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I swiped at the man’s face with the neck of the bottle, catching him across the cheek. He let out a growl as Max finally rolled the other man off him and charged the guy straddling my body. I heard him grunt as Max pinned him to the brick wall. I scrambled to my feet as the man I loved landed punch after punch. I saw the dude’s cheek bleeding. I heard an engine roaring down the alleyway. And once the tires squealed up to my side, it pulled my attention away from the fight.
Long enough to see Rupert come into view.
“Get on his bike!”
Max’s voice boomed in my ear as Rupert reached out for me.
“Max, wait. No! Max!”
Rupert forced me onto the back of his bike. “Got her.”
Max yelled. “Get her out of here. Now!”
Panic rose up my throat. “Max!”
Rupert sped off, leaving Max with those two brutes. I tried to reach out for him, but I almost fell off the speeding bike in the process. Rupert blazed a trail straight to the road. People honked their horns and cursed at us as we parted the unwilling sea of bodies and engines. I clung to Rupert, trying to crane my neck back to see if I could catch a glimpse of Max.
And just as Rupert got his bike steady, I watched Max sprint away from the alley.
The bike cut a U-turn in the middle of the road. Rupert revved his engine as I watched Max make a mad dash toward his bike. My eyes whipped back to the alleyway, waiting for those men to emerge, to chase us down.
But no one came out.
“Hang on tight, Bambi. We’re following him. And don’t drop that bottle neck, whatever you do.”
I wrapped my arms around him. “Done and done.”
The second Max took off on his bike, we followed in pursuit. We raced through town, cutting corners and ducking down alleyways to avoid random stoplights. My heart leapt into my throat as we raced out of there, trying to get ourselves to safety and away from those goons.
“You’re a crazy bitch, you know that?”
I grinned at Rupert’s words. I wasn’t sure why they brought me such pleasure. But they did. I giggled as I drew in a sobering breath, feeling my adrenaline rush slowly coming out of the clouds. My head felt a bit more stable. My hands were no longer shaking. And as I gripped the bloodied neck of that damn wine bottle, I sighed.
Because the fear that had been clawing at my insides finally had a chance to rise up.
The fear and the adrenaline mingled. They met in the middle, forcing me to be aware of my surroundings. It felt like I could hear everything. Smell everything. I felt each breath of wind whipping around my body. I felt more alert than ever before. Something strong took hold of my soul, guiding me through that entire ordeal. Never had I felt so powerful before. So in control of my own destiny.
With every breath I took, I became more aware of myself. More aware of my mind. Of the beating of my heart. Of the way my blood rushed through my ears and how comforting it felt to ride on the back of someone’s bike. I loved every part of it.
But I knew I wasn’t going to like the scolding Max had in store for me.
Not like you have many options now, anyway.
I’d take whatever he dished out, but in the back of my mind I was confident in my decision. Had I not intervened, there was a chance those men would’ve taken him down. Possibly even out. And then they would’ve come after me without him to prevent them from doing so. Even with Rupert’s help, Max would’ve been incapacitated before he got there. It wasn’t even as if Max was fully healed from the last encounter.
No, I was confident in the decision I had made to get up and help defend the life of the man I loved. Even if he didn’t agree with it. Even if Rupert didn’t agree with it. I agreed with it, and that’s what mattered. And if Max really wanted me at his side, he’d have to start trusting my intuition. Trusting the moves I decided to make.
Just like I trusted his.
16
Max
I shook with fury. I felt my nostrils flaring with every breath I took. I paced up and down the driveway. Fuming. Hell, had it been any colder, I probably would’ve been steaming. Literally. What the fuck was Dani thinking? She could’ve gotten herself killed! She didn’t listen, and it almost backfired.
It didn’t backfire, though.
I shoved the voice away. I didn't need a reason. What I needed was for Dani to fucking listen to me. I cracked my neck as I finally heard Rupert’s engine off in the distance. I cracked my knuckles as they came careening around the corner. I twisted my back, cracking it into place as they pulled up the driveway.
