AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re dead meat, son,” Betty said.
Brandon smirked at the women before talking to Lake.
“Back off or Kirsty gets another scar.”
Lake growled deep in his throat.
“You harm her,” Lake said, “and I will kill you slowly.”
“Get lost, Superman,” Brandon told him. “And take the witches with you.”
The carol singers were beginning to inch away. Lake’s face was a mask. There was no emotion showing at all. His arms hung loosely at his side and his feet were slightly apart. Kirsty recognised it as a fight stance he’d shown her one night. Brandon wrapped his arm around her neck and crushed her to him.
“Kirsty,” Lake said evenly. “How about you use what you learnt in class?”
Kirsty’s lower lip trembled. She couldn’t. She looked at Lake. His eyes said he knew she could.
“You can do it, Kirsty,” shouted Jean.
“Three,” Lake said. “Two.”
Kirsty took a deep and very shaky breath.
“Who the hell are you, anyway?” Brandon mocked. “Do I look like I’m a toddler? Counting down isn’t going to make me back off.”
“One,” Lake said. It was almost a growl.
Kirsty elbowed Brandon in the side and he grunted. She stamped on his foot, swung her other elbow towards his head and felt it glance off his cheek and then she thumped him between the legs. Brandon groaned and his grip loosened. Kirsty tore herself away from him. There was a sharp pain in her side. She yelped and stumbled onto the ground. She scrambled away from Brandon. Lake’s focus wasn’t on her. He clenched his fists and lowered his head. He was ferocious.
“Time’s up,” Lake said.
He launched himself at Brandon.
Lake’s training kicked in fast. He aimed high at a pressure point on the arm holding the knife and hit it hard. Brandon’s arm loosened. Lake punched the son of a bitch in the gut. He grabbed the arm with the knife and felt a blow to his kidney. Lake turned into Brandon and put his weight behind his elbow as it swung up and connected with Brandon’s jaw. Brandon’s head twisted, but he bounced back fast. The scumbag knew how to fight. Legs apart, he wielded his knife with a smile on his face, making Lake painfully aware that he didn’t have any clothes on.
“You’re going to regret that,” Brandon said.
Lake didn’t say anything. Idiots wasted time talking when they should be fighting. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kirsty’s mother drag her to safety. Someone screamed. People fell over one another in their rush to get away. There were too many obstacles in the way. The carol singers were trapped between the market table and Kirsty’s shop window. They were huddled as far away from Brandon as they could get. One of the older women was sobbing. Lake knew he had to get Brandon away from the crowd before someone got hurt. Behind him, the street was full of people. The carol singers were on his left and Kirsty was on his right. That left only one option.
“I’m going to gut you like a fish, then deal with your girlfriend.” Brandon liked the sound of his own voice. “Bet it galls that I had her first.” He sneered in Kirsty’s direction. “I got the better version of her. You get the less-than-perfect seconds. I wouldn’t go near what’s left of her, it isn’t worth the trouble.”
Those words caused Lake to do something he never did. He lost his temper. With a roar, he rushed at Brandon. He wrapped his hands in the scumbag’s shirt, headbutted him and heard the satisfying crack as his nose broke. Then he used all of his strength and pushed the two of them into the only place he knew to be free of innocent bystanders.
With an almighty crash, he launched them through the window and into Kirsty’s shop.
Kirsty’s mother fell to her knees beside Kirsty.
“Oh, my poor baby,” she cooed as she gathered Kirsty into her arms.
For a second she let herself be comforted.
“I need to see, Mum,” she told her.
Together they watched in horror as Brandon and Lake fought in her shop. Lingerie was scattered. Fixtures were broken. Brandon punched Lake and the crowd gasped. Lake pounded him in return and there were whoops of joy.
“Go, Lake!” someone shouted and a chant started. “Go, Lake. Go, Lake.”
Kirsty stood horrified as she watched every blow. She felt sick as she saw the knife flash through the air. Lake jumped backwards, avoiding the blade. Brandon kicked him and he fell towards the window.
