AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They have cold faces and one of them has a nasty scar that goes from the corner of his lip toward his ear in a jagged line.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Jerry says, clearly pleased with himself as he comes to a stop a few feet short of us.
Zoey is sucking in frantic breaths beside me, as though she can’t believe this is happening, as though she thinks all we’ve built together is going to come crashing down.
Even as the beast inside of me rails at the thought, I have to admit we’re in one hell of a bind here.
Six men – all armed – against one.
The only benefit I can see is that we’re in a cramped corner of the stairwell, meaning I might be able to dart forward and get my hands on one of them before it’s too late. But that’s hardly any consolation when I reflect on how the blaring of the fire alarm might cover any gunshots, masking the sounds as they put round after round into me and take my woman – my fucking woman – for themselves.
“You set the fire alarm off,” Zoey says, a note of anxiety in her voice that causes hate to move through me, making my muscles tense and ready for war.
Jerry chuckles. “Look at you, silly goose, so perceptive. I’ve been watching this building for a while now, trying to figure out a way to get to you. I knew this bastard would be too distracted with his new toy to question it. That’s what you do, Zoey. You distract men. You turn them into mindless animals.”
I move my body so that I’m standing between Zoey and the goons. I stare at the men calmly, from the man with the scar to a tall wide man with a shock of red hair.
Reading their expressions, my instinct is that they’re all here because Jerry has paid them, not because they have an innate desire to support him in this sick endeavor.
But paid or not, those guns are real, and if they decide to make this nasty I’m not sure what I can do.
I’ll fight. I’ll bleed. I’ll die and kill if that’s what it takes to keep my woman safe, but I’d rather avoid the mayhem if possible.
Even if I could tool up any one of these bastards in a one-on-one fight, I’m not too proud to admit there’s a good chance they could get the better of me if they decided to bulrush me all at once.
“Alright then.” Jerry’s grin widens shakily. It has an unhinged quality to it, as though he’s on more drugs than just steroids. “Step aside, big man. I’m taking what’s mine. This woman belongs to me. She belonged to me the first time I laid eyes on her.”
I laugh gruffly. “You’re living in a fucking dream world if you think I’m letting you take my woman.”
“Your woman?” Jerry snaps. “I’ve been keeping tabs on my silly goose for a long time, and I’ve never seen you before. Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m the man who’s going to protect Zoey every day for the rest of our lives. I’m the man who’ll happily snap your neck if you don’t turn around and leave right fucking now.”
Maybe if I said this full of false courage, Jerry and his men would laugh and exchange glances, shaking their heads at my words. But when I talk with all the confidence of an animal who’s ready to go to bloody war to keep my woman safe, fear flickers across the men’s faces.
“Don’t be stupid,” Jerry says, unable to hide the quiver of uncertainty in his voice. “There’s six of us, you dumb fuck. Six. We’ve got guns and you don’t. What do you think you can do?”
“You sound like a man trying to convince himself of something,” I snarl. “If you’re really that confident you can take me, go ahead.”
I spread my hands, my eyes locked on Jerry’s gun hand. He’s standing closest to me, the rest of his men ranged out behind him. There are maybe three feet separating us, possibly a little less.
Can I close the distance and put my hand on the barrel of the gun before he lifts it and pulls the trigger?
I’m not sure, but I know I have to try.
“Are you on drugs, you stupid fuck?” Jerry snaps. “Don’t make us shoot you.”
My eyes flit to the men behind him. The one with the scar gives a subconscious shake of his head.
An idea works its way into my mind.
“You’ve been given instructions to make sure this stays quiet,” I muse, and then grin like a wolf when Jerry flinches, confirming my suspicion. “I’ve looked into you, you fucking coward. You’re the lowest of the low in the mob. I don’t know how you swung this backup. Maybe you paid them…”
