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My fist flies out, clocking Dex straight in the jaw and sending him a few feet back. The other guy’s all over me like a rash, and then Dex is back. I’ve got nothing other than fighting them off as best as I can, all the time trying to keep her safe behind me.
I keep taking hit after hit, continuously pushing her backwards with my back. She starts spitting venom and trying to push guys off me, and then I feel her pulled out from behind me. I spin instantly, glaring at Creep as he starts hauling her away. “Leave her the fuck alone!”
He doesn’t, and the next thing I know, Jonny’s got her arm in his grip, and Creep’s coming back at me with the other guy.
“KAI!” she shouts. “FIGHT!”
Everything in me loses it. I don’t even know where my head’s at other than still seeing her struggling in Jonny’s grip. It’s just a blur of blood and fists, and the darkness of the alley just amplifies that. Punch after punch rallies out of me, legs sweeping and head butting at anything that comes near me. I spin in the middle of it, reaching for her to try getting her away. Jonny gets shoved backwards to crash into the wall, and she runs sideways in my view. Gives me a chance to get in front of her again and pant, backing us up.
I glare at anything and everything, trying to find some goddamn sense and a route out. Shame of it is, we’re backed up now with no getting out. Alley’s a fucking black hole dead end, and there’s still five of them and one of me.
I watch each one of them picking themselves up off the ground and start coming for me again. “You’re gonna run like hell in a minute,” I mutter quietly at her as I start moving us forward at them towards the way out. “You ready?”
“What? No,” she says behind me. “I’m not leaving you. Wait.”
I growl and keep moving, eyes on all of them for the best run through them. “Goddamn, Mariana. Do as I fucking say.”
“I will not leave. Just do what you do and …” she stops speaking. “Oh, thank fuck.” I keep glaring, unsure what the hell she’s talking about until I hear the thunder of cars come hollering along the top road. A set of headlights turns sharply into the alley, followed by another. They both dim. It takes me about six seconds to realise what’s going down, and damn if that doesn’t increase my odds.
Dexter and his guy turn, and the sound of low, muffled gunfire ricochets instantly.
I watch both bodies drop to the floor like stone. “You screwed all the way up this time, Jonny,” murmurs from me. Low laughter rumbles around the space, and I watch three sets of legs moving in behind the gang. It’s like a cascade of dark light illuminating them. Slow steps, no fucking fear. My smile increases, and I keep backing us both away from what’s about to happen so she’s square behind me with no way of getting hurt. “Wrong family to fuck with. This is Cortez ground. She’s one of them.”
He’s not looking at me anymore. He’s got his gun out, and he’s pointing it around the dark in hope. Guess he just worked out his life is over, as have Creep and the other guy, because they're scrambling for weapons, too. The rush of a long coat sweeps through the gloom, and before Creep even manages a hit towards it, or any aim, he’s on the ground with his neck broken.
Still, I’m watching Jonny like a hawk, knowing, without any fucking doubt, he’ll try heading for her as leverage.
“Mariana.” That’s Abel’s voice. “You there?”
“Yes,” she calls. “I’m fine. Kai’s got me.” The guy who was with Creep makes a run for it. He’s shoved up against a wall, and I finally see a face in the gloom. Shaw. Fucker fights like a maniac, precise and deadly, and he’s killed the guy without much effort and is snorting in disgust the moment it’s done.
“You back the fuck off!” Jonny shouts, as he tries to move.
A shot fires from his side of the alley, as if that’s going to help his chances. It isn't. He was dead the moment she called for help, because every single one of us here would kill to protect her, and I keep watching him trying to move away in case I've got a try at achieving that.
Knox is near in front of me before I can see anymore, half his back covering me and her. Shaw comes in from the side in the next breath, and then all I can hear is scuffling and more of Jonny’s shouts. Those shouts turn to pleas pretty soon, and then it’s nothing but grunts and groans.
“You want this one, Kai?” Abel’s voice calls. Fuck yes, but I’m not leaving Mariana. No matter how many brothers she’s got surrounding her or how she’s trying to shove out from behind me.
Shaw moves sideways, giving me room. “We’ve got her. Go. Doubt there’s much of him left now.” I walk out slowly, checking behind me to watch them close around her. It’s just her head I can see, and even then, it’s partly hidden behind their shoulders. Safe as she could be, whether she likes it or not.
By the time I’m over to where Abel is, he’s got Jonny on the floor and one polished shoe holding his neck down. “Who the hell is this punk?” he asks, offering me his gun.
Jonny rolls onto his back and looks up at me as Abel lifts his foot. “No. Kai. Don’t. I'll-” It only takes me two fucking seconds to use a bullet. No thought. No mercy.
No talk.
The dull shot fires, his temple buckles in, and I don’t give one damn about it. He touched her. Nothing to think about.
“Old problems,” I mutter, staring down at the bloodied carnage. “Used to be a friend.”
“Knox, hey, what are you doing?” Mariana shouts. I look back to find her in Knox’s grip, one arm up behind her back as he pushes her forward. “Get off me!”
“No. You’re in over your head, in danger, and this time it’s on Kai. You’re out of here.”
I step to move towards them, to get Knox the hell off of her, but my shoulder is pulled back. My scowl is aimed at Abel, but a punch still lands hard on my jaw. I stumble back from it but continue to fight to get to her, body using every bit of strength it’s got left. Muscles rally, and before I know what I’m doing, I’m tackling Knox to get him the fuck off her. She screams the second my feet get taken out from under me, and then Knox is beating the hell out of my guts.
“Don’t ever fucking bring her into your shit!” Knox snarls, as he rains down the hits. My instinct to protect her from Jonny is gone from my head. I don’t need that anymore, and realisation dawns that this is another beating to prove my goddamn worth. Whatever cool I've got left disintegrates.
