Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 67(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 67(@300wpm)
I didn’t roll my eyes or give a sarcastic comment; I was too scared. I had never seen them like this; hatred filled their eyes, and I could smell alcohol on their snarled lips. They’d taken me into a dark, secluded alley. It was obvious they meant me harm.
“Not so tough without campus security up your ass, are you?” Riley growled. Over the past couple of weeks, I honored Troy’s request for an escort, and apparently it had gotten under the guys’ skin.
“You think you and your boyfriend can talk to us the way you did and get away with it? Your bodyguard isn’t here now; all I see is a weak little bitch.”
I had to get out of his grip or I had no chance of defending myself. He had my shoulders trapped, so I was unable to move my arms. Instead, I slammed my head forward, headbutting him right in the bridge of his nose. It wasn’t ideal, as I saw stars for a moment, but it did the trick. Riley stumbled away, gripping his nose as blood gushed over his fingers.
I leapt away from the wall and considered running; Troy taught me that the best way to defend yourself in a situation was to remove yourself, but the other men were too close. There was no getting away, so I dropped into a defensive stance, guarding my face with raised fists.
“You’re gonna pay for that,” Brant warned before stomping up to me. He cocked his fist back, giving me time to land a quick jab to his jaw as Troy’s words rolled around my head; quickness is key. Especially since these guys were bigger than I was; I needed to throw quick punches and get away.
Brant rocked back on his heels, appearing shocked that a lowly weakling was able to hit him. Shocked and pissed. He hurled a heavy-handed punch to my stomach. I closed in my arms to block most of the hit, but my gut absorbed some of the pressure. Pain burst through my abdomen, but it could have been way worse.
The ‘worse’ came in the form of a bloody fist from Riley, which landed beneath my eye. I stumbled and saw stars dancing in my vision again, but I shook my head to refocus. If I lost consciousness, I was fucked.
I gathered all of my strength, swiveled my hips, and threw a right hook at Riley’s jaw. It was Troy’s signature move, and he taught me well. I was surprised and proud as Riley fell back onto his ass.
“The fuck?” Brant yelled, bewilderment in his eyes. Unfortunately, they also held determination. He threw a wild haymaker, and while I deflected its bulk, his fist still grazed my eyebrow, sending a splitting pain through my head. I answered with an uppercut to his chin, sending him to the asphalt as well.
It gave me a few moments to catch my breath as I clutched my aching head. But they weren’t giving up. Both of them rose to their feet, looking angrier than ever.
*****
Troy
I smiled when I spotted Avery’s car in the parking lot, and I pulled in next to it. After I made sure my truck was locked, I strolled along the sidewalk to Mitchell’s, the steakhouse where I was meeting my love.
But when I reached the front door, Avery was nowhere to be found. Even though he texted that he would wait for me outside, I tried not to let panic set in. Maybe he got cold and changed his mind.
So, I opened the door and stepped inside. The hostess greeted me, but I ignored her; I was scanning the dining room for Avery’s handsome face. The restaurant wasn’t that big or busy, so it only took a moment to search every table. I didn’t see him anywhere, and my stomach dropped. I instinctively knew something wasn’t right.
With one last act of desperation, I sprinted to the restroom, hoping to find him there, but the stalls were empty. The hostess called out something as I ran out the front door, but I didn’t listen. My only focus was to find my sweet Avery. My gut told me something was very wrong.
I jogged down the sidewalk towards my truck, ready to jump in and scour the city, when a familiar sound struck my eardrum; beep, beep, boop…beep, beep, boop. Avery was in trouble.
I followed the sound into an alleyway, and nothing could have prepared me for what I found. Two men - the same ones who were harassing him outside the cafe a couple of weeks ago - were attacking my Avery. Fury tore through me; two against one was absolute overkill. They were out to hurt him. Or worse.
But they weren’t without their battlemarks. Both of them were bloodied and bruised, and although he was obviously winded, tired, and hurting, Avery was still standing, and still swinging at both of them. My man put up one hell of a fight, but he was never going to fight alone again.