Big Ben (See No Evil Trilogy #1) - Nana Malone Page 0,38
the one you’ve got.”
Livy did a completely unexpected thing. A screech tore from her throat, and she lunged herself at the short one, going straight for his eyes,?pressing her thumbs in his sockets and screaming, “You will not ruin this for me.” And then she proceeded kicking at his shins.
I had milliseconds to assess what was going on in front of me before I sprang into action on his friend with the gun.
Remembering all my anti-kidnap self-defense training, I reached for the gun as if I meant to grab it from him. But instead, I put one hand on his thumb, the other on his wrist. Bend back, crunch.? Bend forward, crunch. Turn toward him, more crunching, and ease the gun off the finger.
The metal clattered to the pavement, and I kicked it into the dark shadows. He howled, cradling his hand.?While he was doing that, I delivered a jab to his nose and his head snapped back. Body hits were going to be useless against the guy. So, like my tiny honey-badger, I went for his face. More jabs, more crunching. I grabbed his ears and pulled down, and then delivered a knee straight to his face. More crunching.?That put him down easy enough.
Meanwhile, Olivia wasn’t letting up. She was doing damage to the bastard’s shin. The idiot’s head was thrown back. She used both her hands and went to grab his throat, inadvertently hitting his trachea. He immediately doubled over, coughing. She lunged for him again, but I was quicker. Two quick taps to his face with my fist and he was down, groaning.
I took her hand and dragged her running behind me. “Come on.” Through the alley and back out again, I didn’t stop pulling her until we were just outside the pub and I caught sight of Jack and the others inside.
I dragged her into the shadows before running my hands over her, checking her for injuries. I told myself I was being methodical, simply making sure she was okay. Her eyes went wide as my fingertips traced over her head, temples, and cheekbones. Then the smooth lines of her neck and clavicle. For the rest, I had to keep it perfunctory, or I’d notice how full her breasts were, remember the feel of her ass in my palms. Worse, I’d inhale deep and she would hold me captive.
So it was a good thing I knew how to make it quick and professional. Is that why your dick is hard? I released her and stepped back. I told myself it was the smart thing to do so I could identify if she needed to go to the doctor.
“We’re going to go in there.?You’re going to go to the restroom and clean up. When you come back out, we are leaving the tour and then you’re going to tell me what the fuck is going on.?Do you understand?” She glanced up at me and her eyes were glassy. Not all there. Clearly out of it and wavering on her feet a little. “Do you understand?”
She nodded slowly, her lips trembling. “Why would anybody want me? I’m nobody. Up until a couple of days ago, I was a perfectly boring admin.”
“I don’t have any idea, but we’re going to find out.”
Livy
My hands were still shaking.
I’d never been violent a day in my life.
Okay, if we were counting that time when Elena Fitzgerald pulled on one of my Afro puffs and told me my hair was a Brillo pad before I punched her in the nose, there had been one time. But since then, after my mother had given me a very stern talking to, I had never hit anybody again. It probably showed.
The others hadn’t really noticed we’d been missing at all. They’d all started having a pint, so when Ben casually sidled up?to them, they just handed him a beer.
I’d excused myself to the bathroom to try to pull myself together, because what the actual fuck? My first inclination was to call Telly, but I didn’t want her to worry. She’d go into full smother mode. It never even occurred to me to tell Dex, which probably said more than I wanted.
Who were they? Why did they want me? I was nobody. I already hadn’t slept much since Saturday. Now there was no way I was ever closing my eyes. I couldn’t even have one night to say goodbye to my mother. I took a deep breath and then another.