Page 9 of Cruel Knots

“Leon, watch your left,” Damien reminds me. “Mikhail, don’t expose your chin and navel during the fight.”

We align ourselves along the points of an invisible triangle. This way, we can deflect blows meant for the person on our either side, giving them a chance to dodge a fatal attack.

At least two dozen men are surrounding us but I’m confident we can beat them together. We just need to stay calm and focused.

The men come at us together. They’re a group of tall, well-built betas but they’re all untrained. Their moves are clumsy as hell and soon, we’re gaining the upper hand.

Soon, we’ve all gotten our hands on the fallen baseball bats, allowing us to give back lethal blows to our enemies. Our breaths come out in harsh pants as we continue to fight off the small army of men Callum sent to destroy us.

A part of me can relate to him. Hell, we’ll do the same to anyone who dares to hurt Lucia. I just wish he’d see how my brothers and I are different. We’ll do anything to protect her and make her smile.

A loud gunfire shatters the night air, making us freeze up.

“Stop fighting back or I’ll blow your brains out,” the leader shouts, aiming his gun at us.

Damien gestures for us to step back immediately, his gaze focused on the barrel of the gun pointed toward us.

“What’s it going to take for you to let us go?” Damien barks in a thunderous voice. “There’s been a misunderstanding. We don’t want any trouble with you or your boss.”

“You’re not leaving this place on your two legs,” answers the man in a cold, emotionless tone. “Whether you get to keep your lives is dependent on our master’s whim.”

I glance at Damien. His face is a mask of fury but cracks are beginning to appear in his brave façade. I can tell he’s having a hard time trying to find a way to get us out of this situation.

Mikhail is the same. His gaze darts between the gaps among the men surrounding us, but there’s no way out, not when someone is aiming a gun at us.

“Drop your weapons,” the leader commands.

Without a choice, we drop the bats to the ground.

I grit my teeth and ball my fists. We’re completely at their mercy now.

The men we’d beaten back earlier come at us with raised weapons.

“What do we do, Damien?” Mikhail asks in a fear-choked whisper.

“Survive,” Damien replies in a cold tone.

Ever since the day we were thrown out into the streets, this was the only mantra we’d held on to. No matter what came at us, we had to survive it.

We’ll survive this too, I tell myself as the first blow falls on my back.

Gasps and pants escape me as a rain of merciless attacks rain down on me and my brothers. Instinct makes me want to fight and block the blows, but the loaded gun aimed at us forces me to bear the torture.

After a while, my body stays on the ground. A couple of broken ribs poke at my sides, making any movement feel like torture. My breathlessness troubles me, making me wonder if I have a punctured lung. Does Lucia’s brother truly intend to kill us?

Heck! We even spared the bastards talking crap about her.

Callum is Lucia’s brother. There’s no way he could be as merciless as I’m imagining.

I look toward Damien and Mikhail. All my courage seeps out of me as I take in their bloodied, beaten bodies lying next to me.

It’s a while before the men are satisfied with our states. They leave us on the cold, hard ground and move away.

Pained, shallow groans escape us. Our broken bodies refuse to move despite the danger lurking over us.

Hours seem to crawl by as I lie on the cold ground with my brothers.

Anxiety ripples through me. My brothers’ injuries must be as bad as mine. We all need a trip to the ER immediately to make sure we aren’t bleeding internally.

---