Chapter 538

I turned to the guy who’d popped up beside me. Curly black hair, bright blue eyes—definitely not local. He said we’d met before, but I couldn’t place him at all. Yet he called me “Snooker Girl.” So, he knew I played.

“Huh?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Name’s Bruno. I saw you playing with Steve at his pool hall. You were… awesome! No, wait—slay. That’s it!” He gave me a thumbs-up.

Okay, that explained it, but something still felt weird. Jace had taught me to play, and anytime I played with Steve, it was usually just the three of us, no randoms hanging around. If this guy had been there, I’d have noticed. Yet he was acting like he’d really seen it. I didn’t feel like getting into it, especially with a stranger bringing up snooker.

“You must have the wrong person,” I said coolly.

“No way. It’s definitely you,” he insisted, his blue eyes locked on me. “Your name’s Kei… Keira, right?”

The fact that he even knew my name sent a chill through me. A stranger who knew that much? Yeah, no thanks.

“Sorry, I don’t know you,” I said, turning to go, but he stepped right in my path.

“Hey, relax. I’m just trying to be friends.”

A wave of disgust rolled through me. “Well, I’m not interested. Now, move.”

“I want to play a game with you,” he said, undeterred.

My disgust grew. “Move.”

Anyone else would’ve taken the hint, maybe even felt embarrassed. But he just looked even more excited. “You’re as fierce as your game, huh?”

He kept throwing compliments, and they only made me more uncomfortable.

“If you don’t get out of my way, I’ll call for help,” I snapped, my patience running out.

“Come on. Just one game. I’m as good as Steve—maybe better. You’d have a whole new experience, trust me,” he leaned in, too close.

That was it. Warning bells had been blaring since the moment he showed up, and I wasn’t about to ignore them. So, I lifted my foot and stomped down hard on his. One of my go-to self-defense moves.

He stumbled back, face twisted in pain, and the fake friendliness dropped instantly. “Do you have any idea how many people would kill for a chance to play with me? You should be grateful.”

Grateful? Like hell I would.

Chapter 538

It was clear now—he wasn’t here for a game; he was here to harass me. After everything Steve had just dealt with in Houston, I wasn’t about to take any mention of him lightly.

Without another word, I shot him a death glare and turned to leave.

But he wasn’t done. He grabbed my arm, his hand clamping down like a vice, sending a sharp pain up my arm. This guy wasn’t just pushy—he was strong, really strong. Definitely no ordinary jerk.

A flicker of fear crept in as I struggled to pull away. “Let go,” I demanded, yanking against his grip.

He just tightened his hold, leaning in even closer. “Play one game with me, and I’ll let you go.”

“Dream—” I barely got the words out before an arm reached over, grabbing Bruno’s wrist and pinning it down.

“What’s going on here?” Ron’s voice sliced through the tension as he gripped Bruno’s wrist, holding him back.

“I just wanted to play snooker with her,” Bruno muttered.

Chapter 539