“No offense, Pauly. But it’s really none of your business.”
Once again, Scarlett made a move to go around. And once again, Pauly prevented her from leaving. Only this time he didn’t just step into her path. The asshole wrapped a meaty hand around her upper arm and yanked her to a stop.
“Ow!” She cried out in pain. “Hey! What are you… Let me go!”
“What. The fuck. Were you talking about?”
“I already told you.” She tried to pull herself free. “That’s between me and?—”
In a completely unexpected move, Pauly threw Scarlett down to the ground. She landed on her side, crying out when her hip, shoulder, and forehead took the brunt of the fall.
Pain exploded near her temple. A second later, several black, twinkling stars filled her cloudy vision. Too stunned—and too foggy—to move, she was left to Pauly’s mercy.
He squatted down beside her, his hot, rancid breath striking her in the face where she lay. “I’m going to ask you one more time. What were you and that bitch Roxie?—”
“N-nothing.” She shook her head. “I s-swear.”
Tears formed, and she hated that she couldn’t keep them from falling.
“You were talking about Cinnamon,” Pauly accused. “I heard you.”
Her heart fell from her throat to the base of her stomach. Dread churned there because it was obvious Paulyhadheard she and Roxie talking.
Think, Scar. Think, think, think.
“Cinnamon?” She tried buying herself some time.
“Don’t play dumb with me. I heard you asking about her.” He got into her personal space. “What the fuck do you want to know?”
“I wasn’t?—”
Her words were literally choked off when the man’s giant fist wrapped around her throat. “Don’t fucking lie to me!”
“Wasn’t…asking…about…her,” she lied. “I was…asking…about her…j-job.”
The fabrication was quick thinking on her part. She just prayed the son of a bitch believed her.
Please let him believe me. Please, please, please.
Pauly started to laugh. A breath later, he let her go with a rough shove and pushed himself to his feet.
“You want to be House Mom?” He laughed again. “You think a whore like you could manage these girls after dancing here less than a week?” He walked to the door and flipped the lock. “That’s the funniest fucking thing I’ve heard in a long damn time.”
And just like that, he pulled the door open and left.
Scarlett was on the ground, coughing and hacking and trying to catch her breath. And she could still hear his laugher coming from down the hall.
Moving as quickly as her quivering body would allow, she pushed herself back to her feet and
“I’ll fucking kill him.”
Scarlett looked over at Olly, whose fists were white knuckled as he gripped the steering wheel tightly. Driving because the second Olly realized what had happened at the club, he’d made the unbreakable executive decision to leave Durango—and The Mystique—behind and head back to Denver.
They’d already been on the road three hours, which meant they were halfway there. She didn’t think he meant the threat against Pauly literally. But she didn’t want to take that chance.
“You kill Pauly, you’ll end up back in prison.”
She couldn’t stand the thought of that happening to him. Especially not because of her.