Toothless nodded to the guy behind me, who must have stepped forward. I could feel the heat from his body and foul breath on my neck. “Because if you don’t agree to do as we say, Rob here is going to break all the fingers on your left hand.”
Great. Thanks for nothing, Rob.
Fuck, I so needed Nix to deal with my ‘Rob’ situation. The muscle was just that. Huge with a similar size and build to my biggest brother.
“Is that so?” I went to move around the guy in front of me, taking myself out of arm's reach of the one who was now riding my ass.
Another nod and a, “You can bet your ass on it.”
I was about to tell him to go fuck himself and power past them, but as I went to move, it kicked the hell off.
I was grabbed, roughly from behind in a bear hug and lifted off my feet, dragging me away from the fire door and further into the yard. My foot caught one of the old oil tins, sending a shaft of pain up my ankle.
“Get the fuck off me, man,” I growled.
I strained, trying to free myself. The muscle’s grip was tight, his huge ham-like hands squeezing the life out of me. As the ringleader followed us around the corner, I was released for a second, only for my arms to be seized and wrenched behind my back.
“Let’s try this again, shall we?”
The breath was knocked from my body as Toothless leaned down and punched me in the stomach, winding me.
Christ!
I sagged forward, breath burning my throat and chest. I was now wedged between the wall and the dumpster, the air reeking of garbage. My buzz was officially over, and I was well and truly fucked.
Why the hell hadn’t I listened to my gut that someone was following me? The metal of the dumpster boomed as I attempted to struggle free, kicking my feet again, but the guy’s hold on my arms was unbreakable: like a boar fucking constrictor.
My breathing became ragged as my heart rate increased; the change in my hormone levels caused my chest to feel heavy.
“Hey, if you wanted a hug, you only needed to ask,” I spluttered with a brash look, tugging against the hold that restrained me.
“Cocky little fucker, aren’t you?” the leader chuckled. It was a sound without humor.
“Blow me, bitch,” I spat, attempting to free my arms again. Impossible.
Shaking his head with a chuckle, the main guy belted. “You’ve got more balls than brains, kid.”
Frustration zapped through me. I knew how to defend myself and could throw a mean punch, but I was helpless. All I could do was wait and hope for backup. I glanced over my shoulder towards the fire doors, willing someone to come outside.
“Eyes front, princess,” the muscle, Rob grunted in my ear, and I twisted my head back.
“So, you want me to stay away from the mayor’s daughter? Are you going to tell me who’s asking? And why?” This earned me another blow, and I tensed as the fucker in front of me rammed his fist into my gut again.
I had never felt pain like it, and my eyes watered, blurring my vision. Fury lanced through me like an actual blade.
Another hit came.
“Motherfucker!” I roared as more pain shot up my spine, my teeth rattling. Shit, I was about to get a beating, and there was nothing I could do about it.
The hurt was so intense that my entire diaphragm almost seized the fuck up. The wind was knocked out of me again, and I sagged forward, breath whooshing from my nose and mouth as I started choking: spittle on my chin.
The meathead at my back gripped my arms tighter and jolted me upright, so I didn’t fall to my knees. My head dipped for a minute before a chunk of my hair was grabbed by the ringleader. He angled my face up to his, leaned down, and spat. “Keep your mouth shut and listen.”
“Kiss my ass.”
His next punch landed on my ribs like a fucking hammer, and I would have doubled over if it wasn’t for the guy holding me up. Toothless then tightened his grip, more pain shooting through my skull as he almost tore my hair off my head. “Unless you want to piss blood for the next week, I’d shut the fuck up with the not-so-smart come-backs.”
I choked out my reply with a sneer. “Whatever, my grandma hits harder than you.” This got me another couple of jabs to my abdomen; two in quick succession, and Ifound a second wind as I struggled against the guy who held me. His hands were like bands of steel. “Get the fuck off me.”
