Collide (Collide #1)(50)

Gavin glared at her, angling his head to the side, his eyes hard. "Oh, have you? Then why did it just appear as though you were going to say something to her?"

"Can a girl not get a drink from the bar?" she asked, affecting a venomous sneer.

"Go to one of the other bars, Monica." He leaned down to her ear, lowering his voice to an icy whisper. "You're a f*cking snake. Don't think I can't see through you." He took a step back. "You stay the f*ck away from her. Do you understand me?"

She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms as she looked away.

"Monica, look me in the eyes and tell me if you see a man who's easily deterred from ripping your whole world to shreds."

She drew up a brow, her hazel eyes wide. "What the f*ck is that supposed to mean, Gavin?"

"It means that Blake Industries is a major benefactor in your father's company. I hold more than seventy-five percent of its stocks. I'll sell off every single one of them on Monday with a quick phone call." He leaned in closer, and she took a step back. "Wall Street will have a field day, and by Tuesday, you and your family will be scrounging for scraps in the alleys of Harlem."

She sucked in an indignant breath as her lips pulled down at the corners. "You wouldn't!"

"Fucking try me." He turned away and ran smack into Colton.

"Whoa, little man, you look furious."

Gavin glanced over to where Emily remained seated at the bar. "I'm fine. What's up?" he sniffed.

"Mom needs you in the kitchen," he said, raking his hand through his hair. "I don't know - something about someone down by the gates, trying to get onto the property that's not on the authorized list."

Emily nodded in Gavin's direction when she caught his gaze from across the pool. He was holding up a finger to her as though letting her know he would be right back. She watched as he quickly vanished through the crowd, making his way into the house. She recognized the woman he was speaking with from the bar a few days before. She wondered why he would invite his ex to the party or why she would show up. It was obvious to Emily that they still had ongoing issues.

As Emily ordered a drink, a tall muscular man around her age approached her, the smell of booze seeping clear out of his pores.

Smoothing a piece of his brown hair away from his forehead, he gave her a crooked smile. "Pretty cool party, right?"

Emily glanced at him as she accepted her beer from the bartender. "Yes, it is," she smiled.

"So are you here with anyone, or am I just the f*cking luckiest guy at this party to have stumbled upon a hot-looking single girl?"

That's a killer pick-up line, *, she thought. "Sorry, I'm here with someone."

He let out a superior huff. "Who? Cause I know everyone here. I just may have to give him a beat down."

This is getting better by the minute. "Dillon Parker."

The man furrowed his brows. "You're not with Dillon Parker. He's still with Monica Lemay." He took a large swallow of his drink. "At least I thought he was."

Now you have my attention, jerkoff. "Who's Monica Lemay?"

"Do you know Gavin?"

Emily quickly nodded.

"She's the piece of blonde-haired prime meat he was just talking with by the pool."

This moron is definitely drunk. "No, you must be confused. The woman Gavin was just speaking with is his ex-girlfriend - not Dillon's."

The man adamantly shook his head. "Gavin's never dated Monica. We grew up together; he can't stand her." He downed another shot before continuing. "I've spent many Fourth of July parties at this house," he pointed a finger across the yard. "And I've witnessed Dillon and Monica stumble out of that very guesthouse many mornings after, barely dressed. They definitely f*cked."