"It'll be okay," I told her, and meant it. The door slid shut again, but I could see their faces pressed against the glass.
I turned back to the four men, noting their positions, their stances, the way they were preparing to rush me.
"If we're going to do this," I said calmly, "We should step into the grass. No point in ruining the nice meal Mrs. Ellis prepared."
They followed me off the deck onto the lawn, clearly thinking I was either incredibly naive or incredibly stupid. Four against one seemed like good odds to them.
I rolled up my sleeves deliberately, then began a series of quick stretches—loosening my shoulders, rotating my wrists, flexing my legs. The nickname Viper hadn’t come by accident, even if I wasn’t planning on permanently injuring them like I had many others. The men watched with growing confusion, as if they couldn't understand why someone about to get beaten down was warming up for exercise.
"You boys might want to limber up," I suggested mildly. "Wouldn't want anyone to pull something."
Danny laughed. "You think this is a game?"
"No," I said, settling into a stance my drill instructor would have recognized. "I think this is a mistake. But if you're determined to make it, let's make it quick."
They came at me all at once, which was actually the worst possible strategy. In close quarters with multiple attackers, coordination becomes impossible, and friendly fire becomes a real concern.
I moved like water, like the viper my military brothers had nicknamed me for. Quick, fluid, striking with precision rather than power. Danny swung wild and telegraphed, so I ducked under his arm and swept his legs, sending him to the grass hard but unhurt. Steve grabbed for me and got a controlled punch to his solar plexus that dropped him gasping but breathing.
Mike was bigger, more experienced, but he was also angry, which made him sloppy. I deflected his charge, used his momentum against him, and put him down with a joint lock that left him stunned but intact.
Brad was the smartest—he hung back, waited for his opening, came in low and fast. But I'd been expecting that, I’d positioned myself to handle exactly that kind of attack. A quick combination—block, redirect, strike—and he joined his friends on the ground.
The whole thing lasted maybe ninety seconds. I stood in the middle of Linda Ellis's fenced-in lawn, breathing slightly harder than normal, my knuckles beginning to swell under the gloves, surrounded by four men who were very much regretting their life choices.
None of them were seriously hurt—I'd been careful about that. Bruised, winded, probably embarrassed, but nothing that wouldn't heal in a few days. I'd learned a long time ago that the point wasn't to cause maximum damage; it was to end the threat as efficiently as possible.
The back door slid open, and Vivienne burst out, her face pale with worry.
"Are you okay?" she called, rushing across the deck toward me.
"I'm fine," I said, flexing my fingers to loosen up the joints. "Just a misunderstanding that got out of hand."
When she reached me, Vivienne launched herself into my arms, her legs wrapping around my waist as she kissed me with fierce relief and pride. I caught her easily, spinning slightly to absorb her momentum, marveling at how right she felt in my arms even in the aftermath of a fight.
"That was incredible," she whispered against my lips. "You didn't hurt them badly, did you?"
I looked over at the four men, who were beginning to sit up and take stock of their injuries. "Nothing that won't heal," I assured her. "Though their pride might take a while to recover."
Behind us, I could hear Tom and Linda Ellis emerging onto the deck, their voices carrying a mixture of shock, concern, and what sounded like grudging respect.
This was definitely not how I'd planned to make my first impression on Vivienne's parents.
But as I held her in my arms, her facebright with admiration and relief, I realized that sometimes the best way to prove who you really are is to show what you're capable of when the people you love are threatened.
Even if the threat came from people who thought they were protecting her from you.
26
Vivienne
Safe in Julian's arms, I felt the adrenaline from the past few minutes slowly ebb away. The relief of seeing him unharmed, the pride in watching him handle himself with such controlled precision, the absolute certainty that he'd never once lost his temper or used more force than necessary—it all combined into a fierce surge of love that made my chest tight.
Looking back at the lawn, I could see the four men slowly picking themselves up, nursing bruised egos more than physical injuries.
"Come on," I said, sliding down from Julian's arms but keeping hold of his hand. "Let's go face the music."
We walked hand in hand back toward the deck where my parents stood with Frank Heathrow, all three of them wearing expressions of shock, embarrassment, and uncertainty. The carefully planned afternoon had gone spectacularly off the rails, and everyone seemed to be waiting for someone else to take the lead.
