Free Duplicity by Cecile Tellier Page B

an oily pervasive odor that instantly had rage simmering under the surface of Maxx’s skin.
    “Where the fuck is your boss? If I wanted a fucking smart mouth from you I’d put it where I wanted it, bitch!” The man was now leaning over her face.
    “I’m assuming you’re looking for me, though how you think she would answer you while you’re choking the damn girl is beyond me. Let her go, you stupid fuck.” Maxx growled. He didn’t like the effect watching the caveman with his hands on Zowie had on him, but he also didn’t dare acknowledge it. Shifting in front of an entire club of regulars and happy hour patrons—never mind his own staff—was out of the question.
    The gasp that came from Zowie alerted him that the fool had let her go. The minute he heard her exhale, Maxx brought his hand back and punched him in the face. As the man went down with a scream, Maxx grabbed him by the back of the neck and kneed him in the face again before walking him to the door, but not before slamming him face first into the doorjamb. The satisfactory sound of bones crunching in the bastard’s nose did make him feel warm and fuzzy inside. It didn’t appease his wolf however, who wanted nothing more than to grip the bastard’s neck with his teeth and tear flesh.
    Throwing him to the concrete outside of the club, Maxx spoke through gritted teeth. “Come near my club, my staff, or any woman in my club again and I will kill you. The only reason I didn’t fucking shoot you in your empty head, or worse, was that someone would have to clean that shit up and you’re not worth the extra wages. Tell Rick I said to get fucked and to leave me alone. He’s not getting a goddamned thing from me.”
    Turning around, he heard the scramble of the worthless lump on the ground as he ran away. Maxx stormed back into the club and went right for Zowie, who was now standing behind the bar holding a bag of ice to the dark purple bruises on her neck. He had to give it to her, she had kept her cool and was even now returning his glare with one to rival it. If her hands weren’t shaking, and were he not able to smell the fear still radiating from her pores, he would be hard pressed to notice she was affected in the slightest.
    “You get choked out often? You seem pretty calm for someone who was having their neck readjusted on the bar there.” He couldn’t help the tone or the remarks. He didn’t like that he felt thrown off kilter by seeing her being abused by that moron, but he’d be damned if he looked weak in front of his employees or the patrons of his club.
    A croak that sounded like a laugh came out of her mouth unexpectedly in reaction to his words. “I assure you this is my first and last chiropractor appointment.” She nodded toward the crowd of customers and walked closer to the bar to murmur softly, “I heard one of them call the police. You might want to get an idea of what I’m supposed to tell them.”
    Rolling his eyes, he spoke out the side of his mouth with a laugh of his own. “The truth will work, since we weren’t the ones breaking the law. What I did to him was in your defense so I frankly don’t give a damn.”
    Nodding, she pulled out two shot glasses, which she then filled with whiskey. Taking a shot, she pushed the other toward him. Coughing as her eyes watered, she sputtered out, “Sorry, I don’t normally drink on the job, but I need to keep from losing my mind here.”
    Knocking back the shot she handed him, he shrugged with a smile. “Nothing wrong with that right now. Just don’t make it a habit.” He winked.
    Shaking her head, Zowie rested her hands on her hips. “I’ll try not to make being choked a habit. Didn’t do it for me, that’s for sure. Not sure what all the crazed hostility is about.”
    Before he could respond with a saucy innuendo, the police were piling into his club like they were the SWAT team, guns out and badges flashing. “We got a call about a man attacking someone in