, Ryan. I handled it. I’ve no doubt he wanted you to lose it in front of everyone, but you walked away.” She squeezes. “I’m so proud of you.”
“I’m proud of you too. You did everything I taught you. The shouting, the wrist release. Textbook.”
“And the knee, of course, though that was Niamh’s advice.” A smile starts at the corner of her mouth. “I got him right in the balls. You should have heard the noise he made. Like a squeaky dog toy.”
A laugh gets out of me before I can stop it.
Okay. That does make me feel a bit better. But I’m still going to go through him in Paris.
The car pulls up at our hotel, and I help Briony out, still picturing all the things I wish I’d done to Vale.
In the lift, Briony leans in. “You asked me a question earlier, back in our room. And you never got an answer.” She goes up on her tiptoes, lips at my ear. “I didn’t want a visible panty line, so I’m wearing nothing under this dress.”
That’s the end of me thinking about Marcus Vale.
The lift pings open. I take her hand, and she giggles as I march her down the corridor. The moment the door shuts behind us, I’ve got her back against it. She tugs my bow tie loose and tosses it away.
