Page 119 of Hidden

"What's…"

"Stay close to me." He reaches into his jeans pocket and pulls out his phone. He types something fast, not looking at the screen, his eyes still on the path. "Get to my location." A pause. "Four, I think."

He pockets the phone. As far as I can see the path ahead is empty. The streetlight twenty meters ahead has gone out, it’s not flickering, it’s just out, which doesn’t help me calm down.

"Miles…"

They come from the left.

They’re not running, but they’re moving fast, purposeful, from the gap between the two buildings where the path narrows. There are three of them, maybe four. Are people trying to kill Miles? These men look like they’ve done this more than once.

Everything happens at once. Miles moves in front of me. One step, fast, and puts his body between me and them before I know what's happening.

The first one reaches him.

"Stop!" My voice comes out before I've decided to use it. It’s loud, and raw. "Stop it, stop…"

Nobody stops.

The first one swings, Miles ducks under it, barely, the movement so fast I almost miss it and comes up with his elbow into the man's jaw. The crack of it reaches me from three meters away. The man staggers.

The second one hits Miles from the side.

"Miles!" I scream his name and my hands fly up to my mouth and I can't move. I'm completely frozen on the path, my feet planted like someone has bolted them to the ground. "Stop it, please, STOP!"

The third one moves toward me. He’s fast, direct. His hand reaches out, Miles turns.

I don't know how he sees it, he's got two people on him, one has him by the t-shirt, the other is trying to get him to the ground, but he turns, and his hand shoots out and catches the third man's wrist before it reaches me. The force of the redirect sends the man sideways into the wall.

Then the two on Miles drag him down.

"No…" The sound that comes out of me isn't a word. It's the sound of watching something terrible happen and being completely unable to stop it. "No, please, MILES…"

He hits the ground, but he doesn't stop moving. That's what I can't stop watching, even on the ground, even with two men on him, he keeps fighting. His elbow finds someone's face. His knee comes up. He twists in a way that shouldn't be possible and gets one arm free and uses it.

He's good. He's frighteningly good. Even outnumbered, even taking hits that make me flinch, there's a precision to how he moves, there’s nothing wasted, every response is calculated.

But there are three of them. The hits land. I hear them. Each one makes something in my chest collapse slightly. His head snaps to the side. Someone's boot connects with his ribs.

"STOP IT." I'm screaming now, properly screaming, my voice tearing out of me with everything I have. "GET OFF HIM, STOP…"

The third man recovers and comes for me again.

I don't run. I don't know why I don't run, every rational thought says run, get away, find someone, but my feet won't move and my eyes won't leave Miles on the ground, and I just stand there screaming.

The third man's hand closes around my arm. It’s cold, and hard.

Then Miles is off the ground. I don't see how. One moment he's down, two men on him, and then he's not, he's up, he's got the man who grabbed me by the collar, and the look on his face is something I’ve never seen before and never want to be on the wrong side of.

He says something. It’s low, and I can't hear the words, but the man releases my arm immediately.

Then Mason and Declan come around the corner at a run.

Mason is first, his jacket gone, and he’s moving so fast as if he’s done this before and is angry about having to do it again. In his hand I see he has a baseball bat. It’s not a plain bat, there’s wire wrapped around the barrel, it’s coiled tight, and catches the amber light as he moves.

I stare at it. Declan is behind him, he’s quieter, and faster than Mason, already targeting the man nearest the wall.

Within thirty seconds, maybe less, it’s controlled violence of people who have a point to make and are making it efficiently. These brothers have done this before and are pros about it too.