Page 31 of Fate's Unseen Shadow

“Thanks.” He locked up his apartment behind them. “Go up and stay there till I get back.”

“Locked away again.” She sighed. “Be safe.”

“If they called me in to help, they only need an extra set of hands. The rest of them pack the firepower.”

She frowned, her forehead wrinkling. “Even the muscle can get hurt.”

Damon set his hand on her shoulder. “Please go inside and worry about me from behind a locked door.”

With an exasperated eye roll, she turned and jogged up the stairs. When her door closed, he climbed in and started his car. He couldn’t focus on Ella right then. Slater needed him.

Damon flew toward the port, eating part of the sandwich as he drove. When he turned into the far parking lot, he called Slater.

“Need you,” Slater grunted out. “Now, dammit!”

He threw the car into Park. “What happened to waiting on me?”

The call ended without an answer, and Damon jumped out of his car and opened the app to track their phones. He took off at a jog and heard the scuffle before he saw it inside a warehouse.

Two men struggled with Slater and Xavier. It was a fistfight at this point. The guys wouldn’t pull a gun unless either their lives were endangered or the felons pulled one first.

He flew into the fight, landing a solid hit on the taller guy who had knocked the wind out of Xavier. The men were like two massive trees. Big, round, and hard to take down.

He recognized Kenneth as he swung, and ducked.

Damon came back with an uppercut, the guy staggering back into Slater, knocking him to the ground.

“Watch out!” Xavier shouted.

Damon moved but felt the burn along his lower back and recognized it—a knife.

Based on the location, it was near his kidney, but it didn’t feel deep enough to touch it.

Swinging around, he caught that guy across the face before disarming him. He threw the knife across the empty warehouse.

Slater managed to get on top of the other one, putting his knee into his back. Xavier joined him, while Damon occupied Kenneth, who’d caught him with the knife.

A punch to his ribs hurt, but Damon threw a hard hit to the guy’s temple.

That took him down.

And he didn’t give a damn if he’d hurt Kenneth. Not while blood soaked into his T-shirt.

Xavier stumbled to the side. “Holy shit. Wow.” He shook his head, still out of breath. “Was not expecting that.”

“Two-for-one special.” Slater stood up and then looked around. He walked over and picked up his phone. “Great. Cracked my screen. I’m not going to try to transport these. Calling the bondsman and then the police.”

“Don’t blame you.” Damon looked down at the back of his shirt. “Fuck, this hurts.”

“Need stitches?” Xavier asked, lifting Damon’s shirt. “Meh. Maybe.” He poked at a tender spot, and Damon hissed. “Definitely.”

Damon twisted away from his probing. “I’ll clean it up and throw some butterfly bandages on it.”

Sirens sounded in the distance. “They were happy to get the call.” Slater pocketed his phone. “Damn. He got you good. I had no idea he had a knife, but hey, double the reward.”

“You can keep your reward. Split it between the two of you.” Damon and the others looked up as police entered the warehouse. “I’m out.” Back at his car, he took off his shirt, pressing it along the cut to keep from bleeding on his leather seats.

His half-eaten sandwich sat in the seat beside him. He unrolled it and took a large bite. Well, that had turned out to be an interesting Friday, and it was still early.

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