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“Just shut up and do what I said or your pretty sister is next,” knife guy growled at the shaky kid.
The kid walked over to Mia and tried to unclasp her necklace. Mia shifted, turning her face slightly away. Andre’s self-control was fraying at the edges, about to snap. He wanted to fight back. But he had to protect Mia. They just needed to give these guys what they wanted and they would leave them alone. That was the safest option.
Mia moved her shaking hands behind her body, not making a sound.
“I’m sorry,” the kid said, struggling with the clasp in the dark.
“Just rip it off!” the first guy yelled as the knife pressed harder into Andre’s neck.
Andre’s body was too fueled on adrenaline to do more than register the pain.
Knife-guy reached to the side of Andre and yanked on the chain as Mia winced.
“Don’t you fucking touch her!” Andre snapped.
The knife ground tighter against his throat. Andre winched his face towards the night sky. The blade serrated into his skin.
His attacker chuckled. “I can take whatever I want from her and there isn’t a damn thing you could do about it. I’m the one with the power here, not you.”
Fuck.He was right. Andre was powerless with the weapon pressed to his throat. Rage burned him from the inside out like hellfire sent straight from Hades himself. His hands itched with helplessness. There was no way he’d let this motherfucker lay a finger on Mia. Over my dead body.
“You got what you wanted. Now leave us alone,” Mia said, her voice steadier than her trembling body.
The knife loosened enough for him to look down at her.
“I want that ring you’re hiding behind your back too,” his attacker sneered.
“It’s not worth much. Please, it—it was my mother’s.” Her voice sounded so small. Damn it, Mia. Just give them the ring.
“Hand it over or I’ll cut it off.”
Mia’s gaze hardened as she twisted the gold band from her finger and placed it in the timid kid’s hand.
“Now count to one hundred and don’t turn around until then. If you do, I’m gonna pay a little visit to the address from this wallet and make you regret the day you were born. And don’t think I can’t find out where you live, dirty whore,” he threatened Mia.
The knife disappeared from Andre’s aching neck as the sound of running footsteps echoed in the dark alley.
She sighed, taking two shaky steps forward before collapsing against his chest, as his arms went out instinctively to hold her.
“Are you hurt?” He carefully caressed her face and her neck as if he could tell through touch alone. Concern laced around him, constricting his airway as her eyes grew glassy.
“Just my pride . . . and my mother’s ring.” She sniffled.
“Let’s go. We need to get somewhere safe and then call Bently,” Andre said, taking her hand and hurrying the rest of the way out of the alley. They emerged in the busy Main Street under the lights, where several pedestrians milled about.
“Let’s just forget this ever happened. Don’t call Bently,” she said, and he stopped in his tracks, doing a double take.
“We were just robbed by knifepoint,” he said, touching his neck before examining the red blood on his fingers. Is she in shock?
Mia looked down. “I know. If you want to go, that’s fine, but please leave me out of it.”
“But you were there. You were assaulted too, Mia. You saw the one with the knife’s face. I didn’t. The fucker has my license. He knows where I live.” How could the same woman who’d held it together when their lives were being threatened fall to pieces at a simple task of reporting the crime to the police? What if Mia had walked through here alone?
Tears fell down her cheeks as her broken expression morphed into terror. “I know. Please, Andre, leave me out of this. If Bently comes and asks me, I’m going to say nothing.”
Surely he had stepped into an alternate reality.
“Why?”
She shook her head. “I can’t . . .”
If nothing else about the situation made sense, the fear in her eyes was real.
“Let’s get you home,” he said, but his mind spun.
She’d seemed afraid to report the guy who’d shoved her over the cliff too. A pattern was forming. Andre’s stomach sunk. Somewhere, sometime, something had happened to Mia. Something terrible.
