Enzo's arm shoots out and stops me in my tracks, his hand gripping my shoulder hard enough to bruise.
The man must hear something because he turns, sees us standing there fifty yards away, and runs.
“Got you, bastard!” Enzo is already moving before I can process what's happening, fast and like a predator that's spotted prey, closing the distance with terrifying speed.
I watch him tackle the man from behind and they hit the ground hard enough that I hear the impact from where I'm standing, the sound echoing through the trees like a gunshot.
The man tries to roll but Enzo pins him with a knee planted in his back and a hand on his neck, pressing down.
"Who sent you?"
The man doesn't answer, just struggles against Enzo's weight.
Enzo presses down harder and I can see the man's face turning red. "I asked you a question."
"Fuck you."
Wrong answer.
Enzo's fist comes down and connects with the man's jaw with a sickening crack. Once. Twice. Three times.
Blood sprays across the dirt in an arc.
My feet won't move. I'm standing here watching and I can't make myself move, can't make myself look away, can't do anything but stare.
"E-Enzo!"
My voice sounds far away and disconnected from my body, like someone else is screaming his name.
He doesn't stop, doesn't even slow down. His fist comes down again and the man's head snaps to the side. I hear something crack, see blood pouring from his nose in a steady stream.
"Who. Sent. You."
The man spits blood and laughs through broken teeth, a wet gurgling sound. "You're dead. She's dead. All of you?—"
Enzo's fist cuts him off and the man's eyes roll back, his body going limp.
Enzo stands and leaves him choking on his own blood, walks to the bike like nothing happened, checks under the seat, pulls something out.
A small black chip. He holds it up so I can see it even from here.
Tracker.
He crushes it under his boot and I watch it shatter into pieces.
Behind him, the man is moving, crawling, leaving a trail of red on the gravel like a wounded animal. Enzo turns, walks back, grabs him by the collar, hauls him up like he weighs nothing at all.
The man's face is purple and swollen beyond recognition, blood everywhere, and I can barely tell he's human anymore.
"Last chance."
The man grins with blood coating his teeth and dripping from his mouth. "We can't wait to see her back in the basement where she belongs."
Everything inside me goes cold, freezing solid like ice in my veins.
Enzo's hands find the man's throat and squeeze.
"Enzo, no!"
