Page 71 of Rules

“Let me go!”

It feels like an eternity, although it’s probably only seconds, before I snap out of it and start running in the direction of the noise. The blood starts pumping through my veins once again, this time faster, and I can hear the echo of my rapid heartbeat and feet hitting the pavement mixing with the faint sound of the voice I recognize.

Brook.

“N—”

Her protest is muffled, and I can’t fight all the dark thoughts that are assaulting my mind. I can see her, small and vulnerable. The fear in her voice is so real. Whoever is there with her is terrifying her. And just like that, the ice I was feeling melts into hot anger. A rage I didn’t know I was capable of overwhelms me, burning hot in my veins, one thought going on repeat.

I’m going to kill them.

“Bitch, you’ll pay for the…”

The alley between two buildings, from which the voices are coming, is dark but I don’t need the light because the assholes are not trying to keep it quiet.

My breathing is labored like I ran miles,not mere feet, my gaze glued to the dark figure in front of me.

“Get your hands off of her, you fucker!” I pant through my clenched teeth, but when he doesn’t move fast enough, my hands grab his shoulder, pulling him to face me.

“What…”

White-hot rage prevents me from hearing anything he says as I swing at him. My fist connects with bone and soft flesh. A cracking sound fills the silence, and the shadow falls down to his knees.

Pain radiates through my clasped hands, but I almost don’t feel it because of the adrenaline rush in my veins. Using the opportunity to have him at his knees, literally, I kick him in the gut, twice. He bends forward, moaning painfully as he crashes to the ground.

“Not so brave now, are you asshole?” I spit, giving him one final kick in the stomach. But my glee is short-lived because a loud shriek rips through the night, making my head fly up.

There are more of them, the realization dawns on me.The fuckers ganged up on her.

I swear under my breath, angry at myself, the darkness that’s clouding my sight, and these fuckers who thought ganging up on a woman would be fun. I’m so furious, my brain concentrates on one thing and one thing only—getting Brook away from them.

My eyes have only somewhat adjusted to the darkness, so I lean on my senses and let the sound of the struggle guide me. I can see them push and pull. They’re so close to each other, they form one big shadow. I run toward them, grabbing the closest person.

They’re so lost in what they’re doing, they don’t even hear me coming. The guy almost slips through my fingers, but I dig them into the collar of his jacket and pull so hard he stumbles on his feet.

“Get your hands off of her, you stupid son of a bitch,” I growl.

That gets me their attention.Good.

The guy opens his mouth, but nothing comes from it because my clenched hand is shutting him up. All it takes is one swing, and he’s on his hands and knees.

“What the fuck, man?” The outraged question comes from behind me.

Slowly, I turn around.

I’ll get back to that douche later; Brook comes first.She’ll always come first.

“If I were you, I’d move your goddamn hands off of her,” I warn, my tone so quiet I can barely hear it from the thumping of blood in my veins. “Now.”

Cracking my knuckles to ease the ache in my hands, I look at the guy. He’s trembling in his spot, like the little pussy he is.Not so brave now, are we?

I stalk toward him, and with every step I make, I can see more clearly how pathetic he is. With every step I make, I loom more and more over him. I’m a good five or six inches taller and bulkier. He looks like a mess. His eyes are wide, pupils dilated from a mix of fear and alcohol that I can smell all around him. His face pales as I near, and I can see his throat bobble as he swallows, beads of sweat forming on his face.

He must be shell-shocked because he doesn’t listen. He’s still holding Brook.

With gritted teeth, I pull her out of his arms, trying to be as careful and as gentle as possible while at the same time not letting myself actually look at her. If I do, I’m gonna lose it.

“Get out of here.” I thrust my keys in her trembling hand and push her toward the main road, then I turn back to the guy.

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