Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 49530 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49530 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Holding her basket in front of her as a shield, Elizabeth stepped in front of the other woman, protecting her. Elizabeth knew she had to look ridiculous. All one hundred and twenty pounds of her, standing on her tiptoes to make herself look taller in front of an angry man who had to weigh two fifty.
“I’ll be out of here with everything I want before the police can get here,” the brute scoffed at her as he stepped menacingly closer.
“Hey, Buttercup. Did you find those pastries the guys wanted?” a familiar voice called from the side of the standoff.
Surprised, Elizabeth turned to see Talon and five large bikers approaching from the crowd which divided readily to allow them through. Torn between being happy to see his handsome face and concerned that the situation had just become worse, she tightened her fingers around the handle of her basket.
“Your biker buddy is trying to shake down this woman,” she answered, focusing back on the threat.
“He’s not a Shadowridge Guardian,” a tall, built man with short hair assured her. “We wouldn’t take him. Seems like we made a good decision.”
“Fuck you, Steele. Like I ever wanted to be part of your pansy group.”
“Sure. Let’s go with that. You need to back off. Twenty people already called the police. They’ll be here in two minutes,” Steele said firmly as Talon kept approaching.
“Hey, Buttercup,” Talon greeted her and pressed a kiss to her temple before lifting Elizabeth off her feet to place her behind him.
“Want to pick on someone your own size?” Talon asked the hulking man in front of him.
The man scoffed and sized up Talon. “I’ve got a good sixty pounds on you.”
“Yeah, but yours is all padding and mine is ready to kick your butt,” Talon answered.
Looking at the back of his head, Elizabeth could hear the shit-eating grin that had to accompany his assertion. She wanted to tell him to be safe but didn’t want to distract him.
The sound of distant sirens caught her attention. The noise increased as the two stood squared off against each other. Elizabeth could feel the tension radiating from Talon’s body while he stood nonchalantly. She was amazed he seemed totally unfazed by the bully in front of him.
“Oh, yeah. With your friends behind you to back you up, you’re tough. I’ll just be the bigger guy and walk away now,” the other biker sneered.
“Stellar idea,” Talon congratulated him.
With a snort of disgust, the man turned and created a path through the gathered crowd. Talon watched until he was completely out of sight before turning.
“You live an exciting life, Little girl,” he commented.
“Thanks for coming.” She slipped her hand into Talon’s and squeezed his. Even with a million unpleasant work experiences, Elizabeth didn’t like confrontations. She could feel herself shaking and tried to get it under control.
“I’m glad the Chaplain wanted some corn to grill for dinner. How did you get involved in this?” he asked.
Talon pulled her closer to wrap his arms around her. Resting her head against his chest, Elizabeth allowed herself to absorb some of his strength. In the distance, she heard the sound of a rough motorcycle engine sputtering to life.
Steele commented to the other members around him, “Glad he won’t be bringing that trash for us to fix.”
Hoping Talon would forget his question, Elizabeth rotated in his arms to look at the vendor to ask, “Are you okay?”
“I am. Thanks to you, I still have some things to sell. Looks like I need to talk to the people who organize the market to urge them to get some security in here,” the woman said as she straightened her shoulders. “I should get that broken glass picked up. I don’t want anyone to get cut.”
“I think the guys have it,” Talon assured her and lifted a hand from Elizabeth’s back to wave at the group of bikers who’d stationed themselves around the glass as Steele picked up the shards.
“Thank you all,” the woman called. “And thank you, miss. You jumped into a bad situation. Not the smartest thing to do, but I appreciate your support.”
“It was nothing,” Elizabeth said, glancing sideways at Talon who had stiffened next to her, his arms tightening around her.
The woman nodded and smiled. “Can I send you home with a can of my market-famous beets? Just as a special thank you?”
“I’d love that. Thank you.” Elizabeth stepped away from the security of Talon’s arms to accept the beets. She missed his support immediately.
“Here. You take one, too.” The vendor thrust one at Talon.
“Thank you, ma’am. I hope the rest of your day is amazing. Everyone should support you,” Talon said, the last sentence at a louder volume. Instantly, she had a crowd at her booth.
He eased Elizabeth away as the woman turned to help her customers. Placing his jar in Elizabeth’s basket, he plucked the handles from her hands and held it out for her to stow hers as well. Before they moved away from the booth, he tucked a twenty into the case containing the beets.