Danny moved like a spring uncoiling. He dodged out of the way,grabbing a trash can lid with one hand and using the momentum of his turn to bash Eddie over the head with it. Knocked off balance, the bully boy went careening into a stack of crates, bellowing with rage as they splintered around him.
The chatty fellow sighed as he shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over a crate. “Guess we’re doing this, then. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He hurled himself toward Danny, moving with more skill than Eddie had, but Danny met him confidently. The grace that served the bartender so well on the dance floor kept him light on his feet. He dodged out of the way, one fist blocking the blows aimed toward his face as he jabbed with the other. He caught the chatty bully boy across the cheek. The man stumbled, spitting out blood as he braced himself against a wall.
By then Eddie had struggled to his feet. Danny turned to meet him just as the bruiser slammed into him, catching him around the waist. The two of them stumbled backward together. Eddie bellowed as Danny slammed his elbows and fists repeatedly against the larger man’s neck and face. There was no elegance in his movements now, just brutal focus and desperation. Eddie couldn’t block the vicious blows without letting go, and he unwisely hung on. Vivian watched, breathless with fear. Danny continued to hammer the other man, twisting to keep the bruiser’s bulk between him and the weaselly man, who was trying to rejoin the fight.
Danny’s elbow caught Eddie in one eye, and the hulking man let out a choked sound. He finally let go and stumbled to his knees, clutching his battered face. Blood streamed from his nose and stained the front of his white shirt.
As Danny pulled away, he kicked out, his foot connecting with the side of Eddie’s head. The other man toppled over, unconscious.
The smaller man ignored his friend, dodging past him to catch Danny with one shoulder and slam him against the alley wall. Danny’s head connected with a sickeningthunk,and Vivian heard her friend gasp with pain as he dropped to his knees. A moment later, though, hewas moving again, slamming his body upward. His head plowed into the bully boy’s stomach. The other man grunted and kicked. His foot caught Danny’s thigh and made him stumble once more. They broke apart, both breathing heavily. For all Danny’s quick reflexes, one arm was hanging limply, and he turned to keep that side away from his opponent.
The weaselly man noticed too, and he circled along with Danny. An ugly smile crept over his face. “Not looking so dandy anymore, eh, fella? Maybe you feel like more of a chat now?”
“Not a chance,” Danny spat, and charged before the other man was expecting it.
He caught the tough with his good shoulder, sending the other man stumbling back several feet until he was only steps away from the alley where Vivian was still hiding. She saw her opening.
Wild with fear and adrenaline, Vivian darted out, swinging the splintered board.
As it shattered over his head, the man let out a strangled gurgle. His eyes rolled back in his head as he dropped to the ground.
Vivian swallowed and dropped the board, wiping her suddenly nerveless fingers against her dress as she looked up.
Danny was leaning against the alley wall again, taking deep breaths, but he still managed to smile at her. “Where did you come from, kitten?”
Vivian had to try twice before her dry throat could make a sound. “Saw them following you out the window.”
“And what the hell have you got on your feet?”
Vivian frowned at the nonsensical question, then glanced down, remembering for the first time since she ran out the door that she was still wearing her sister’s house slippers. Even though her footwear was the last thing either of them should have been worried about, she found herself blushing. “I needed to get out the door quickly. Is he…” She glanced down at the weaselly man’s motionless body. “Is he dead?”
Danny started to bend down, then hesitated, clearly thinking better of getting too close. Narrowing his eyes, he delivered a sharp kick to the man’s crotch. When nothing happened, he bent down and put two fingers to the man’s neck, then tipped one ear toward his mouth.
“Not dead,” he said, staggering to his feet. Vivian caught his good arm to help haul him up, and he nodded his thanks. “Solidly out, though. Good job.”
Vivian shuddered. “I didn’t know that would work,” she confessed.
“Well, lucky you, then,” Danny said with a short laugh. “And lucky me. Let’s get out of here before they wake up.”
“Do you know them?” Vivian asked as she followed Danny out of the alley, trying to stick close enough to his side that she could help him if he stumbled.
“Not personally.” Danny sighed, wincing as he rotated his injured shoulder. “Hell, that’s going to hurt for a while. No, nothing about that was personal.”
“What are you going to do?” Vivian couldn’t help whispering.
“Do?” Danny shrugged, the movement lopsided as he only used one arm. “Watch you go inside and head to work. Hux’ll want to know what happened, and I’ve got inventory to check.”
Vivian frowned, looking around in confusion as she realized that he had walked her home without her realizing it. “But… they just tried to kill you!”
“Nah.” He shook his head, stopping just in front of her building’s door. “They tried to make me talk. If they wanted to kill me they would’ve just shot me. And since I didn’t have anything to say to them, that’ll be the end of it for now.”
“Danny, that wasn’t nothing, so don’t try to act like it was.”
“It was nothing for you to worry about,” he said gently. “I’m glad you were there, believe me, but that’s how these things go. Hux and I will deal with the rest of it.”
Vivian caught his arm. “You swear you’re okay?”
