I admired her determination.  “Good.  I’m with you on this so whatever you need, you just let me know, okay?”

“Thank you,” she said softly, and I knew in that moment, Sharon didn’t have a lot of friends offering to be there for her.

“Sharon, did you leave the house or did you ask him to leave?”

“I told him he had to go.  I’m not leaving it.”

“Did he go?”  I had a feeling Marcus would be hard to get rid of.

“I don’t know, because I had to come to work.  I told him to be gone by the time I got home this afternoon.”

“Have you told Scott and Madison yet?”

Sadness crossed her face.  “I’m not close to Scott at the moment, and Madison and I are still on shaky ground, so I haven’t told either of them.  I will, though.”

“Today?”

She grimaced.  “I don’t want to drag them into it, Layla.  I need to do this on my own, and then begin to rebuild my relationships with them.  But...I’ve got to find myself first, you know?”

I nodded.  “Yeah, I get that, but I’m concerned you might need at least Scott’s help on this.  If Marcus won’t take no for an answer, it could pay to have Scott behind you.”

“I’ll think about it.  Please don’t tell anyone yet.”

I could read between the lines.  She didn’t want me to tell Donovan.

Nodding, I said, “Okay, it’s your call, but I really want you to think about it.”

“I will,” she promised.

I turned to look at Marcus and found him staring at us while he drank his beer.  Fuck, this afternoon was about to go to complete shit.  I was sure of it.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Blade

I closed my eyes and sent a prayer of thanks to the universe.  I’d given up believing in God a long time ago, but my belief in the forces of good was slowly being restored.

When I opened my eyes, I found my mother smiling up at me.  “It’s good news, right?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s good news.  When do you start?”

“Next week.  Thank you for helping me get this job.  I think it’s just what I need.”

I had no doubt.  I’d watched Sharon Cole working at Layla’s bar, and saw the change in her, so I’d put the feelers out with my contacts regarding a job for my mother.  I kicked myself for not thinking of it sooner, but perhaps she wouldn’t have been ready for it until now.

“Has Marcus been around?”  I held my breath, waiting for her answer.

“No, I haven’t seen him since the day of your fight.”

Thank fuck.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.  Pulling it out, I saw Layla’s name on the screen.  Holding it up at Mum, I indicated I needed to take this.  She smiled and left me to it.  “What’s up, baby?” I asked, answering the call.

“How far away from the bar are you?”  Her tone put me on high alert.

“About fifteen minutes.  Why?”  I went in search of Mum while Layla kept talking.

“Marcus is here, and it’s not pretty between him and Sharon.  I’m concerned.”

Fuck.

“I’m on my way, but until I get there, I’ve got some guys watching your bar so I’ll send them in to watch him.”

“Thanks,” she said, ending the call.

I found Mum in the kitchen.  “I’ve gotta go, but I’ll call you later and check in.”

She nodded and gave me a hug.  “Love you, baby,” she said as she let me go.

“Love you, too,” I said and headed out to the car.  Layla’s voice over the phone had told me everything I needed to know.  Marcus was going to be a problem, and I needed to get there as fast as I could.

On the way, I called Scott and asked him to get over there as soon as possible.  Better to have both of us there to deal with Marcus.

The traffic was a bitch and it took me longer to get there than I thought it would.  By the time I parked the Jag, my head felt like it would explode from the anxiety tearing through me.  Worry about Layla getting hurt filled me, and I bolted out of the car and into the bar.

Thank fuck three o’clock was a quiet time for the place.  Layla stood at the bar serving the one customer she currently had.  Sharon and Marcus were nowhere to be seen.  I walked to her and raised my eyebrows in question.

After she finished with her customer, she pointed towards the back of the bar.  “They’re outside in the back alley.  Marcus has had a bit to drink, Donovan.  When he started getting angry with her, she took him outside.  Your guys followed them, so, hopefully, that means she’s okay.”  Her worry was clear, but I was simply glad she hadn’t been hurt.

“I’ll go see what’s going on.  You stay here, yeah?  Don’t come out there, because if Marcus hurts you, he won’t be leaving here in anything but a fucking body bag,” I said, and, at her nod, I left to go out to the alley.

Angry voices filtered through as I pushed the back door open.  I took a step outside and came face to face with Sharon yelling at Marcus.  “I should never have married you!  You couldn’t keep your dick to yourself before we got married, and you still can’t keep it to yourself.  If you thought I didn’t know about your new piece on the side, you’re a fucking idiot.  She’s welcome to you.”