I climbed to my feet, brushing my hands along my pants. "What else would I do? We can't win if we always dodge."
We had to stop the ball. Otherwise it would only keep ending up on their side. Eventually, they'd wear us down, then it'd be lights out.
Call me crazy, but I didn't want to lose—especially not when all I'd managed so far was to run around and fall on the ground.
The door to the gym opened and Eric, the last of Liam's enforcers that I knew, entered. He stopped next to Connor, watching the rest of us with solemn eyes.
Eric made a habit of keeping his own council. I didn't think I'd heard him string more than a few sentences together in all the time I'd known him.
I think his quiet, reserved nature was one of the things I liked best about him. He rarely spoke unless he had something important to say. He treated words like they were precious gems, bestowed grudgingly on us mere mortals.
He had a poet's face, his features refined. Amber eyes hinted at the deep thoughts moving behind his stoic mask. His hair had a slight curl to it, flicking up from his head with an abandon seemingly at odds with the painstaking perfection he took with the rest of his appearance.
Of all Liam's enforcers, I thought he and Connor were probably the most similar.
"How are they doing?" he asked my coworker.
Connor turned a page of his book. "They seem to be having fun."
That drew a sarcastic sound from me. Yeah, if by fun he meant getting our asses handed to us by Liam and Nathan.
Liam's enforcers watched us with varying levels of interest. Daniel was intent, already strategizing and forming a plan of attack for when he took the battle field. Makoto was preoccupied with the tablet he held in his hand. As Liam's technology expert, I didn't think I'd ever seen him without some type of device.
From the far side of the room, the pair of vampires who'd been taking turns pummeling the bags paused, before making their way over to us to join in the fun.
To my surprise, I recognized them, at least by sight.
I'd met both briefly before. They were part of Clan Davinish, enforcers the way Liam and the rest were, but for their Clan alone. The last time I'd seen these two, they'd been bodyguards for their clan matriarch, Sofia Davinish.
The woman who looked to be the leader was of African American descent and had the sort of bone structure a model would be jealous of. Her hair was short and slicked back against her skull. Her body was a carefully honed weapon, and it showed in the way she moved with a liquid grace that screamed danger.
The man at her side looked like he came from the same region of the world as Anton. Dark eyes observed us, cataloging everything as he protected the woman's back. He was slimmer than all except Makoto, but I had a feeling he made up for that in speed.
"A hundred on the infant being knocked out in two more throws," the woman offered.
Makoto leaned back on one hand, peering around Daniel for a glimpse of the newcomers. "I'll take that bet, Sam. She's very good at jumping. I'm betting she can stay in for at least four."
I climbed to my feet, knocking nonexistent dirt off my hands. "Everyone's a critic."
The bouncing of the ball drew my focus to Nathan. He wasn't looking at me though. His attention was on the two newcomers. "Please, I'll get her on the next go round."
"I'm really growing tired of his overconfidence," I muttered.
'You're not the only one," Anton agreed. The two of us shared a look, on the same side for once.
"Someone should do something about it," I said.
"Yup."
The how was going to be the problem.
"Should you be so rough with the infant?" a vampire from the opposite side of the room called. "You wouldn't want to break her."
Liam’s expression was taunting. "What do you say, Aileen? Too rough for you?"
I shot him a one fingered salute, sparking laughter from the peanut gallery. Just what I lived for, to be everyone else's entertainment.
Liam's grin was appreciative. "You heard her, Nathan. No mercy."
