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“You need to fucking leave hero. This isnoneof your concern.” William’s tone is threatening.
I crane my neck around the stranger to where William stands in front of him. William’s chest heaves through his expensive shirt as he looks his enemy up and down, sizing him up. A sneer pulls his lip high, his icy eyes full of malice.
“Oh, I’m making thismybusiness.” The stranger’s deep voice is ominous like subdued thunder. His muscles ripple as the two men stare each other down.
“Listen,imbecile, I don’t fucking know what your problem is, but you shouldn’t have gotten involved. Foryoursake, you should walk away. Right fucking now!” William’s ice-blue eyes are hard and narrowed into slits, his hands curling into fists.
An involuntary, terrified squeak comes from my throat. The stranger is the only thing standing between me and William, and I’ve never seenanyoneback down fromhim. Fear grips my heart as I press my hand to my chest.
The stranger tosses a look over his shoulder at me. “I’m not going anywhere.” His tone is low and reassuring, his eyes full of promise.
My feet propel me forward, moving closer to him. I have no idea why I trust this guy when I don’t even know his name, nor the slightest thing about him.
I cower behind him, the smell of woods, musk, and peppermint filling my senses. His hand reaches back, giving my arm a gentle squeeze before letting go.
His head whips back to William, focusing on him, cracking his neck from side to side. The muscles and veins in his arms strain against his skin.
“You need to leave now, while youstillcan,” William taunts, his face mottled with rage, spittle building in the corners of his smug mouth.
The stranger’s body shifts and dread fills me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I fist the back of his shirt, my knees quivering so badly I can barely stand.He’s going to leave me. Any second now, the cotton t-shirt I’m clinging to will slip through my fingers.
I slowly peel my eyes open, mentally steeling myself for the moment he walks away.
But that’snotwhat happens.
“I’m not fucking goinganywhere, asshole.” His tone is full of venom as he spits his words at William.
What in the actual fuck?I’m in shock, my incredulous stare boring into the stranger’s back. No one has ever turned away, nor backed down, from William Anderson. He wears his entitled arrogance and grandiose sense of self-importance like he’s a fuckingking. Even if you don’t know who he is, he has an air about him that indicates he’s wealthy and powerful.
The stranger throws a quick glance over his shoulder, his eyes reassuring and full of promise. “I need you to let go of my shirt, beautiful. I promise I’m not leaving you.”
My hands loosen and his t-shirt slips through my fingers. Momentary doubt rolls through me the second I do, wondering if I should have wrapped my arms around him and pleaded with him to stay.
He turns away from me and back to William. Moving closer, he gets right in William’s face.
I look back and forth between the two men. Although William possesses the lean, athletic build of a runner, the stranger is brawny and powerful looking. For some reason, I get the impression the stranger has been in fights before and could take William. Although I have seen William punch someone once and knock the guy on his ass at a party. However, that guy was much smaller than the stranger and clearly intimidated by William.
Unlike the opponent William is currently facing, who doesn’t seem the slightest bit afraid.
“I’m giving you one last chance to leave, hero.” William cocks one eyebrow, looking up at the stranger.
“The time for talking is fucking over, asshole. It’s put up or shut up time now.” The stranger smirks at him. “I’m thinking you are too much of a pussy to put up, considering you are stupid enough to physically assault a woman in public.”
My eyes widen and my mouth falls open. The stranger has balls, talking to William that way. That’s for damn sure.
William fumes, his skin flushing scarlet from his anger. “You need to shut the fuck up and leave, asshole.”
“Are you fuckingdeaf?” I gasp as my hero snatches William up by the scruff of his neck, lifting him from his feet. William’s eyes widen from fear, the bravado leaving his face. The stranger stares at him for a few long moments before releasing him, dropping William’s body to the ground.
William is momentarily stunned, looking up at the stranger in shock. But he rebounds quickly, getting to his feet, slowly backing toward the sidewalk. “You aren’t worth it,” he sneers, his arrogance rearing its head, despite what just occurred.
Moving closer to the stranger, I wrap my hands around his arm, watching as William continues backing away.
William’s gaze moves to mine and the malicious look he shoots me terrifies me. “I’ll see yousoon, Irelynn.”
The stranger moves toward William threateningly, fists clenched, but this time I move with him, not letting go of my protector. Fear courses through me as William’s parting words whirl through my head.
William takes a few more steps backward, his gaze locked on me before he flits his eyes to the stranger beside me. Once his feet hit the sidewalk, William whirls around, stalking away. My eyes trail after him until he disappears from view.
