"Tyler, please don't—"
Before I can finish, he's opening the door and stepping outside, pulling it shut behind him. I rush to the peephole, desperate to see what's happening.
Tyler stands in a relaxed posture that somehow radiates menace, facing the four men. Devin's face is still crusted with dried blood from their earlier encounter, his eyes wild with rage andprobably alcohol. Behind him, I recognize Mike and Drew from the auto shop, and Sam, Devin's brother. They share the same nose and jawline, though Sam is broader and burlier.
"Four of you against one of me?" Tyler's voice carries clearly through the door. "Not very sporting."
"Fuck you," Devin spits. "You humiliated me. Broke my fucking nose."
"You pulled a knife," Tyler responds evenly. "You're lucky that's all I broke."
"Where's my girlfriend?" Devin demands, trying to peer around Tyler at the motel room door.
"She's not your girlfriend anymore," Tyler says. "She made that pretty clear. Now walk away before this gets ugly."
Sam steps forward, cracking his knuckles. "Nobody does this to my brother and walks away, asshole."
"Last warning," Tyler says, shifting his stance slightly. "Leave now, while you still can."
"Get him!" Devin shouts, and everything explodes into motion.
Sam charges first, but Tyler sidesteps, driving an elbow into the larger man's kidney as he passes. Mike and Drew rush in together, trying to flank him. Tyler moves, landing a brutal punch to Mike's throat that drops him gagging to the ground before spinning to block Drew's wild haymaker.
It's like watching a deadly dance. Three against one, yet Tyler seems to anticipate every move before it happens, always a step ahead, always in control. Sam recovers and lunges again, but Tyler delivers a vicious kick to his knee that makes a sickening crack. Sam goes down howling.
But then Devin, who's been hanging back, sees an opening. He darts forward and delivers a savage blow directly to Tyler's bad leg, the one with the scar. I see Tyler's face contort with pain as his leg buckles. He drops to one knee, and Drew immediately capitalizes, landing a solid punch to Tyler's jaw.
"No!" I scream, yanking open the door. I'm not thinking clearly, only knowing that I need to help him, that I can't let him be hurt because of me.
Before I can rush out, something unexpected happens. A massive motorcycle roars into the parking lot, screeching to a halt. Its rider, a huge man with a thick beard and the same leather cut as Tyler, dismounts and charges toward the fight like a raging bull.
Without hesitation, the newcomer grabs Drew by the collar and delivers a punch so powerful that I hear the impact from where I stand. Drew crumples to the ground, unconscious before he hits the pavement. Mike, who had just regained his feet, takes one look at the mountain of a man and tries to run, but he doesn't get far. The bearded giant catches him by the back of the shirt and slams him face-first into a parked car.
"You okay, Hawk?" the massive man asks, extending a hand to help Tyler up.
Tyler nods, accepting the assistance. "Thanks for the save, Knight. What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Reaper sent me," Knight replies, keeping a wary eye on Devin, who's backed up against a wall, eyes wide with fear. "Said when I told him I was doing research for you, he got a bad feeling. Told me to haul ass over here and make sure you weren't getting yourself into something you couldn't handle alone. Call it a Christmas Miracle."
"Good timing," Tyler acknowledges, testing his weight on his injured leg.
Devin, seeing his backup neutralized, tries to make a break for it, but Knight moves with surprising speed for his size, cutting off his escape route.
"Where you going, asshole?" Knight growls. "We're just getting acquainted."
"This isn't over," Devin snarls, though his bravado is clearly forced. "You can't watch her forever."
Tyler limps forward, his face darkening with fury. "Actually, it is over. And I'm done playing nice."
What happens next unfolds so quickly I can barely process it. Tyler grabs Devin by the throat, slamming him against the wall of the motel. With his free hand, he pulls out his knife, pressing the tip under Devin's chin hard enough to draw a single bead of blood.
"Listen carefully," Tyler says, his voice so low I have to strain to hear it. "If you ever come near her again, if you call her, text her, even say her fucking name, I will end you. And it won't be quick."
Devin's eyes bulge with terror as the knife presses harder. "You wouldn't—"
"I've killed men for less," Tyler cuts him off, and something in his tone tells me it's not an empty threat. "Men better than you. In ways that would give you nightmares for the rest of your pathetic life. So, test me. Please."
I watch, frozen in the doorway, as Devin's face drains of all color. Whatever he sees in Tyler's eyes convinces him that the threat is real.
