Page 48 of Mountain Men Heroes

“Okay, Ethan,” she uttered over her shoulder, her eyes never leaving the three douches. “We’ve got ’em right where we want them.” She swayed in her sumo pose. Her brothers once underestimated her short stature. Then she proceeded to put one in a chokehold and break the other’s arm. They were eighteen at the time while she was a twelve-year-old sister with a point to prove. Like now.

These fools only saw a girl when they looked at her. Weak. Their mistake.

If Ethan could take two more, she could hold off the other one while he caught his breath to finish the job.

Her throat grew dry, but she stood her ground. “You think you’re all big and tough, huh?” She bet they did. And they were. Taunting them probably wasn’t the best idea.

“You’re going to feel how big we are when we take care of your man there.” Brax’s friend, brother, cousin—who knew—rubbed himself while leering at her. “We’re all going to have a go at you and whatever is left over we’ll leave for the animals to have.”

She narrowed her eyes at the man and behind her, Ethan laughed darkly. A sound that sent the chills of death up her spine.

“You can try.” Is all he said and if it made her hair stand on end, she knew it did theirs too.

“Like he said. You already have one brother suffering a few broken bones for laying a hand on me. I’d be careful if I were you and mind what you say. It might mean your death?” She’d rather die alongside Ethan than be touched by these cretins.

Behind her she heard an audible crack when Brax lunged out of the thick fog and nailed Ethan in the jaw, taking them both down to the ground. In the shuffle, she lost sight of the third brother, who tucked back into the fog.

Shit.

The two men rolled on the ground. Bones cracked. Trees shook and for a second it sounded like the whole forest would come down on their heads.

Lopsided-grin dude got the bright idea of reappearing and lunging for her. Fat fingers got a death grip on her upper arms, and she used his chunky weight against him. Using the solid toe of her boot, she hauled back and poured all her might into a front kick that would make any Kung Fu master proud.

Crack.

She cringed and shoved down the churning butterflies gnawing at her insides. “Oh, that hurt even me.” For all of three seconds he released his hold. It was all she needed.

Tucking her chest in, she rolled forward, pulled her pistol and aimed.

“Whoa there, girl.”

Girl, my ass.

“Where the hell did you get that?” The douche was nervous.

“A man’s arrogance is his downfall.”

No hesitation. She squeezed back on the trigger, gaze steady.

Crimson blossomed across his shoulder, plastering the cloth of his shirt to his shoulder. A thick trail of blood ran down his arm and dripped into the parched forest floor. He fell forward holding his arm and groaning so loud you’d think she shot him in the gut.

She moved to where she had all three men—Ethan, Brax and the guys she just shot—in her line of sight just as a third man stepped up behind the guy on the ground.

Another brother.

“You can hightail it or get a matching slug. I’m not such a good aim without my glasses. Your brother was lucky. So the next one might end up between your eyes or take off your tiny pecker.” She squinted an eye and cocked the hammer.

Both men’s lips peeled back with a snarl.

She pushed to her knees, her aim dead center on the idiot that wanted to push her limits.

With a pull on the feather-light trigger, another round fired off close enough to the newcomer’s head to make his eyes nearly pop out of his head. “That’s right; don’t test the crazy-ass lady with the gun.”

“I’m going to kill you. You’re gonna die, little girl.” The man kneeling behind his brother sure was a brave talker.

She tried to look for Ethan and Brax but they’d disappeared into the forest. She heard faint grunts and thuds but that was it.

Shit. Shit Shit.

---