Page 30 of Montana Memory

Low. Even. Deadly. “Fine. Clock starts when the first one moves.”

The biggest of the three, a six-foot-five brick wall with tattoos snaking up his thick neck, grinned like he thought this was going to be fun. His knuckles cracked as he rolled his shoulders, then took a step forward. “Let’s go.”

Big mistake. I moved before his foot even planted.

I was on him in less than two seconds. My left hand shot out, grabbed his wrist and twisted at the same time my booted foot connected with his knee. The snap of bone was quick, sharp, swallowed by his shout of pain as his knee buckled. Before he could fall, I wrenched him forward, driving my elbow into the side of his skull. He dropped.

One down. I had to have at least forty-five seconds left.

The second guy reacted fast, swinging wide. Sloppy. Predictable. I ducked, twisted into him, and slammed him into the nearest wall. The force knocked the air from his lungs in a wheezing gasp. I didn’t give him time to recover. A sharp knee to his ribs had him doubling over, and a quick elbow to the back of his head sent him crumpling.

Two down.

The third man hesitated.

He was smarter than the other two, but not smart enough to walk away. Instead, he lunged. His punch was faster, aimed straight at my face. I ducked, pivoted, and kicked his leg out from under him.

He didn’t go down easy. He rolled, came up swinging, this time a knife in his hand. I didn’t have time to debate the fact that he was breaking the rules of engagement. He got one good slice across my bicep before I blocked, countered, grabbed his wrist, and torqued him sideways. His own momentum worked against him.

He hit the floor hard, and before he could get up, I drove my knee into his chest, and he lost his grip on the knife. One well-placed punch and his body went limp.

I stood, exhaled slowly. Rolled my shoulders as I glanced at Copper.

“Fifty-four seconds. Impressive.” His smirk had slipped, eyes narrowing as he flicked a glance at his unconscious men. He tapped his fingers against the table like he was weighing his options.

I turned my head slightly toward Jada. “You good?”

She let out a breath. “Yeah.”

Copper blew out a slow, annoyed exhale, rubbing his jaw. “Gotta say, man, that was quite a feat.”

I didn’t respond. Just stared at him, waiting.

He lifted his hands in mock surrender. “All right, all right. You win.” His smirk came back, smaller now, edged with something I couldn’t quite place. “I’ll tell you about your little memory-wiping drug.”

I rolled my shoulders again, letting my body settle from the fight. My breathing was even. My hands steady. My mind clear.

He eyed me, then Jada, before finally leaning back in his chair. “It’s called Blank Space on the street. Supposed to erase trauma, bad memories, all that psychological bullshit people don’t wanna deal with. But it’s unstable.” He lifted a shoulder. “Just as likely to kill someone as it is to work.”

Jada stiffened next to me. I didn’t look at her, but I felt the way her breathing hitched, the slight shift in her posture. Caleb had already told me this yesterday, but it was new info to her.

I took a step closer to Copper, making sure his focus stayed on me. “How do you counter it?”

He snorted. “You don’t.”

I held his gaze. “Don’t screw with me.”

He spread his hands, a larger smirk playing at his lips. “I’m not. Guy who created the drug went cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, from what I understand. So there’s no antidote, no reversal. If there was, don’t you think I’d be selling that instead?” His eyes flicked to Jada again, slow and mocking. “I warned her about that when I sold it to her. Figured she’d listen.” Another smirk. God, I was getting fucking tired of it. “Not that women ever do.”

Jada went rigid beside me, but she didn’t say anything.

Copper leaned back, lazy and smug, his gaze dragging over Jada like she was a thing he owned. “You know, last time we talked, I told you what would happen if you came back. Seeing you today, I figure that meant you wanted it.”

Jada inhaled sharply, but I was already moving, stepping in front of her again, cutting off whatever question was about to leave her lips. She didn’t need to ask. I already knew where this was going.

Copper’s eyes glinted, his grin slow and deliberate. “You, me, a little alone time. You were all about it, baby.”

Jada went completely still behind me, her silence sharp as a blade.

---