“Let’s just stop this,” Ody said. “You saw we’ve got people too. Don’t keep pushing it.”
“And what if I send him to the hospital first? What’ll you or your little buddies do then?” Kash asked, smirking.
Ody’s breath caught. “Leave him alone.”
“Why do you care so much?” Kash barked, slamming his hand down on Ody’s knee.
He flinched back instinctively.
Far down the hallway, Mano turned the corner. He stopped cold. Kash was looming over him. Ody’s chest rose and fell too fast, panic tightening his shoulders.
Their eyes met. Mano blinked once, jaw tight. He walked past them, straight ahead. Like he hadn’t seen a thing.
Kash shouted behind him. “I’m talking to you!”
But Ody’s focus stayed locked on the empty space where Mano had been.
“He’s just… he’s my friend, and I want you to stop,” Ody said, still shaken.
Kash’s gaze sharpened. “What if I do the same to Steve and Chris?”
“Don’t you dare!” Ody leaned forward, his hands curling into fists.
Kash laughed inches from his face. “You’re too funny. Here’s how this is gonna work. You’re gonna do whatever I tell you, or I’ll beat all your friends to a pulp. Don’t let the fact that you outnumbered us fool you. I can bring twice as many. Got it?” He leaned in. “Don’t mess with me.”
“You won’t,” Ody shot back. “Because Mano knocked you out cold, and I know you’re scared of him.”
Kash shot upright, fury slamming across his face. “I’m not scared of him.”
A hand grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him backward.
Ody stared, stunned, as Mano dragged Kash down the hallway, then leaned in close and whispered something that made him stiffen.
Outside, Mano shoved him against the wall and drove a fist into his stomach.
Kash doubled over, coughing for breath. Mano said something low, too quiet for Ody to catch, then shoved him aside and turned away.
Kash clutched his stomach, groaning. Mano stepped back inside and spotted Ody watching him.
“What did you say to him?” Ody asked, but he ignored him. “Mano!” He reached for his arm.
Mano yanked it away and glared at him, eyes hard.
Ody froze mid-movement. The guilt and awkwardness of the kiss crashed over him. He lowered his head, and Mano turned to leave. “Thank you,” he said.
He didn’t expect a response. Instead, Mano reached into his pocket, then walked toward him and pressed something into his chest. Ody caught his hand and looked down. Three fifty-euro bills rested in his palm.
“For the tickets,” Mano said, voice cold.
Ody frowned. “But… it’s one twenty.”
“Keep the change.” He turned and walked off, jaw tight. He pushed through the doors into the parking lot and grabbed his helmet from the seat, lifting it in one sharp motion.
A light tap landed on his shoulder. He barely had time to turn before a fist crashed into his left cheek. The impact snapped his head sideways. The helmet slipped from his grip, clattering against the asphalt as he went down hard, the taste of metal flooding his mouth.
“What do you gotta say now, huh?” Kash’s voice exploded above him. “Who’s not walking out of here on their feet this time?”
Before Mano could recover, another punch drove into the same spot, then another. The world tilted. A flash of pain tore across his face, turning everything fuzzy for a second.
