Unfortunately, I was a good fighter, but Crush was a better one. He wrestled me to my back before landing a hard punch to the face. I bucked him off of me and staggered up, but he had landed a hell of a punch. I could barely see out of my right eye.
“Ash!” Callie screamed.
I looked over at my woman, getting a good glance at her. She looked…relatively unharmed. In better shape than the first girl, that much was for sure.
But she had chains on her.
Just like every other girl in this place.
She was on the verge of being sold.
Just like every other girl in this place.
She was being treated as property, not a person.
Just like every fucking other girl in this godforsaken place.
“Crush!” I roared, charging at him.
Again, I tackled him into the wall. This time, I didn’t fall to the ground with him. I stayed on my feet, giving me the advantage of a few kicks to the head. It seemed to do the trick. He laid there stunned, long enough and barely moving enough that I felt comfortable running over to Callie.
“Are you all right?”
“Oh, Ash,” she said, kissing me. “I’m sorry I ran off as I did. I—”
“Shh, let’s get you out of here,” I said, still hearing the gunfire outside.
“OK, I love you, Ash.”
I didn’t respond. There was no time.
“Ash!”
I turned around. Crush stood up, pointing the gun. But he wasn’t…
Pointing at…
Me.
At her.
To make me suffer.
“No!”
I lunged to the left. The gun fired.
My chest seared with pain.
I’d caught it.
“No!” Callie screamed behind me.
But I’d saved her.
Saved my wife.
I looked up at Crush. I could feel the pain starting to overwhelm. I didn’t know if I’d live. But I knew Callie would. The sergeant-at-arms of the King’s Men looked…stunned.
