Page 61 of Shadow's Surrender
“Listen to Jonah, Warren,” Scarlett said.
“I’m not going anywhere until I find out what the fuck’s going on.”
She picked up a glass of water and Shadow noticed her hand trembling, which fueled the anger inside him even more.
He bumped against Warren. Hard. Then he threw him a death glare. “If you can’t figure it out, then you’re dumber than I thought you were, asshole. I’m not telling you to get out again.”
“Please go—you’re causing a scene. We’ll talk later,” Scarlett said softly.
“Talk about what? That you’re fucking a lowlife biker? Scum of the earth? Talk about falling so low that—”
Anger came boiling up out of Shadow, burning hot and white, and his fist landed on the side of Warren’s jaw with so much force that it knocked the jerk to the ground. Without any hesitation, Shadow was on top of him, pummeling the asshole with both fists, in the face, the chest, the belly while the downed man tried to fend off the blows.
“Stop, Shadow. Stop!” Scarlett yelled. Then a gut-wrenching sob hit his ears, and he suddenly halted.
Shadow jumped up and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm, then slid back into the booth. Max, the manager, came over to the table and glanced over at Warren, who was slowly rising to his feet, then to Shadow.
“You got this taken care of?” he asked.
Shadow lifted his chin. “Yeah.”
Max nodded, then turned to Warren and Jonah. “Go on to your table … or get out.”
Warren wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He jerked his head toward Shadow. “This animal attacked me and you’re going to throwmeout?”
Max shook his head. “Only if you keep bothering my customers. Lori got you a table, so go to it.” He crossed his body-builder arms in front of his broad chest.
“I wouldn’t stay another second in this dump.” Warren looked at Jonah. “Let’s go to the club. I’ve got to take a shower to get rid of the stench of the common class.” He stepped back then glared at Scarlett. “I’m not done with you—you’re not going to make a fool of me.”
“You already beat her to that, asswipe,” Shadow growled as he started to stand up from the table.
“You’ll find out,” he said to Scarlett, his words dripping in disgust. He stalked away, and he and Jonah stormed out of Steelers.
“For having to put up withthat, I’ll send you a round of drinks,” Max said as he sauntered away.
For a long while Scarlett stared out the window, not even casting a glance at him. Shadow fought the impulse to get up and sit next to her and wrap her in his arms. Instead, he simply watched her for several minutes, then reached over and covered her hand with his. After he laced their fingers together, she gave him a brief sidelong gaze but went back to staring out into the distance.
“I lost my head, but the jerk had it coming to him by the way he was disrespecting you.” His voice came out gruffer than he’d intended.
“Is that the way you handle conflict—just punch your way through it?” Scarlett didn’t look at him.
“If it’s necessary, then … yeah. I don’t go around smashing anyone who pisses me off, but he was outta line. I warned him … He knew the consequences.”
“This is the first time I’ve witness a fight. I’ve seen them in movies, but I’ve never seen one up close. It was … disturbing.”
Shit! Why the hell did that fucker have to show up?“Fighting’s been a part of my life since I can remember. I gotta admit that I don’t understand where you’re coming from, but I’m gonna try.”
A small smile flitted across those soft lips he loved to kiss. Scarlett swiveled in place and met his eyes. “My background never included physical violence. I was never spanked as a child, and my dad would never dream of raising a hand to my mother. Fistfights and such are just not part of my world, so I’m not used to it and”—she stared at him for a second, then averted her gaze downward to her plate—“I don’t want to be.” She grew silent, fidgeting with her fork.
Sighing, Shadow pressed his lips together and leaned back in the booth. “I get what you’re saying—we come from different backgrounds. Yours was calm and civilized, and mine was a damn minefield most of the time.” He tipped his head and downed the rest of his beer. “My old man loved beating on me and my mom, and when I was old enough to fight back, I used my fists to get my way or to have people listen to me. As alien as it is to you, it’s common to me. It’s just how I grew up. We didn’t live in pretty neighborhoods until my mom got mixed up with some rich fucker. He’s the one who moved us to the Lanai Towers. Yeah … we were bought and paid for.” Bile rose up in the back of his throat and he swallowed it down.
Squeezing his fingers lightly, Scarlett looked up at him, those beautiful eyes laced with sympathy and concern. Not anything he wanted or needed.
“Who was your mother’s … boyfriend?”
“You mean sugar daddy, right? I mean, that’s what he was—an older man who lavished his younger woman with an expensive apartment and a healthy stipend. There’s no doubt he was married, and my mom believed his ‘getting a divorced bullshit.’ I even warned her to be careful so her wouldn’t break her heart.”
“It sounds like she was really in love with him,” she said, her voice soft.
