Page 55 of The Reluctant Hero

I barely have time to catch his collar and pull him back. He takes a swing at me. I’m too familiar with his first salvo to let it hit, knocking his arm down with my forearm. I’m not as prepared for the surprising addition of his fist in my ribs.

My air tries to desert me as we glare at each other.

“I am not doing this with you. Calm. Down,” I grit in his face.

He blinks and shakes his head as if he’s trying to throw his anger off. Seeing my face and looking into my eyes helps center him enough to knock him out of it. Manny is pressed against the wall, watching us warily.

“He’s gearin’ up to hurt her, Mik. Let me lose.” His tone is wrecked with rage, but he’s making sense, at least.

The conversation outside continues as we stare each other down. Amanda is laughing at Blake as he demands answers. We listen to them, still staring at each other. I still have a good grip on the back of his collar, though his shirt has been stretched out. I think he’s calming down until Amanda ruins it.

“Are you telling me that if I get caught with another guy, you’ll divorce me?”

“You aremine, Amanda!”

That tone. That’s violent. I’m loosening my grip on Ace when Amanda drops her bomb.

“Fuck that. I’m screwing every man in this building and taking out an ad in the paper. Social media? There’s so many ways I could do this.”

Ace lunges for the door. Manny slides out of the way with wide eyes filled with fear. Gabe elbows Ace in the side, forcing out a harsh grunt as I catch up to him. I grab him by the bicep and haul him back hard enough he stumbles and hits the wall.

When he raises his chin there’s no sign of recognition in his eyes as he sneers at me. I’m not his friend anymore. Right now I’m an obstacle keeping him from what he wants. Namely to have Blake’s head on a platter to serve to her. Or to bend her over and spank her ass for daring to say something like that where we could hear.

I brace myself as he comes at me, tackling me. He’s gotten stronger with rage, not that he’s a pushover to begin with. My feet slide until I hit the mattress on the floor, his fists pummeling my sides the entire way. He’s not going to feel anything I do back. Pain won’t register for him until he’s calmer.

He keeps moving, forcing the mattress to skid along with me. I almost fall when it wedges against something. The sturdier surface helps me regain my feet and push back.

Instead of trying to do more damage, I shove him away, getting my foot up to kick him even farther.

He crashes into the open drawer, breaking it off and spreading photos and letters everywhere.

I advance on him to get a firm grip on his shirt and force him into the kitchen, where he has less room to maneuver. He slips on one of the pages and cartwheels, slamming an elbow into a cabinet and cracking the fake wood as he goes down. I almost fall with him. I’ve just caught my balance when his bootslams into my chest, knocking me into the fridge. It tilts at my weight and skids until it hits the wall.

I have enough time to see Ace’s fist coming at my face and fall out of the way. He hits the fridge’s door hard enough to dent it.

She really isn’t going to get her deposit back.

I straighten and shove him into the wall, holding him there as he swings wildly, connecting with any part of me he can.

Yeah, I’m used to getting hit, but damn, his fists are like iron.

When he tries to head-butt me, I pull him forward to slam him into the wall again.

“Ace,” I grit out. “Snap out of it.”

“Amanda,” Gabe says coldly.

My shoulders hike up, expecting to hear her tirade over the damage to her apartment.

Ace’s fists drop, and he blinks a few times.

I gape at him in angry disbelief.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I grit out and shove him again as I back away.

Ace shakes his head and looks around me, frowning.

“Where is she?”

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