better figure out what you’re going to tell Quinn, and fast, brother,” Burk warned me. “He’s beyond pissed right now.”
“Join the fucking club,” I groused.
Ava met us as we stepped out onto the outer ring of the arena and pointed toward the men’s room.
“Where’s Mia?” I asked.
“Inside, with Quinn and the girls. Follow me.” She led the way to the bathroom, red sparkling gown billowing across the floor.
“Sofia and Tori are in a fucking men’s room?” Burk barked.
“It’s empty,” Ava replied, rolling her eyes.
As we entered, Mia turned and pinned me with an angry glare. Shoving her Grammys into Quinn’s hands, she slapped on her bitch wings and stormed my way.
“Why on earth did you humiliate Devon like that?”
My blood pressure spiked. How the fuck had I become the bad guy? And why the hell was she defending him of all people? “Are you actually serious right now?”
“You had no business interfering, Oz.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you wanted that douchebag shoving his tongue down your throat. My bad.”
“No. Your bad is for not letting me deal with Devon. Why the hell did you have to manhandle him like that?”
“Manhandle?” I scoffed. “Trust me, sweetheart, if I’d wanted to manhandle the sack of shit, I’d still be using his face as a punching bag.”
“And embarrassing me, yourself, and him in front of the press, the fans, and fellow musicians.”
“Oh, so you’re saying you’d rather have that coked-out man-whore molest you in front of me, the press, the fans, and fellow musicians than what…make a scene?”
“No!” she snapped. “I’m saying stay the hell out of my life, Ozzy. I can take care of myself.”
“Since when?” I challenged, unable to contain the years of resentment rising inside me.
Mia sent me an arctic smile as she inched in closer. “As usual, your lack of faith in me is astounding. Not only can I kick Devon’s ass, but I can kick yours, too.”
“I doubt that.”
“Enough,” Quinn barked.
Rage shot from Mia’s eyes as she clenched her jaw and cocked her head. That was all the warning I had before she jerked her knee up and drove it straight into my crotch.
Time slowed to nearly a standstill.
As the first second ticked by, I thought she might have missed my jewels. But another second later, my knees began to buckle. My stomach pitched and lurched, lodging in the back of my throat and cutting off my airway.
“Whoa, damn,” Sofia whispered.
The guys around me hissed and groaned in sympathy as I dropped to the ground. Curling into a fetal position, I gasped and moaned as searing pain wracked my body.
The little hellcat had managed to get both balls in one shot.
“Ready to stop doubting me now, asshole?” Mia snarled, then turned and raced out the door.
“Ava,” Quinn called out.
“I’ll get her,” his wife assured before racing away.
Writhing on the floor in agony, I groaned as I struggled to keep from puking, crying, or flat out dying.
“What do you need us to do, Ozzy?” Sofia asked as she knelt down beside me.
“Nothing,” I choked out raggedly.
Okay, so Mia actually could take care of herself. She didn’t have to prove it quite so thoroughly, for fuck’s sake. I should probably be grateful she didn’t stick around and ram the heels of her fucking stilettos into my junk as well. But at the moment, I wasn’t feeling much gratitude, especially for my fucked-up life.
“Catch your breath when you can, then start talking,” Quinn roared. “I want some fucking answers.”
Chapter Four
Mia
Bastard! Bastard!
I should have known Ozzy would do something to make me look like a fool. The son of a bitch couldn’t let me savor the moment without upstaging me because he didn’t think I deserved my Grammys.
If not for Licks of Leather, Ozzy would probably still be clawing and scraping his way to the top. Well, maybe not, but he hadn’t earned a Grammy as a solo artist, that’s for damn sure.
Was he so blinded by hatred that’s all he could see? I wasn’t a fucking threat to him, his career, or his precious ego. In fact, I wasn’t anything to him anymore, which hurt far more than him confronting Devon or planting that lusciously embarrassing, but oh-so-phenomenal kiss on my lips earlier. That I was willing to auction off my left nipple for another one pissed me off even more.
I’d known tonight was going to be a bitching tempest of emotions, but I never imagined it turning out to be this much of a clusterfuck.
Ignoring the stares and whispers