Same car, same assholes from the other day. When I approached this time, the driver rolled down his window. I put my forearm on the roof of the car, leaned close.
“What the fuck does Dominguez want?” I asked. I didn’t have time for this, for them. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gray standing by the hood, a few others from the gym, too.
The guy frowned then smiled. Yeah, the stupid-ass gold tooth. “Who the fuck is Dominguez?”
I reached in, grabbed him by the collar of his coat and pulled him partway through the open window. Without a seat belt on, it was easy to do.
“Hey man, what the fuck?”
Carter moved to stand by the passenger door, keeping the other guy from getting out.
“The fight’s in a few weeks. I’d say it’s square. Legit even. What do you want from me?”
I tightened my fist, tugged him further, so I was all but breathing on him.
“I don’t want anything from you,” he spat out. “Shit, why would I fuck with a fighter? I’m here for the girl.”
My brain shut down for a second. Girl?
“Who?”
I saw Gray tense, which was practically impossible since he never offered anybody any kind of tell.
“The girl. The professor.”
My blood should’ve run cold at what he’d said, but instead it ran hot. This feeling, the seeing-red rage, it had been a long time since I’d felt this way, since I was a teenager. Since I’d murdered my father. I wanted this asshole dead for even thinking about Harper.
Curling my arm, I pulled him through the window even more until he was wedged. “Talk. Now. I’ve killed before, and I will fucking do it again.”
His eyes bugged out, and his face was turning an off-putting shade of purple. “My boss wants her,” he gasped.
“Why?”
“Her brother.”
“He should go after her brother then.” I had no idea what the fuck he was talking about. All I knew was that there was no way they were getting their hands on her. Taking her to their boss? Fuck, no.
He shook his head, tried to wriggle to get more comfortable, but his arms were pinned at his sides inside the window opening. “She has what they both want. They tried, two years ago.”
I let go, stepped back. For a second, the guy hung in the window, but then began to shimmy back into his seat. Turning to Gray, I watched as Thor came around me, reached in and grabbed the keys from the ignition.
“That was Quake Baker on the horn. Had some info for you.” He tilted his head toward the guys in the car. “Asshole’s telling the truth. They tried for her before.”
The guys in the car were forgotten. I glanced up at Harper’s apartment on the second floor. I bolted toward the building, practically ripped the door off the hinges as I entered the lobby. I tugged my key pass from around my neck, slapped it against the sensor on the wall then took the steps two at a time. Banging on Harper’s door didn’t bring results.
“Harper!”
I waited, tried to catch my breath. Remembered what she’d said to me in this spot the day before.
It would be best if we ended it now.
She hadn’t said she wanted to end it. She’d said it was for the best. I’d been too angry to process her words.
I banged some more. “Open the door, princess. I know you’re in there.”
Nothing.
“I know about your brother.” I didn’t, but I had to hope he was the reason she’d shut me out. The reason she was scared.