Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70320 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70320 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
I can’t reach the holster. His weight is too heavy and he’s too big and my arm’s pinned. He punches me in the face once, twice, and I feel woozy in a way I never have with Peter. This bastard’s not holding back. I struggle, trying to fight, but he’s massive and there’s nothing I can do. His weight is crushing me and I can barely breathe and there are spots in my eyes and, fuck, he’s going to kill me, he’s going to kill me right here on this bathroom floor and there’s nothing I can do to stop him. There’s no getting up after this, no second round, I should’ve pulled my gun and now I’m fucking dead.
“Rastus says hello,” the man whispers in a thick accent.
As my vision starts going dark around the edges, the door bursts open and my attacker looks up. The burly fuck says something in Greek before a fist takes him in the mouth, knocking him back. I gasp for air and roll onto my side, coughing hard and choking and gagging and trying to clear my head. I get up onto my hands and knees and watch as Peter pummels the big man, fists slamming into his face over and over again, turning the burly bastard’s mouth and nose into mush. “You shouldn’t have touched her,” Peter says, takes a fist full of the man’s hair, and slams the guy’s face into the sink.
He leaves an ugly red smear on the white porcelain. Peter does it again, and again, and finally there’s a sickening, horrible crunch, and the man slumps to the floor.
There’s blood everywhere and the big guy isn’t moving.
“Adrienne.” Peter kneels next to me. “Are you okay?” He pulls me into his arms and starts checking me over for wounds.
“I think so.” I touch my throat. My ears are ringing and my head’s spinning, but I’m alive. “What did you do?” I stare at the unmoving corpse and the blood on Peter’s clothes.
“Nobody touches you,” he says as he pulls me to my feet. “Nobody.”
The door opens again. This time it’s Simion, looking concerned. He stares at the scene, at me in Peter’s arms and down at the body on the floor, and all the damn blood, and his hands come up to his mouth in horror.
“You said no violence,” he whispers and takes a step back. “You promised, Peter.”
“She was attacked.” He releases me and stands, facing Simion, and puts himself between us protectively.
“And you killed the man in cold blood in this bar.” Simion throws the envelope of cash at Peter. “Get out of here. Get the hell out of here.”
Peter reaches back and helps me up. He says something in Greek and Simion only shakes his head. Peter pulls me out after him and we stumble down the darkened hallway and out an emergency back exit.
The alley smells like beer and piss. Peter leans me against the brick and checks me again, fingers probing my face, my head, looking for wounds. “Did he say anything?” he asks. “Did he want anything?”
“No,” I whisper and start blinking back tears. “Wait. Yes. He came in and attacked me. I did what you showed me, I hit him in the crotch, punched him in the neck, and tried to run. Peter, if I’d pulled my gun, none of this would’ve happened, but I was too scared. I just ran instead.”
“It’s not your fault,” he says and squeezes my arms. “Listen to me, Adrienne. You’ve been training for only a few days. Nobody gets good in that short of time. It’s a miracle you survived at all, you beautiful fucking girl.”
He kisses me then and I lose myself in his lips. I return the kiss with a needy desperation. I was nearly murdered on that bathroom floor and he saved my life, he smashed that man’s skull in to protect me, and now I’m sick of pretending like I don’t want this.
All I do is make excuses. All I do is act out of fear.
No more fear. No more holding back.
I sink into that kiss and when we break apart, he stares into my eyes.
“Now, I need you to tell me. What did he say?”
My stomach is a sick knot. “He said, ‘Rastus says hello.’ That’s all.”
Peter’s grip on my shoulders tightens. The horror in his eyes is so intense that it makes my entire body shiver. Slowly, he composes himself, lets out a breath, and relaxes his fingers as he turns away. He strips off his bloody shirt and tosses it aside. Better to wear nothing than to move around the city covered in someone else’s life.
“Come on. Let’s go home. We have more work to do.”
Chapter 13
Adrienne
I have fresh marks on my throat. New bruises under my eyes. My nose is swollen again. My lips are cracked and bloody. I sink into a hot bath and let the warm water wrap itself around my pain as I stare at the ceiling and go over the fight again for the thousandth time.