Page 25 of Tick Tock, Boom!

“Damn, didn’t know we were bringin’ in fresh pussy. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

I froze. and Aiyana tensed beside me.

I watched as she closed her eyes, as if expecting the chaos, and sure enough, it exploded.

My father's fist came out of nowhere, slamming into the guy’s face with a sickening crack. Blood sprayed across the bar, catching on leather and wood. The guy staggered, dazed, but before he could even hit the ground, my Dad grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back up.

"You wanna talk like that again? About my daughter?" Barrel roared, his voice so loud it vibrated in my bones.

Another punch landed, this one to the guy’s gut. He doubled over, gasping. Then another, right across the jaw.

Men started moving in, trying to pull my father back, but he shook them off like they were made of paper. The guy was coughing blood now, one eye already swelling shut.

“Fuckingstop!” Aiyana shouted beside me, but it was too late.

My father pulled his arm back for another hit, and that’s when the doors flew open.

“Enough!” The voice cracked through the chaos like a whip. A very familiar voice that made my heart skip a beat.

Tick Tock.

He stormed in, eyes burning, cut hanging open, his hair wild, flowing just below his neckline. He shoved two brothers aside and pushed his way straight over to my father, getting between him and the half-conscious guy on the ground.

“Back the fuck off,” Tick Tock barked. “You kill him, you’re cleaning brain off the floor for a week.”

My father’s chest heaved. His fists were still clenched, knuckles smeared with blood. He glared at Tick Tock, but stepped back, just enough.

“You didn't hear what he said to her?”

Tick Tock didn’t look at him. Not at first. His eyes scanned the scene, then locked on me.

My father stood every one of them, breathing hard. “She’s. My. Daughter.”

Tick Tock's eyes widened, and it was like I’d punched him straight in the chest.

He froze.

The bloodied man groaned from somewhere on the floor. Aiyana had stepped in front of me, shielding me with her body. But Tick Tock couldn’t look away. His lips parted, shock written across his face.

Because he knew. And I knew he knew. That his kitten was his brother's daughter.

Tick Tock stood there, breathing hard, as my father turned and made it official.

“This is my daughter, Natalia,” he growled to the room. “If any of you lay a hand on her, I’ll gut you.”

And Tick Tock?

He could only stare at me as he came to the realization that he'd already laid hands on me and neither of us had any idea how we were going to survive this.

TICK TOCK

What the fuck was she doing here?

That was the first thought that hit me like a punch to the gut as soon as I laid eyes on her.

Natalia.

My Kitten

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