Page 134 of Vengeful Guard

He grabs his face and turns away from me.

I look around, looking for an escape route. This is open field, nowhere to hide. I’m already starting to flag. I put everything I had into that punch.

I look at the Escalade, and both Aiden and Jeremy are down.

Oh god. Are they dead?

They can’t help me. I only have myself now and the hope that Kael’s on the way here. I just need to buy myself some time.

The fatter man growls as he approaches me, and I get into position again.

I have to hold on, I have to resist him long enough for help to come.

Hurry, Kael.

The fat man smirks. “Make this easy on me, cupcake, and maybe I’ll leave you in one piece.”

“In your dreams, fatso.”

He shrugs. “Your loss.”

I fight for all I’m worth, screaming and biting and kicking, but as I punch him in the rib, pain explodes high up in my right cheekbone, and I go down, hitting the pavement hard, skinning my hip and my palm as I try to catch myself.

My skin is already heating up, swelling, where he hit me, but I spit out blood and scramble to get on my feet again.

If I stop fighting, I’m dead.

The man smirks as his fist flies at me again. “Boss only said we had to grab you, didn’t say we couldn’t roughen you up, so if you want a fight, I’ll give you one.”

He hits me again, busting my bottom lip.

If I go down, that’s it for me. No hope.

So, I roll with the beating he’s giving me, and I give as good as I get.

I punch nose, ribs, solar plexus, I even go for the balls, but nothing works. He either deflects my blows or seems unaffected by them.

I don’t care, I just keep hitting because I’ll die fighting rather than be captured by Niall Murphy. That would be a fate worse than death.

I fight tooth and nail to stay conscious, kicking and screaming.

When his fist hits me on the side of the head, the world swims around me and goes dark for a second or two, but that’s enough to seal my fate.

Both men jump on me and have fun kicking and punching me before tying my hands and feet up and dragging me back to their car.

I try to look at the Escalade again, but my eyes are so swollen not even light is coming through right now.

When they stop dragging me, one of them grabs me by the hair to force me to get up.

I scream.

And then I’m pushed into what I can only assume is the trunk of their car.

Where are you, Kael? This is your last chance!

Squinting up from the trunk, I kick my bound legs blindly, hoping to hit one of them, but they just laugh, slamming me shut inside.

The car takes off, and I force myself to relax. My body aches all over, my head bursting at the seams.

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