This is important.”
Skully stiffened. “Important? Like you told my sister she was important?”
Uh-oh. This could get ugly.
Raven moved and slid Nikki behind him.
Frank shot a glance back to his guys and winked, which led to a few snickers.
Nikki rolled her eyes. Ugh. Could guys ever resist being … guys?
“Tell her I said hi.”
“You can tell her after I’m done with you.” Skully rolled his shoulders, hiked his jeans a little, and readied to fight.
And so did the rest of the guys. Both sides.
Raven stepped forward, between Skully and Frank. “Look, I can appreciate this little fight over your sister’s honor, but we don’t have time. Someone needs to tell me where to find Solomon. Right now.”
Yep, that’s more like Raven.
Skully dropped his hands and scoffed. “Who’s the newbie?” He nodded in Nikki’s direction. “And what’s up with the banana costume?”
Nikki kept her head down, not making eye contact. She probably did look like a giant piece of fruit. But at least she didn’t look as if she’d been stamped like a package of USDA beef.
“My name’s Raven, and you’re wasting my time. Where’s the Owl?”
Skully stepped until he was inches from Raven’s toes. “I guess you’re confused about how things work down here. First of all, no one orders me around. And second, you’re probably just scared to fight because you know we’ll slaughter you.”
Raven fisted his hands around Skully’s shirt and lifted him off the ground. “And apparently you’re confused about what I said. But since I’m still in a relatively good mood, I’ll make myself clear. Tell me where Solomon is, or I’ll use your head to carve a new tunnel.”
Nikki swallowed, watching as her dark Halfling dangled a huge, muscled man six inches off the ground without breaking a sweat.
Frank stepped in, placing a hand over Raven’s in a silent plea to put Skully down. Raven flashed Frank a look then slowly lowered his prisoner, who practically collapsed when his feet touched the floor …
After a few tense moments and stares from the other dungeon guards, Frank broke the silence. “Just let us pass, Skully. I’ll be more than happy to pick up our dispute later.”
Skully crossed his arms over his chest, but not before taking a step back. “Can’t do it.”
Frank swept a hand toward his guys. “You know you don’t want to fight us.”
“And what would it do to my reputation if I just let you through? I owe you, Franky.”
Frank huffed a breath. “You do.” He pointed a finger at Skully, then a thumb at himself. “You and me then. If I win, we pass. If you win, we leave.”
Raven’s hand slapped against Frank’s chest. “I’m not going anywhere. And I’m not trusting our fate to a guy I’ve never seen fight.”
Frank started to argue, but Skully cut in. “You choose a fighter from our side to represent us, then. We’ll choose one from yours.”
Raven shook his head.
Skully shrugged. “Fine. Try to work your way through us, but you’re only burning hours. I’m merely giving you a way to save time. If your man wins, we let you pass. If ours wins, I’ll listen to your reason for seeing Solomon.”
Power games. Gah! Why can’t guys find a better way to settle disputes?
Skully walked back to his group and Frank walked toward his, then motioned Raven to his side. Raven put his arm behind Nikki so she would follow. Always keeping me close.
“I know these guys,” Frank said, in a hoarse whisper. “Skully will pick you to fight. You’re the new guy and you insulted him.”
“I also lifted him off the ground.”
Frank nodded. “Yeah, even more reason for him to choose you. He’s a cage fighter, so he knows his close combat. You can’t grapple with him down here; he’ll be all over you. The guy’s like a monkey with a thousand arms and legs once he’s on the ground. If he gets you in a sleeper hold, it’s lights out. I hope you’ve got plenty of stamina, Halfling. You’re gonna need it.”
Nikki’s heart was racing. Raven was a great fighter, but this guy sounded like a pretty tough opponent — even if he was a human. She looked down and saw Dane was still clutching her hand under the yellow slicker. She’d forgotten until he squeezed.
Frank leaned in, clearly as oblivious to his brother’s presence as she’d been. “Look, I know you’re a Halfling, but I’m telling you, strike fast, strike hard. He won’t go down easy.”
“Got it,” Raven said. “Let’s just get this