"Please accept my apologies for the disruption," I told the closest security guard.
He just nodded, clearly not knowing what the fuck to say back to that. Zed grabbed my hand and just barely restrained himself when he clearly wanted to drag me out of the club behind him. But I was no damsel in distress, and I sure as shit wasn't his arm candy.
I paused near the bar to pull a wad of cash from my purse and hand it to the girl Chase had assaulted. She was trembling near one of the other waitresses, tears rolling down her cheeks, and just gaped at the money in confusion. No amount of money could erase an unwanted touch from your skin, but fuck, at least she could pay for some good counselling if that's what would help. Or she could blow it on shoes and handbags. Therapy came in all shapes and sizes.
Zed and I didn't exchange another word as we headed outside, striding toward where we'd parked the Ferrari in a lot across the road. Before we reached the car, though, a solid weight slammed into Zed from behind, throwing him to the gravel and wrenching his hand out of mine.
"Come on, De Rosa," Chase taunted, straddling Zed's waist and pounding a hard fist into the side of his head. "That all you've got? You can't kill me, but I didn't think you were that much of a little bitch." Smack, another hard hit to Zed's face as my second scrambled to get his guard up.
"Seriously, Chase?" I snapped, bracing my heels on the gravel to hold my balance. "You're still relying on surprise to get your hits in? Pathetic."
My insult was enough to get his attention, allowing Zed to buck up underneath him and shove him off. Chase, for all his stereotypical villain grandeur, had clearly let his fighting skills slip. Zed turned the tables in a flash, pounding the crap out of my unhinged ex with a violence that made my breath catch.
I did nothing to get between them, just stood back and enjoyed the show for a minute as blood flew and clothing tore. Chase fought back as best he could, but Zed was lethal. He rained blows down on Chase's body, hitting him deliberately to make it hurt, and I took way too much pleasure out of the sound of Chase grunting in pain.
A flash of metal caught my eye a split second before Chase slashed Zed's side, making him shout and roll out of reach in an instant.
Fear trickled down my spine as Zed pressed his hand to his side and pulled it away coated in blood. He didn't look worried, only more determined, but I'd seen enough.
"Stop this," I ordered, getting between them before they could reengage. "Zed, get in the fucking car."
Chase, back on his feet as well, sneered in Zed's direction. "Better do what Darling says, De Rosa. That's a good dog."
I whipped a small knife out of my chest strap and threw it with lightning speed. The short blade hit its intended target, sinking deep into Chase's shoulder and making him grimace.
"Shut the fuck up, Chase," I snarled, then threw another warning glare at Zed. "Get in the damn car before I leave you here."
Zed's expression was pure venom, but he reluctantly did as he was told. He slid into the driver's side, the stubborn fuck, and slammed the door shut as I swung back around to face my nemesis.
"I may not be able to kill you yet," I told him with cold violence in my voice, stalking closer to where he swayed slightly on his feet. "But I have zero qualms about hurting you. Remember that senator's son you tortured for three days over my sixteenth birthday? The one your dad told you to use your imagination on?" I cocked my head to the side, waiting for him to find the memory in that fucked up brain of his.
He gave a wicked smile. "How could I forget? Kid sobbed like a baby as we cut him up. It was a shame he died so quick."
I gagged internally when he said we. But I'd helped, hadn't I? Back then, I'd thought Chase was my entire fucking world. No matter how much he hurt me, I still did everything he asked of me.
Forcing aside the guilt, I gave Chase a cruel smile, the same sort of smile I'd seen his mother use a hundred times before I