Page 57 of Power Play

“Not much to tell,” he says with a shrug. “I live in DC now, college on the West Coast, army. Nothing exciting.”

I tilt backward, almost toppling over at his arm shooting out, pressing against my stomach and stopping me in my tracks. My heart rate ratchets higher as he scans a block of darkened path up ahead with intense scrutiny. Goose bumps spread along my forearms. The darkness of the night mixed with our isolation urges me closer to Trey's side. He wraps his arm around my shoulders, tucking me even closer. An engulfing sense of security warms my chilled body like a thick blanket.

“What's going on?” I whisper, my lips brushing the material of his suit jacket.

“You feel that?” Head on a swivel, he scans the area once, twice.

A sudden prickling spreads down my neck at the sense of being watched.

“Let's go back the way we came.”

I'm still nodding when he whirls us around to retrace our steps. My breath catches as every muscle of his that’s pressed against my right side tenses. The silhouette outside a streetlight’s illumination pulls us to a hard stop.

Trey swears under his breath. The world spins as he rotates us back around only to find another person, this one in the middle of the path, not caring that the light gives us a clear visual of his features.

“Mess,” Trey states as he looks from the man in front of us to the one at our back. “I need you to stay close, but know when to get out of the way if things get dirty. You understand me?”

My head bobs in rapid succession.

“Dammit, I really didn't think this through, did I?”

The regret in his voice tugs at my heart. “Hey, you didn't know. Don't blame yourself.”

“It's Central Park at midnight.”

“Who knows? Maybe these guys just need directions.” I push as much humor into my shaky voice as possible.

As we talk, the two men move closer, boxing us in.

“Wallet, watch, jewelry,” one guy orders, his voice gruff.

“So that's a no to the directions,” I say on a giggle. Shit, why am I laughing? What is wrong with me? “This is not funny.” Another burst of giggles erupts from my chest. I smack both hands over my mouth. “Sorry,” I mumble.

“You don't want to do this,” Trey says, his voice hard, all business. “I'm not your normal tourist.”

Peering around Trey's shoulder, I shrink against his side. “That one's getting closer,” I whisper.

“They both are, Mess. It's okay.”

Is it? From where I'm standing, nothing is okay. My legs tremble with the urge to run.

“Money, now,” the one in front of us demands, more grit in his voice this time.

“That's a hard pass,” Trey says. His muscles bunch, the arm around my shoulders sliding to my lower back. “Duck and crawl to the edge of the path.” His words barely register before he gives my back a hard shove. Gravity, that bitch, takes care of the first part of his directions. The cheap flip-flops skid a foot after hitting a large patch of wet leaves. My arms are whirling to stay upright as my feet sail into the air. I grunt in pain, my ass smacking to the asphalt.

Wetness soaks my backside as I blink up at the starless night sky.

The crack of skin against skin slices through the silence. Shouts from unfamiliar voices, too close. Pitching forward, I slap my hands on the pathway. On all fours, I crawl to the edge of the sidewalk to a spot dipped in shadows. I blink to reset my contacts, clearing my vision.

The scene in front of me still doesn’t make sense.

One man stands above two others writhing on the ground at his feet. The man scans the area, searching. Honey brown eyes pause, locking with mine. Hair a mess, jacket ruffled, he gives a cocky smirk. I release my held breath with a whoosh.

With one more kick to each man's ribs, Trey marches toward me, his strides fast and sure.

“We need to move. Now.” Hands tucked under my shoulders, he hauls me upright. “They won't stay down for long. Didn’t want to add manslaughter to tonight’s events.”

I suck in a quick breath with a frantic nod. Right. Good plan.

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