“Scream, and I’ll break your jaw,” a man growled as I tried to push up, only for a boot to slam between my shoulder blades.
“Found her,” another man grunted.
Looking up through the curtain of my hair, I saw him holding a phone to his ear.
“Fucking idiot didn’t see us trailing them,” he muttered.
The pressure on my back increased until my arms buckled, my chest and face forced against the ground as his friend continued on the phone.
“Yeah, I’ll take her to the drop—” The words died in a choked sound as Ryder’s fist connected with his jaw.
The weight lifted from my back so suddenly I gasped, dragged upright just in time to see Ryder drive his fist again and again into the first man’s face.The sound was sickening, bone meeting bone, followed by a dull crack before the body hit the ground.
Blood splattered the pavement, a dark streak glinting off the tip of Ryder’s knife.
Holy shit.
Ryder turned to us with a smirk, taking a lazy step forward. “You wanna split it?”
I tensed, my chest aching with how fast my heart raced. He wouldn’t… would he?
“Fuck you,” the man at my back grunted.
“No?” he said, so calm it took me a moment to recognise his amusement. “Well, I wasn’t planning on sharing anyway.”
“Back off,” he snarled, tightening his grip on my arm until pain flared up to my shoulder. “Or I’ll hurt her.”
“How did you find her, anyway?” Ryder took a step forward, his voice light, almost conversational. “Never mind, doesn’t matter.” He clicked his tongue. “What matters is you think you can take her without a weapon. Bold choice.”
“Stop right there,” he barked. “I swear to God?—”
“God?” Ryder chuckled, the sound entirely unhinged,especially when paired with those dimples. “God isn’t here, mate.”
The man hesitated, his weight shifting just slightly behind me.
“But I am.” With a wink Ryder launched forward, colliding with us like a bull.
The impact knocked the breath clean out of me, but it loosened the grip on my arm just enough to tear free. Scrambling out from between them, I staggered backward until my shoulders hit the wall, the rough bricks biting through my damp dress.
The metallic tang of blood was thick in the air, but I couldn’t take my eyes away from the men fighting.
There was nothing graceful about it.
The other man swung, wild and desperate, but Ryder evaded the hit easily, turning his body just enough that the punch cut through empty air. Then his fist connected, a dull, heavy sound that made my stomach twist.
Blood spattered. The man stumbled, but Ryder didn’t give him the chance to react. He followed, relentless, each hit landing harder than the last.
The man hit the floor by my feet, Ryder’s shadow looming over him.
“Told you I wasn’t planning on sharing.” His voice was rough, all gravel and fury as his eyes collided with mine. “You okay?”
I tried to nod, but my body wasn’t listening. My breath came in jagged bursts, palms raw and stinging as I pushed myself away from the wall.
The man groaned, rolling, but Ryder was on him before he could run. He grabbed the guy by the collar and lifted, slamming his back against the brick. “Who sent you?” Ryder’s tone was calm, which somehow made it worse.
“I… I?—”
Ryder hit him again, and the man’s head snapped to the side, blood smearing the wall before he pressed the knife to his throat.
