Before the last bell rings, the crowd has started oozing out into the parking lot behind the gym, ready for the real fun to start. The security at the gym keeps that crowd limited to legit gamblers and people they trust not to fuck it up.

And I’m about to follow them out there when someone across the room catches my attention. It’s not just that she’s a woman in a predominantly male room, it’s that she’s alone, and she’s the one fucking person I came here to forget.

I’m trying to wrap my head around why Shelby is standing near the stands, looking around like she’s trying to find someone. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, right now. What the hell do I have to do to get this girl out of my life? I literally can’t get away from her. It’s just not right, goddammit.

I glare at her with a tight-lipped expression and hard eyes as I wait for her wandering gaze to land on me. When it finally does, my nostrils flare and I make my way across the stands to meet her on the other side. So I can promptly send her ass home.

As she stands near the front of the room waiting for me, I notice the way she’s dressed. Nicer than usual. She’s not in her scrubs, but she’s too fucking fancy for a place like this. She looks like she should be at the Cheesecake Factory, not here.

When I get closer, I notice that the color of her eyes pop thanks to a thick layer of makeup and longer than normal lashes. Is she trying to draw attention to herself?

“What the fuck?” I ask as soon as I step up to her.

“What?” she asks, squaring her shoulders and trying to look proud.

“Go home,” I snap, not even bothering to ask why she’s here. There can’t be a reason good enough. Then I catch a whiff of the vodka on her breath. “Tell me you didn’t just drive out here.”

“I’m a grown woman, Rafe. I can go wherever I want and get there safely, thank you.”

Just then, the bell rings and the crowd erupts. The fight is over.

“Well, you missed the events, so you should call your ride back.”

I take her by the back of the arm and steer her toward the exit. Of course, she fights back, trying to snake her arm away, but I just lean in and put my lips next to her ear. “Stop it.”

Suddenly, she stills and looks at me with a wide-eyed expression, like even she can’t believe that shit works.

“Nolan!” a familiar voice calls from behind me. Fuck. I know that voice even before I turn around.

Vic is approaching, and he has a subtle smirk on his face as his eyes zero in on Shelby standing all doe-eyed and innocent as fuck.

He doesn’t say anything for a moment, but the smile he aims at her sends chills down my spine. “Who’s your friend?” he asks. I watch his gaze cascade down her shirt to her skirt and then her legs.