his chest, his arms clamping around him like an octopus. His heart was beating so fast and hard Wood immediately picked up on his fear and secured him to his side as he scanned the shop window for whatever hounds were on Rayne’s ass.
“Wood,” Rayne gasped, his nails digging into his arms. “I wasn’t sure I’d find you.”
“Calm down. Calm down,” Wood said, all eyes on him as he ushered Rayne toward his station.
Trent
“Wood. I swear to god this guy better be some fuckin’ kin to you,” Trent said harshly, standing next to Mike, who had his hand gripped firmly on his shoulder.
“He’s a good friend of mine that I met at the halfway house,” Wood assured him, and Trent believed him. “Only a friend.”
“Yes,” Rayne said shakily as he glanced around the small group of men surrounding him. Even Bishop had come from out of the gallery and was watching the interaction. “Wood, help me. I think that dick is still chasing me.”
“Who’s chasing you?” Mike asked sharply before anyone else could form the question.
“I told him no, Wood. I promise. I was on my way down here to see you because I saw you guys’s ad. I stopped a few blocks up at Guadalajaras for a drink when I saw this guy I used to mess with. Which isn’t unusual. He tried to talk me up, but I told him no and left. I said it loud too. But he wouldn’t stop following me and asking me…” Rayne’s anxious gray eyes darted around the room before he lowered his voice. “To his hotel room.”
Trent couldn’t help but notice how hard and intently Mike was staring at Wood’s friend. The guy was tall, maybe a few inches over his own five eleven. He was all style and swagger in his ripped jeans that were tight in all the right places. And his V-neck sweater looked so soft Trent thought it might even be cashmere.
“He got rough, and when he grabbed my arm, I pulled out my stun gun and zapped his ass with it,” Rayne said in a hurry as if saying it quickly wouldn’t make it a crime.
“Sounds like self-defense to me,” Mike said, still seeming heavily interested for reasons Trent didn’t understand.
“It was,” Rayne urged, gripping the ends of his wavy hair. “I swear, Wood.”
“It’s all right, just calm down. Did you see if the guy got back up?” El asked, peering out the window.
“He did and I ran. I think he—”
The door to the shop jerked open, and a man the size of Bishop stormed in with a couple of men behind him looking as if he’d, well, just been shocked with fifty thousand volts of electricity.
El scurried out the way like an extra in a scary movie. The other three artists there didn’t move from their stations as they watched what was happening. Trent stood shoulder to shoulder with Bishop, staying close in case they needed to do something. What surprised the hell out of them was how Mike yanked Rayne behind him, securing him to his body with his forearm while he skillfully flipped out his switchblade.
The sound of the knife slicing through the air made the three idiots come to a sudden halt, or maybe it was the promise of serious injury that could be seen in Mike’s eyes if they continued. “I don’t know what the fuck you guys want, but if it’s him, you better turn the fuck around now.”
“Mike, put that thing away. I got this,” Wood snapped, raising a placating hand in Mike’s direction.
“Then handle it,” Mike snarled, still holding the young man close to him.
Trent kept cutting his eyes from the assholes threatening to call the police to the way this Rayne guy had his face buried against Mike’s shoulder, his lean fingers clutching his waist. Even Bishop was watching his father and the fierce protectiveness he was showing this stranger.
“If you wanna call the cops, then do it. But you’ll have to call them from out there on the sidewalk. I’m one of the managers here, and I’ve asked you to leave. Now you’re trespassing,” Wood said.
The leader in front, with the thick neck and military buzz cut, nodded slowly, his narrowed eyes on the scared man behind Mike’s shoulder as if he was promising retribution. “You win this time, slut,” the guy said nastily. “You weren’t that good anyway, was he, Mitch?”
“Nope,” said the muscled gym rat standing with him. “I don’t like ’em that easy