He grabbed the door handle.
“Wait, what’re you doing?” I asked through gritted teeth. “Don’t go out there.”
“Stay put,” he said softly, then stepped out of the car.
Worried, I thought he was defenseless until I noticed the pistol tucked into the back of his pants. But still, he was outnumbered.
“You son of a bitch!” Richard bellowed. “I give you my granddaughter, and this is how you repay me?”
Adrik stood in front of the car, showing not an ounce of fear.
“Nickolas was like a son, and you killed him!” His voice rose even higher. “You beat him to death with your bare hands.”
Still, Adrik didn’t utter a word.
“Now, you’re gonna suffer the same fate.”
Three of his men tapped baseball bats on their palms, as if warming up for a fight.
“Boys…attack!”
They rushed at Adrik, swinging their bats violently at him. Fast like a cheetah, he dodged their advances, retaliating with bone-breaking blows. The air was filled with the thick grunts of men, swinging, kicking, and punching.
I watched him take them all down in a matter of seconds. But before he could catch his breath, another round attacked him with knives and brass knuckles. He fought back, snapping their bones like twigs and hurling them across the street like weightless objects.
He was a beast, eyes red with fury, arms moving at the speed of light. However, the more he knocked them down, the more the others came at him.
Soon, he was outnumbered, and his strength began to fail him. They forced him to his knees, beating him with their bats as he shielded his head with his arms.
I was afraid for his life because those bastards were hitting him so hard. He told me to stay in the car, but if I didn’t do something fast, they’d kill him.
Luckily for me, another pistol was discarded in the dashboard console. Without hesitation, I picked it up and stepped out of the vehicle.
“Enough!” I fired into the air.
They stopped.
All eyes turned to me.
“Emika, get back inside,” Adrik said, straining and coughing up blood.
“I don’t have time for drama,” Richard said to me. “Get over here.”
I locked my jaw, aiming the gun directly at him. “No.”
His face twisted into a frown. “Are you out of your mind?”
“You’rethe one who’s out of his mind if you think I’ll let you kill my husband.”
“Husband?” He arched his brows, a disbelieving laugh escaping his lips. “You don’t even like the man!”
“Things have changed,” I said, my voice low and even. “Now, let him go.”
He paused, shocked at my response. “You fuckin’ bitch.”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.” I tightened my grip around the gun.
He hesitated, watching me like he was trying to predict my next move. “You won’t shoot me,” he said. “And even if you’re stupid enough to do that, my men will put you down before you can even pull that trigger.”
