Diamond tucked the bag into her purse and slung the straps over her shoulder. Together, they made their way toward the door, exchanging goodnights with the few guys still hanging around before heading upstairs.
Tomorrow, they’d start planning the next quarter’s event.
Tonight, however, was all hers.
Diamond shut the door behind her with a quiet click, exhaling as she finally stepped out of her heels. The ache in her feet was instant relief, but she barely had time to appreciate it before a knock sounded at the door.
Her pulse ticked up. That was fast.
Smirking, she ran a hand through her hair, loosening the tight strands from the updo. She padded barefoot across the room, already anticipating the way Sayer’s hands would replace her own.
Swinging the door open, she didn’t even check the peephole.
It wasn’t Sayer.
A wall of muscle and the sharp scent of whiskey filled the doorway. The man from earlier. Before she could react, he shoved forward, forcing her back into the room. The door slammed shut.
Diamond’s breath hitched. A jolt of panic surged through her veins. She screamed. Loud. Desperate. Raw.
Chapter Nine
On the staircase,Sayer heard a scream coming from the second floor, then snuffed out with the loud slam of a door.
He moved before he had time to think, taking the steps two at a time. His heart pounded as the sound of the struggle bled into the hallway, spurring him faster.
His hands curled into fists. Whatever was waiting on the other side of that door—he was ready to tear it apart.
Sayer could hear the pounding footsteps of his brothers hot on his heels. They’d heard the scream, too. His pulse hammered as he reached the hotel room door, shoving the key card Diamond had given him against the reader. Nothing.
Inside, Diamond’s voice rang out, sharp with panic, tangled with the shouts of an unidentified man. A crash, glass shattering, a lamp hitting the floor.
“Where are they?” the unidentified man shouted.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” Diamond’s voice loud as she shouted in response.
Sayer cursed, jamming the card in again. The reader beeped red. Again. His hands shook. Green. The lock clicked.
He shoved the door open and lunged, barely taking in the scene before tackling the man inside. His shoulder rammed into the stranger’s waist, driving them both backward over a chair. The impact sent them sprawling, the fight already in motion.
The air left Sayer’s lungs in a sharp grunt as they crashed to the floor, the stranger landing beneath him with a heavy thud. He barely had time to react before the man twisted, slamming an elbow into Sayer’s ribs. Pain flared, but Sayer pushed through it, grappling for control.
The man bucked beneath him, twisting like a wild animal. Sayer caught a glimpse of a scarred jaw and narrowed eyes before a fist clipped his cheekbone. White-hot pain shot through his skull. Snarling, Sayer drove his own fist forward, feeling the crunch of knuckles meeting flesh. The man grunted, head snapping to the side.
A hand shot up, fingers clawing for Sayer’s throat. He barely dodged, rolling them both until they hit the leg of the overturned chair. The stranger got a knee between them, using the leverage to shove Sayer back. They scrambled to their feet at the same time.
Diamond’s voice cut through the chaos—sharp, desperate—but Sayer couldn’t take his eyes off his opponent. The man lunged. Sayer twisted at the last second, catching the bastard by the arm and using his momentum to slam him into the dresser. The mirror above it cracked, the wood rattling under the force.
The stranger snarled, swinging wildly. Sayer ducked, landed a brutal hook to the ribs, then another. The man wheezed,staggering, but he wasn’t done yet. He drove forward, taking them both into the wall with bone-jarring force.
Sayer’s head cracked against the plaster, stars bursting in his vision. The man pressed in, one hand locking around Sayer’s throat. Pressure closed in, cutting off his air.
His vision tunneled.
Then Diamond moved—fast, a blur of desperation.
And suddenly, the fight wasn’t just between them anymore.
The man’s grip tightened around Sayer’s throat, darkness creeping in as he struggled against the vice-like hold. He tried to pry the fingers away, but the stranger was stronger, fueled by something raw and violent.
