Page 9 of Protecting What's Mine

She turns to me as if to get my approval, and I nod. “Lucas has been my best friend since we were two years old. I’d trust him with my life.”

With a relieved smile she gets out of the car and Lucas puts himself between her and the open road. He gets it. The three of us walk quickly inside and I start locking the place down - rubber doorstops jamming doors closed, locking windows, closing the blinds. Lucas coaxes Alex to the centre of the room and she fills him in on the details. At the mention of Marco’s family, his face pales ever so slightly. So he’s heard of the Black Mambas. Shit, this is really bad.

When they are done, he turns to me. “Who else have you called?”

“Ethan should be on the way, and Em wanted to bring Phoenix in too.”

Lucas raises an eyebrow. “You two gonna play nice?”

Alex's eyes swing to me in alarm. “Why? What’s the problem?”

I shoot Lucas a shut up, dickhead look. “Nothing, just dumb teenager stuff. He stole my girlfriend, I beat him up.”

Lucas snickers. “You mean kicked his ass in front of his school and his dad almost threw him out of the club for being a wimp? Yeah, just that.”

“I hardly think now is the time for a trip down memory lane.”

“Ok ok, but Emily is right - he’s the right one to call for this.”

Just at that moment, Alex’s phone rings. Her face drains of colour. “It’s- it’s him.” Lucas and I rush to her, but I get there first and snatch the phone. As I answer, I put it on speakerphone.“Where are you, asshole?”

There’s a pause. Then a familiar voice comes through the line. “Jacob?”

“Ethan? What the- where are you? What’s going on?”

“Just meet me outside the bar.” Click.

Lucas and I exchange glances, then both turn to Alex. “Stay here.” Before she can argue we storm to the front door - Lucas stays out of sight with a drawn pistol for backup, and I walk out.

My stomach drops.

There stands Ethan, with a gun held to his head by a sleazy-looking city boy with pressed chinos and one too many shirt buttons undone. Marco.

“Jacob, I’m ok-”

Marco nudges Ethan with the gun. “I think I can take it from here, hillbilly. Where’s Alex?”

I take a step towards Marco. “That’s not your concern.”

“Oh, I think it is. She’s coming with me or this redneck gets a bullet through his skull.”

I think I’m going to throw up. “You’re never going to touch her again, Marco. Go home.”

A slimy grin spreads over Marco’s face. “Ohhh, you’re sweet on her aren’t you? Think she’s a hot piece of ass? Used to be an even better ass but she let herself go these last few years.”

Fucking asshole. Before I can say another word Lucas comes out with his gun pointed at Marco. “It’s over, dude. Put the gun down.”

Marco laughs like a cheap Halloween clown. “It’s not over until Alex is sitting in my car. Or this guy is dead on the ground. You’ve got about ten seconds to choose.”

I can’t think, I can’t breathe. My brain registers Lucas and Ethan talking, but I can’t concentrate. But one voice breaks through the brain fog.

“I’ll go.”

I whip around so fast I almost lose my balance. Alex stands there still as a statue and stares at Marco. Her face is resolute.

“Alex, no-”

“Let him go and I’ll get in the car.” She won’t look at me. Her lip trembles slightly, the only sign that she’s heard me. My heart tears in two.

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