I ignored her. “This is crazy. Luke, let me –” I started but Luke’s eyes cut to me and I froze in mid-speak at his look.
Then his eyes sliced to Mace. “Keep her back,” Luke said.
Before I could react, I felt an iron arm clamp around my waist as Mace grabbed hold of me. I leaned into it with all my bodyweight and tried to push his arm away with my hands but I was held fast. I was beginning to wonder if Riley wasn’t leading me down the garden path with his so-called “workouts” and “strength training”.
“Shit, I don’t think this is good,” Jet whispered from somewhere close and I looked her way. She was pale and staring at Luke and Ren. I did a scan and noticed that all the Rock Chicks were pale.
“No, this is not good,” Roxie agreed.
“No, this is really, really not good,” Indy put in.
They were not wrong.
I decided to try another tactic and looked to Ren. “Ren, please, don’t do this. This is crazy. Someone’s going to get hurt. Just go, I’ll call you later.”
“Boys, listen to Ava, stand down,” Ally threw in.
Ren ignored Ally and me. “Ava told me about you,” Ren said to Luke.
Uh-oh.
I went still and stopped struggling against Mace’s arm so I could focus my attention on freaking about what was going to come out of Ren’s mouth next. I had told him about Luke under the influence of three glasses of wine and a major flip out. I hadn’t expected he’d ever have the opportunity to share and even if he did, I never expected him actually to share.
“Ren,” I said but it came out breathy and quiet and I knew he didn’t hear me.
I looked to Luke who was silent and watching, his body looking both relaxed and prepared at the same time.
“Ren, please. Don’t,” I went on, sounding louder but not loud enough because, to my horror, Ren went on.
“I get a good shot in maybe I’ll knock some f**kin’ sense into you. Then maybe you’ll be thinkin’ of Ava when you f**k her, not some other man’s piece you can’t have.”
The Rock Chicks collectively sucked in breath at Ren’s words and all their gazes swung in my direction.
Oh shit.
Luke’s eyes sliced to me and my breath left my lungs in a whoosh.
His eyes were cold, hard, furious and lastly and most frighteningly, disbelieving. Somehow his look made him seem like he’d already suffered a blow before a punch had been thrown and that blow had been delivered by me.
I wanted to say something, anything to take that look off his face but I didn’t have a chance. Luke looked back to Ren and it began.
At first I didn’t move, I watched in shocked, horrified fascination.
It was brutal, powerful and, in a weird way, beautiful and even awe-inspiring. Luke and Ren knew what they were doing, they were strong, fast, light on their feet and so angry neither of them was holding anything back.
Then the sound of flesh thudding against flesh, again and again and again, got through to me.
“Stop it!” I screamed, my voice not sounding like my own, it came out as a screech.
They kept going.
“Stop it!” I shrieked again, unable to think of something better to say.
Luke’s fist smashed into Ren’s mouth and Ren’s lip opened up, blood flying and Ally started to scream “stop” with me.
Then I saw Ren throw a punch that Luke didn’t dodge and I watched a cut open on Luke’s cheek.
At that I started struggling like a she-cat and screaming like a banshee, not using words just yelling. I pressed my back against Mace’s body, lifting my feet clean up in the air to power kick out of his arms. This didn’t work so I planted my feet and leaned forward, trying to take him with me or break the contact. Neither of these worked so I yelled at the top of my lungs. “Godamnit, stop it!”