Page 119 of Keep Your Guard Up
My legs traitorously wobbled, my abdomen burning at the movement. The world turned fuzzy and hazy, but I urged the adrenalin to hit my system.
C’mon, body. Level me up.
JJ, who had at some point found his way next to me, stepped slightly behind me. To others, Randy included, it would have looked like JJ was hiding behind me. But it was his knee wedged behind mine to stop my legs from buckling that told me my best mate was okay. He was here. He was ready.
“The only way my hands are coming up is to fucking flog you,” I growled, the words burning through my throat as I fought like hell to remain in control. “Let go of her, before I have to.”
He laughed. The sound was putrid, and I promised myself to never remember it.
“You’re not as scary as you think, Riordan.” He threw a sharp, wicked smile my way. “I was so close to finishing you off. Somehow, this little whore—”
“Watch it,” I snarled, my back teeth beginning to ache from biting down, a lock on my jaw.
“She comes in and kisses you. Kisses you! And somehow you win twelve seconds after the round starts.” He ran the barrel of the gun up and down the side of Mari’s beautiful face. It caughton her cheekbones, but she didn’t flinch. She kept her eyes on me, and I gave her a subtle nod.
I know what you’re doing, keep doing it. I’ve got you.
“Was there a point to your little tale? Aside from pointing out the obvious,” JJ chided.
Slowly, slightly, I inched forward. I was all too aware of JJ’s handy little pocketknife in my back pocket. It was rusty from years of sitting in the crowded glove box of his ute, but it would be our saving grace now. Not yet … just a little longer.
“That belt is mine, Riordan. I’ll make it mine again.”
The hand that gripped Mari’s shoulder moved to cup her neck. “Hmm, I’m curious just how good this pussy must be to have you so wound up over it.” He leaned his nose in and scented her like afucking dog.
No.
No.
No.
All thoughts flew, lost to the fire, as every ounce of control burst into flames inside of me. After ripping the flimsy little blade from my back pocket, I drove it—short, sharp, and fast—into the forearm holding the gun to Mari’s head. It struck true in one of his outer forearm muscles, forcing his grip release on the gun.
Randy roared in pain and threw Mari into the wall, leaving a dent behind and crumpling my beautiful woman to the floor. He chuckled at seeing her in pain, seeing what it did to me.
But that was where he went wrong.
Loving Mari didn’t make me weak.
It made meunstoppable.
He pulled the knife from his forearm and flung it at me.
Already moving, I easily evaded the blade flying through the air. The clatter of it falling sounded behind me, but I’d already struck. I jammed my fist hard and deep into the sealed-over cuton his eyebrow that I’d caused less than twenty-four hours ago. Using the sharp point of my knuckle, I dragged it, enough to split the cut into double the length. Blood immediately spurted down his face, but I was already on his other side, completely out of range when he swung in retaliation. My adrenalin took a toll and I stumbled into the wall, but then JJ was there.
There weren’t two professional fighters here.
There wasthree.
JJ’s attacks lured him away from the wall, away from Sunny and me. I groaned or roared—I couldn’t tell—as I kicked my body back into motion. Somehow, JJ had landed himself a split lip, filtering his front teeth crimson red. Randy rolled out of a left hand JJ had thrown but didn’t miss the body shot he followed through with. His brow was bursting with blood, and he let out a guttural groan at the blow to his liver. Randy hunched momentarily. Thinking he’d landed a hard enough blow, JJ stepped in to throw a knee to his asshole face. But JJ was wrong, so fucking wrong.
Randy snapped up tall as JJ closed in, a large, long blade now in his hand. He sliced a deep, ruthless slash across JJ’s chest. JJ’s teeth gritted in agony, but all I could hear was roaring in my ears when my eyes landed on Sunny, still crumpled on the floor.
Unconscious.
Battered.
Bleeding.
