The Closer (18+) ✓

| 11.1 | a partnership proposal

❝All the past so way behind
Reminds you what you once wanted
Once you've felt you've found the way
Left your all ambitions by the lake bed.❞

Chapter Eleven:
A Partnership Proposal

A hand shot out and grabbed my wrist, snatching me away from the two gentlemen I'd had the pleasure of being sandwiched between.

"What the fuck, Hans?" I screeched, giving him one hard shove on the chest and started to step back in the direction of my dancing-slash-grinding buddies, but to no success. Hans wrapped a hand around my wrist in a solid grip, glowering down at me with a fury I'd never witnessed before. Not one to give up too easily, I fought against him but Hans wasn't planning on letting me go that easy.

"What the hell's your problem?" The blond stepped to my side, a hand snaking around my hips only to snap back as if physically burnt by the murderous glare Hans shot him. The two men backed off, shooting Hans a dirty look before redirecting their attentions elsewhere.

"Hans fucking Castellan, let me go right now or-"

"Not a word out of you." Hans' voice silenced me at once, the dangerous undertone coupled with his fuming demeanor frightening my mouth shut.

"Babe, what's going on?"

Helena!

I twisted behind me at the source of her voice, reaching with my free hand. My best friend was quick to come to my rescue, latching onto my hand with her short but strong fingers. She was half of Hans' size but with the molten scowl she shot up at him, I swear I felt his hand tremor a little in mine.

"Get your hands off her, shit-stain." Helena punctuated each word with a cutting threat that didn't go missed by Hans who just slightly loosened his grip on me, yet not enough for me to escape. She stepped up to my side and put an arm around my waist, pulling me in her direction and in the process, nearly tearing my arm out from Hans who tightened his hold.

"Let go of her," he hissed at Helena whose lips curled upward, inviting the challenge.

"You let go."

"No, you let go," Hans repeated. I mentally made a note of the fact that he sucked at fighting with women as I stood there, looking back and forth between the two of them who continued to glare daggers into the other. I was hoping for a more fleshy, R-rated squabble but they were behaving like five year olds fighting over a doll instead.

"Umm..." I shifted uncomfortably, wiggling my arms between them. "Can we just get this over with?" I threw a pointed look at Helena whose dark brown orbs widened before giving me a determined nod. Stepping up, still holding my hand, she got all up in Hans' face (that is, as much as she could given her height) and spat loudly, "Look here chump. This is what we're going to do. You're going to quit harassing Tris and I'm going to kick your sorry little ass. That is unless you let go of her right this second."

A trickle of fear crossed his face before he covered it up with a smirk, cocking his head to the left in amusement.

"What about we do things my way? You let go of my girlfriend so we can settle this nice and easy, alright shortcake?"

Helena would have clocked him in the face, right then and there. No one apart from Jade and I were allowed to make fun of her height but she was too astounded from the endearing way in which Hans had just addressed me to react.

"Your girlfriend?" she sputtered, her eyes racing to my face and taking note of the pink on my cheeks. She let go of my hand in shock, and Hans took that precise moment as an opportunity to whisk me away...by bending down and throwing me over his shoulder.