Page 34 of Play Dirty

“Damn,” the voice said, behind me. “You really gonna ignore me like that?”

I didn’t answer, I didn’t turn. I just reached for the door handle…

… and dropped the keys.

They hit the pavement with a sharp, hollow clatter that felt way too loud in the moment.

Shit.

I froze, for a half a second. Apparently, it was just long enough.

“Careful,” the voice behind me said, as the footsteps grew closer. “Wouldn’t want to lose those.”

I straightened slowly, instead of bending over and giving him the show he wanted. By the time I turned, he was already there.

It was one of the left-wingers, second string. Tall. Lanky. Not very good. He had string-bean arms, and a crooked grin.

“Remember me?”

Honestly, I barely did. He was so unremarkable, I hadn’t even taken any notes on him.

I held his gaze for a moment, then his eyes moved to my keys.

“Pick them up,” he ordered, nodding toward the ground.

I didn’t. I folded my arms, instead.

“Seriously?”

Cold air bit through a gap in my coat. Even so, I didn’t shift.

“Suit yourself,” he shrugged, his smile widening.

He bent down, grabbing the keys before I could react. I stiffened uncomfortably as he dangled them in front of me, just out of reach.

I didn’t step forward. But I also didn’t break eye contact.

“Sorry baby,” he said. “You’re gonna have to get a little closer than that.”

I still didn’t move. I only stood there, numbly. Wondering what would happen if—

WHAM.

The sound hit first, before I even processed the movement.

The guy disappeared, like in some insane magic trick. Not stepped back. Not pushed. Just… gone.

He was sent sideways with enough force that his feet left the ground completely, before he hit the pavement and skidded — hard — across the asphalt. The sound of it — skin, fabric, impact — cut through the lot.

In the aftermath, my keys hung in the air, right where he’d been holding them. Gravity took over, and they clattered to the pavement.

Silence followed. I turned, and—

Ares.

He stood where the left-winger had been, shoulders square, jaw tight. His eyes were locked on the guy like he was considering whether or not to send him into the next world.

The guy scrambled, swearing under his breath. He dragged himself up just enough to regain his footing.