BJ moved his head to the side and away, but the punch connected with a sickening crack on his nose. Blood sprayed as BJ’s head jerked up and backward. His body followed behind. His arms flailed wildly as he fell onto his back.
Scar-face smirked and drove his foot into BJ’s ribs. BJ grunted and curled into a ball, throwing his hands around his head to protect himself.
Jodie and Georgie screamed.
Scar-face lifted his leg to kick him again; his foot aimed for his skull.
He’s going to kill him.
He was much bigger than me, it would be foolish to step in. If I did, I could be seriously hurt.
“Amelia,” Karson roared.
As he swung his foot back, I dove and my shoulder slammed into his leg. His knee caved inward; knees didn’t like being bent that way. Grunting with a mixture of surprise and pain, he crashed to the ground.
I tumbled down behind him, landing flat on my face.
He was a big man but remarkably agile, and he sprang up like an angry bear.
I rolled to the side and scrambled to my feet.
I should have been scared, but the commonsense in my head was drowned by a more powerful force—rage.
“Take one more step, you racist prick,” I hissed. “And youwillbe sorry.”
He smirked, but his eyes told another story. His fists tightened into cannonballs. If he hit me, he’d break my nose, my jaw, maybe my cheekbone.
My heart skyrocketed into my throat, choking the air from my lungs.
He raised his fist?—
Something black blurred in front of me. One moment scar-face was standing, and the next he was flying backward through the room. He slammed into a brick pillar, and his head snapped back, slapping into the pole. His mouth sprang open, and his eyes were dazed as he wobbled on his feet.
Startled, I looked to see who had thrown him with such force.
Karson stood with his hands by his sides, his jaw tight. His eyes were blacker than the night sky. Pure fury leaked from his pores, chilling me.
I stepped up beside him, but he didn’t look down. I didn’t think he even registered my presence. His gaze was locked on scar-face.
People had scattered out of the way. A few, including Kevin, the town sleaze, found themselves on their asses on the floor, looking bewildered.
Scar-face’s ugly mug glowed like the ass end of a baboon. A deep rumble escaped his throat, and then he came on like an avalanche. The rumble ballooned into a roar.
We were about to get flattened under a two-hundred-and-thirty-pound wild monster.
Karson stepped in front of me and toward him.Crack.Crack, crack!
Karson’s fists flew, and scar-face’s head whipped about like a piñata. Blood sprayed. He swayed. His eyes drifted involuntarily back and forth. He dropped to his knees and crashed onto his broken face.
Karson stood in front of him, fists clenched, breathing deeply, as if daring him to rise again.
He didn’t.
Thunder pounded through the room. I swung my head. Not thunder. The rest of the group charged in. Their faces twisted in anger. Jaws clenched. Eyes glistening with hatred.
They were coming like freight trains, straight for us.
“Shit,” I muttered, my breath burning down my throat.
