“And one night was enough for me to know that I can trust him,” Lacie said defiantly, stepping closer to Shane. Shane’s eyes glittered, the hint of a smirk on his face as he wrapped one arm around her waist.
“Jesus Christ, Lacie, do you even hear what’s coming out of your mouth?” Craig said. “You trust a man - and not just any man - a fucking Callaghan – after he flashes you a smile and buys you a donut and a cup of coffee?”
“Got a problem with Callaghans, do you?” Shane asked casually, though his voice carried with it an unmistakable edge. Lacie felt the slight shift of his body weight.
“You bet your ass I do,” Davidson grated, standing taller. “You’re a bunch of cocky motherfuckers, thinking you’re better than everyone else, thinking you own this town - ”
Shane’s body leaned forward and Lacie knew they were close to blows. “Enough!” Lacie bellowed, taking a step forward to place herself between them, arms out as if to keep them apart. “I will not listen to you speak to Shane that way. I am a grown woman, Craig, not some helpless child you can bully around. I am capable of deciding how and with whom I choose to spend my time.”
Craig’s eyes darkened and his face paled as her words hung in the heavy silence. The effect was even scarier than when it had been dark with rage. “Thank God Brian’s not here to see this,” he seethed finally. “Because it would break his fucking heart to see you acting like some crushing teenager. How am I supposed to keep my promise to look out for you when you pull shit like this?”
Her sharp intake of breath was loud in the sudden silence. Shane’s fingers brushed against hers in silent, unwavering support along with an unspoken question, but he didn’t need to ask it out loud for her to hear it. The same words from a few minutes ago floated unbidden into her mind: Do you want me to kill him? Lacie shivered, feeling the quiet, lethal intensity of the man beside her. She knew if she looked up at his face she would see nothing but an unnerving calmness, but she felt anger rolling off of him in waves. There was no doubt that this man would kill on her behalf, without question. As horrifying as that thought was, it also made her feel incredibly loved and protected.
Still, she had no wish to see violence, especially not here, not now. Lacie’s fingertips met his and gave a quick, gentle squeeze of thanks, but no thanks. She turned to Craig. “You need to leave, Craig.”
Craig’s jaw set stubbornly as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was several inches shorter than Shane, but he had the bulk of a man who spent several hours in the gym every day. “We need to talk about this, Lacie.” His eyes flicked to Shane. “Alone.”
Shane shifted his weight again, but only slightly. It was enough to tell Lacie that if she didn’t do something to diffuse the situation now she would no longer have any say in what happened. And as big and tough as Craig was, Lacie knew with certainty that he would be no match for Shane Callaghan. The stupid idiot was going to get himself hurt.
She took a deep breath and squeezed Shane’s hand again, a silent plea for restraint. She would have preferred to discuss things privately, but Craig was giving her no choice. No matter how angry, irritated, or aggravated he got her, he was still like a brother to her and she did not want to hurt or embarrass him.
“Maybe later, when you’ve calmed down and I’m not sorely tempted to say something I’ll regret,” she said, glad that her voice didn’t tremble as much as the rest of her. Not out of fear, but out of anxiety. She hated the fact that Craig was putting her in this kind of position, making her feel like some sort of errant child who needed watching over. After spending the morning feeling gloriously like a woman, being treated like a child was particularly abrasive.
Craig’s eyes widened in disbelief. He was not used to her standing her ground so boldly. He shot a look of loathing at Shane. Lacie knew he was blaming her sudden show of spine on him, and in a way, he was probably right. If Shane wasn’t there, Lacie would probably already be making a pot of tea and trying to soothe Craig’s ruffled feathers instead of showing him the door.
As unpleasant as it was, Lacie realized, it was also far past due. She’d let Craig get away with too much for too long, good intentions or not.
Craig’s lips thinned, but he kept himself in check and did not force the issue. Lacie attributed that to Shane’s presence as well, and was glad for it. It might make things more difficult later on, but hopefully by then they’d be a bit calmer and be capable of having a rational, adult discussion.
“Fine,” he said finally. “You know where to find me.”
Craig opened his mouth to say something else, but Shane gave him the barest shake of the head, warning against it. With one final look at Lacie, Craig let himself out, slamming the door as he did so.