Page 55 of Angel

I ducked beneath his elbow, stepped into his guard, and drove a solid palm strike straight into his nose bone.

Blood sprayed as he crumpled, and before the second guy could react, I launched a side kick into his kneecap.

The joint popped, dropping him to his hands and knees while he shrieked in agony.

The third chap lunged forward, but I caught his wrist, twisted his arm behind his shoulder blade, and slammed his face into the stone wall.

All three lay writhing on the ground, their bravado wiped out.

By now, a small crowd of locals was gathering at the alley entrance, whispering among themselves.

Ignoring the gallery, I stepped over the groaning thugs and pulled Roxy hard to my chest.

Wrapping my arms around her, I glided my touch down her spine, double-checking she was OK.

An unexpected wave of fierce, protective instinct surged through me, catching me off guard by its sheer force.

‘You good, Rox?’ I murmured against her hair.

‘I’m fine now,’ she whispered back, her hands clutching the back of my shirt. ‘Thank you.’

I tilted her chin up with a lean finger and our eyes locked, with such intensity I shuddered.

We were still staring at each other when two Capri police officers pushed through the spectators.

The carabinieri took one look at the bleeding men and cursed before approaching us.

‘What happened here, signore?’ the senior officer asked, gesturing toward the bruised trio.

‘They cornered my wife,’ I muttered, keeping my arm around Roxy’s waist. ‘They refused to let her leave and got violent, so I defended her.’

‘Is this true, signora?’ the younger cop chimed in, glancing at Roxy.

‘Yes,’ Roxy confirmed. ‘They chased me down the market street and trapped me here., forcing my husband to do what he had to.’

The officers listened as I added more details before they rolled the men onto their backs to identify them.

‘These idiots have been harassing shoppers all morning,’ the senior constable told us. ‘You two are free to go.’

‘Grazie,’ I said, offering a curt chin raise.

The three half-conscious thugs got hauled away to sleep off their high in a holding cell.

We retrieved our shopping bags and headed out.

I kept an arm around Roxy’s shoulders, clasping her to my side as we navigated the square toward the taxi stand.

Finding a ride, I helped her in, settling in beside her to cover her hand in mine the entire way back to our villa.

She leaned into me, quiet, glancing up at me.

All the while, my mind whirled through every terrible scenario that could have played out in that alley.

What if I stayed at that café table five minutes longer, brooding over a woman who tossed my heart away?

In the back of the cab, Roxy rested her head on my chest.

I pressed my lips to the crown of her head, relief hitting hard that she was safe and at my side.