The Dealers

Chapter 38 - Noah

The second I got out of my Mustang in the parking lot of the club, his scent was all over the place. I couldn't get inside fast enough and even through the dense crowd of people, my senses helped me hone in on him immediately. He was at the bar with Lena.

Azrael.

I bit back the instinctive rage inside of me and forced myself not to cause a scene. Entering the club, I made my way as calmly as I could manage through the crowd. Over at the bar, Azrael knew I was coming before I turned off my car in the lot outside. He was expecting me.

I had gotten a late start because it had been relatively calm throughout the week and I let my guard down for one fucking hour. I spent that time collaborating with my brothers over FaceTime as we tried to get through volumes of dated books in the hopes of finding a solution. If only I had gotten there earlier like I usually did, I would have had a fighting chance. But, from the terrified look on Lena's face as I approached, Azrael and already been there a while.

"Lena..." I said cautiously to her but kept my gaze on Azrael for good measure. I wouldn't put it past him to attack me in front of a hundred witnesses and I had to be ready.

Lena didn't speak.

I finally peeled my eyes from Azrael and stared at her. She wouldn't make eye contact with me.

What the fuck happened?

"What did you do?" I turned and demanded of Azrael who only had a smug look on his face as he finished his drink and stood up.

Towering over me, Azrael had to be at least six-foot-five because I even looked up at him as he approached. Steading myself and ready to brawl, I held my ground. Face to face then, his words were crystal clear and he did not waver. "Lena is coming with me." He said and I nearly lost it on him right there in front of everyone.

No, the fuck she isn't.

"Lena, what's going on?" I growled at her but she still didn't say anything to me or make eye contact.

I began to panic.

If he fucking touched her...

"Lena, go wait outside." Azrael said and instantly, I lunged forward and closed the small gap between us as I reached for Azrael's collar and he let me gain he upper hand.

Worried why that was, I still held on and tried my best to cut of his air supply with his own t-shirt. And since when did he wear a fucking t-shirt? Still, I accomplished nothing and Azrael could have easily swatted me away against the nearest wall but he didn't. He tolerated me.

Why?

Lena better not fucking move.

When Lena finally did look up at me, Azrael still in my clutches, she looked defeated and that's when I knew the she was leaving with him.

What. The. Fuck?

"Lena..." I said, my voice begging her at that point, "please don't..."

Lena looked at me apologetically and I knew then that she didn't have a choice. Whatever Azrael said to her—did to her—was forcing her decision.

I never through I could feel as broken as I did watching Lena grab her bag and walk out the front door. She walked past me as if I were just another customer at the bar. Her eyes were blank and she stared at the ground as she walked.

"Lena!" I called after her but, she wasn't turning around.

Turning back to Azrael, I let go of my futile attempt to hurt him and released his collar. Continuously unfazed, he just stood there with a smirk on his face. That was the moment that confirmed the fact that I would indeed die for Lena in a heartbeat. The thought of bashing Azrael's head in—or attempting to before he inevitably killed me instead—ran through my mind as I stared at him challengingly.