Page 48 of First Chance

All I could gather was that they saw a truck on the other side of the fence, and it took off once it saw us. Frank wanted to chase after it, but Arizona was driving the other truck and cut him off. I couldn’t hear exactly what he said, but he called him a few choice words that set Frank off.

He slammed on the accelerator and we took off again. A scream ripped from my throat as my head slammed against the side window and bounced, smashing my cheek against the back wall.

Curtis unbuckled his seat belt and bounced as Frank hit a bump, crashing into the center console before leaning over me to shield my head from more damage. “Dammit, Frank. STOP THE TRUCK!”

“FINE!” He slams on the brakes, and it feels like the entire truck is going to explode into pieces as he crashes to a stop.

It’s too silent as Ryker frantically claws his seat belt off and leaps from his seat. That’s when I hear a very distinct growl that makes me want to curl into my seat further and cry.

He’s mad.

Big mad.

“I’m sorry, boss. I’m sorry. We tried to get him to slow down.” Curtis’s voice is hollow in my ears as he gets further away from me. I can’t look. I can’t look.

I have to.

My eyelids crack open one at a time, but I don’t have to search for what I’m looking for at all. Lochlan is standing directly in my line of sight, staring at me through the passenger side door.

His eyes are wide with fury, but his jaw is set, lockedso tightly I can see the muscles working the side of his face. He lunges suddenly, his frame blocking all the light from the moon as he grabs Frank by his shirt and forcefully drags him out of the driver’s seat. As soon as he’s through the passenger door, he’s launched into the dirt.

He hardly has a moment to cry out in pain when Lochlan grabs him by the back of the neck like a rag doll and throws him against the porch steps as if he weighs nothing, brutally knocking the wind out of him.

Then he’s on him.

His fist connects with Frank’s cheek, bouncing his head against the wooden boards. The impact of the second punch makes his neck snap to the side with a sickening crunch.

I brace myself for the third blow and the damage it will inevitably cause, but it never comes.

His forearm drives into his chest, pinning him down as the other hand grips his throat. “You’re done. You’re fucking done. I should kill you,” his voice thunders, rattling my bones.

He is going to kill him. Even with how dark it is, I can see the redness of Frank’s face turning purple. His eyes are bulging with exertion to breathe, and the fear that he might not be able to again.

He’s going to kill him.

And no one is doing anything. Everyone is watching on like spectators while I’m frantically searching for the answer to this problem. No one is reacting at all until my eyes catch Hayes’s.

“Loch.” His voice calls out after he tears his gaze from mine. “LOCH!” He barks louder, finally drawing the angry man’s attention. “That’s enough.”

Lochlan glares at him as they have a silent standoff, aconversation among two people who have known each other for a decade, but Lochlan still doesn’t loosen his grip.

Frank’s eyes flutter, and my hand covers my mouth, but a squeak escapes.

“You’re scaring her,” Hayes says quietly, but I read it on his lips and watch as Lochlan’s furious attention latches onto me, still in the truck.

His wild eyes glare at me as if I’m the next victim before loosening his grip on Frank and pushing himself up and off of him.

When he straightens to his full height, it’s like he’s standing taller and wider, filled with adrenaline. His hands flex at his sides, his muscles twitching as if he’s still contemplating homicide, and I can’t breathe.

“Get his shit, take him to the closest rat infested motel, he’s not welcome here anymore. I’ll deal with the rest of you tomorrow,” his deep voice instructs calmly. The shift is so sudden, I’m sure I imagined it, but everyone starts moving around him, silently obeying his command.

No one is surprised at all by tonight’s turn of events.

Within 60 seconds, Frank is moved from the steps, and everyone has disappeared.

Aside from Lochlan.

His steps are heavy as he approaches the truck, not looking at me until he braces himself between the door frame and the back of the passenger seat, his midnight eyes roaming over me. There isn’t a trace of anger in them, but I’m still afraid to speak.

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