Page 4 of The Firefighter's Angel
Branches snap beneath my boots as I tear through the underbrush, adrenaline spiking hot and primal. Whoever that is, they’re in trouble. And I don’t stand back when someone needs help.
I crest the ridge and sight a girl. She’s young, redheaded, beautiful even from thirty feet away. She stumbles back as a beer-bellied man with greasy hair grabs her arm hard enough to leave marks. She’s terrified. Her whole body’s coiled tight, chest heaving, eyes wide and glassy.
I move faster.
“Hey!” My voice booms louder than I intend. The man jumps. So does she.
They both turn, but I’ve already covered the distance. I wedge myself between them, stepping right up to the guy like I’ve known him for years and already decided I don’t like him.
“What’s going on here?”
The guy holds up his hands, his mouth twisted into a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Whoa, easy there. This is my sister. We were just having a—uh—misunderstanding.”
“Sister?” I repeat, looking down at the girl. She flinches, and that’s all I need to know.
I turn to her fully, and suddenly, it feels like the whole damn forest has fallen silent.
She’s…stunning. Freckles dust her nose, red curls matted to her damp face, and eyes like glaciers in sunlight. There’s dirt smudged on her cheek, blood on her knuckles, and still…still she looks like the most delicate, breathtaking thing I’ve ever seen.
Something shifts in me. Fast. Violent. Possessive.
I don’t even know her name, but my fists are already twitching with the urge to wreck something on her behalf.
“You okay?” I ask her, keeping my voice low and controlled.
She doesn’t answer right away. Her lips part like she’s trying, but her eyes flick to the man beside me, and her hand tightens around the strap of her bag. Her whole body’s screaming no.
“Let go of her,” I say, louder this time. I don’t raise my voice. I don’t need to.
The man hesitates, eyes me up and down. He sees the wild in me, but thinks maybe he’s still got a shot at bluffing his way through this.
“She’s fine. Right, Cindy?” he says, trying to smile at her again.
She steps back.
I step forward. “You’ve got three seconds to back the hell off.”
The guy’s smirk twitches. “Look, I didn’t mean any harm. We were just—”
“One.”
He laughs nervously. “Come on, man—”
“Two.”
His smile dies.
He looks at the girl, then at me, then throws up his hands. “Whatever,” he mutters, giving her a condescending look. “She’s not worth it.”
I take a step toward him anyway, just to watch him flinch. “Leave. Now.”
He stumbles back, muttering under his breath, and disappears through the trees like the rat he is. The second he’s gone, I turn to her. She’s shaking, her eyes wide with fear and a hint of relief.
“Hey,” I say gently. “You’re safe now. I got you.”
“Thank you,” she whispers. Her eyes brim with tears, but she blinks them back fast.
Tough little thing.
