He dropped the dumbbells. “The fuck did you say to me?”
I recognized that blank, furious look. He’d lost control of his temper.
“Sorry, I wasn’t talking to you, I was—”
Engulfed by rage, the dude swung his fist at me. It happened so fast I didn’t have time to dodge it.
Except, Ididdodge it.
Faust’s demonic strength and agility flowed through my veins as he took control. In a flashy move, he arched my spine back, letting the man’s punch connect only with air. I sidestepped neatly out of the dude’s way as he lost his balance and fell flat on his face.
Dread mounted inside me. Like a passenger strapped beside the driver’s seat, I could only watch.
Everybody in the store was staring. Customers, other employees, and worst of all, my boss.
I was in real deep shit now.
The purple-faced man roared as he scrambled to his feet. He lunged at me, but I avoided his every strike without breaking a sweat. His rage built with each failed swipe. He was nearly foaming at the mouth by the time I’d backed up to the wall.
“Chase!”
Sagitta’s fearful cry cut through the chaos.
He’s here?
Instinctively, I turned my head towards the source of his voice.
Faust clicked his tongue. “Oh, Chase, you lovesick idiot.”
“You’re the idiot!” I snapped.
The muscled dude’s eyes went bloodshot. He bared his teeth in a snarl as he readied a solid punch to my face—one that would no doubt shatter my nose into a hundred pieces.
But Faust didn’t let that happen. As the man’s fist careened towards me, I raised my hand. Faust’s powers surged into my palm, turning it flexible but diamond-hard. The punch glanced off like a bouncy ball. The impact sent the guy sprawling back, and he fell on his ass.
I gasped as Faust relinquished his control. It dazed me, like the first step after getting off a roller coaster. I was frozen, stunned and breathing hard. I couldn’t believe that just happened.
Sagitta ran to my side, his expression tight with concern. “Are you okay?”
“Faust’s back,” I croaked.
Sagitta’s eyes rounded like he’d been kicked in the gut. “What?”
We were interrupted by my boss, a man in his mid-50s with a chip on his shoulder. He was flanked by mall security, who escorted the muscled dude out with a light warning. My boss, on the other hand, wasn’t content to let me off the hook so easily.
“So, Chase,” he said, grimacing like his next words were difficult. “I’m going to have to let you go.”
I blinked. “Huh?”
“Assaulting a customer is unacceptable.”
“But I didn’t—”
“Don’t make this harder, okay?”
His curt tone was final. I held my tongue. Although I didn’t throw the first punch, Ididaccidentally throw a heavy dumbbell into the air and nearly hit a customer, no thanks to Faust.
Sagitta grasped my arm. I could tell by the way his fingers dug into my skin that he was pissed.
