Faster (Stark Ink, #3) by Dahlia West Read Free Book Online Page B

toward someone else entirely.
    “Watch it,” he growled as he half-turned. His arms never so much as twitched, though, as he kept Ava firmly in place.
    Reluctantly, she turned her head as well.
    “Ava!”
    Sienna had found them. She was flushed and breathing hard. Her long, dark hair was wild. She looked from Ava to Emilio and back again. Her agitated expression was mixed with regret.
    Ava saw Emilio’s jaw flex but relax.
    “We have to go,” Sienna declared. Her hand shot out underneath Emilio’s and grasped Ava’s arm. She tugged hard.
    Frowning, Emilio stepped back, enough to free Ava from her heavily muscled prison. “You just got here,” he pointed out.
    Instead of answering him, Sienna glanced back over her shoulder. “Oh, God!”
    Ava peered past Emilio and her best friend to see Jonah stalking toward them— a very pissed-off Jonah, to be exact. Her brother’s dark, slitted eyes rivaled Emilio’s in intensity. Sienna spun to face the youngest Stark male.
    Without so much as glancing back, Emilio stepped forward as well, clearly intending to put himself between Sienna and Jonah.
    Jonah’s expression suddenly went from dour to downright deadly. “What are you doing here?” he demanded, glaring at Sienna.
    Emilio’s hand reached out for the girl’s arm. No doubt, to him, Jonah looked like a formidable threat, made even more so when Jonah’s eyes zeroed in on the hand making its way toward Sienna. Jonah’s eyes locked with Emilio’s and even Ava, the farthest from any of them, could practically feel the temperature plummet in the tiny hallway.
    “You fucking touch her and I’ll start with breaking your arm.” Jonah’s voice was low— steady and grave in its tone. Maybe the fact that he hadn’t shouted it was what made Emilio pause. It seemed less like a threat and more like a foregone conclusion.
    But Emilio only paused, perhaps just for a quick re-assessment of strategy. It was clear from his own demeanor that he had no intention of backing down from Jonah. Both men were similar in height and build. Both men looked perfectly capable of vicious, painful things.
    Ava didn’t want to know how that would end. She reached out and grabbed Emilio’s arm. He tensed under her hand but kept his gaze on his would-be rival.
    “Wait!” Ava ordered firmly. “Jonah, just wait a minute.”
    “Jonah?” Emilio asked, confused. He was no doubt thinking about the ink on Ava’s arm. His eyes flitted to Sienna for a moment, thoroughly lost.
    As if he’d only just noticed her presence, Jonah’s eyebrows shot up. “Ava? Jesus! What in the hell?”
    Ava tried to skirt around Emilio toward her slightly older brother, but Emilio caught her around the waist and pulled her in close.
    Jonah didn’t miss that, at least. “Get your hands off her,” he demanded.
    Emilio grinned, but something about it was far from reassuring. “You can’t stake a claim on both of them,” he informed Jonah. “I’m still deciding whether or not I’m going to let you have that one.” He nodded toward Sienna as he spoke.
    Fire ignited in Jonah’s eyes again and he surged forward. “Get your fucking hands off my sister!”
    Emilio had started forward as well, hands raised to meet Jonah halfway, but stopped short. “Wait, what? Sister? Seriously? This is your sister ?”
    In his zeal to take on Jonah, Emilio had released Ava. Seeing no immediate threat now, Jonah paused as well.
    “Is she your sister, too?” Emilio asked him, nodding toward Sienna. He seemed genuinely curious.
    Jonah didn’t respond.
    Sienna snorted. “I might as well be,” she muttered. She turned away from Jonah.
    Ava looked up at her brother. She was shocked to see a fleeting, pained look cross his face.
    Emilio saw it, too, and dropped his hands.
    Brushing it off, Jonah redirected his gaze to Emilio. “ She’s seventeen ,” he bit out.
    “Shit,” Emilio replied. He shot a dirty look at Ava.
    Ava’s jaw dropped. “Not me!” she insisted.