Page 22 of Guarding Grace
Baldy shifted me on his shoulder. “You had one job to do, Gio. One job and you fucked it up.”
Fighting through the numbing tingles, I finally got a few fingers to move on one hand. Maybe I could scratch Baldy’s eyes out, if I could lift my arm.
“Fuck you, Mario. He’s a fast little shit.” Gio yanked my hair to lift my head. “She’s a looker. I call dibs.”
Nausea rolled through me, and I spat at him.
“That’s gonna cost you, stupid bitch.” He used his sleeve to wipe his cheek, then punched me in the face.
It stung something wicked. It should be illegal to hit a woman this hard, especially when she couldn’t move. “Gio,” I croaked through the pain. “My boyfriend’s going to wipe the sidewalk with you.” I didn’t have a boyfriend, but I’d pulled the line out of a romance novel, and it sounded good.
“Enough fucking around,” Mario said as he opened the car door. “We gotta get her to Victor.”
It was now or never to get away from these guys before they got me inside the car. I used all my willpower to lift my arms and fight.
It wasn’t enough. They hung down like useless, limp fish.
CHAPTER 6
Grace
Screechingtires signaled a car almost hitting the Suburban as they maneuvered me toward the backseat.
“Put her down.” Terry’s yell came a second later.
I’d never heard a more welcome voice. I pulled in a relieved breath as he came into view.
“Stay the fuck out of this,” Gio countered.
Terry moved lightning fast, landing three punches in succession, the last one sending Gio against the side of the SUV.
“Asshole,” Mario sputtered as he dropped me in a heap on the sidewalk.
I landed hard enough to know I’d just collected another set of bruises, but at least my head faced the action.
“You were warned.” Mario pulled a gun. Before he could aim, Terry’s foot collided with the asshole’s hand, and the gun skittered under the car. Mario lunged at him.
Terry dodged.
Mario turned like an enraged bull.
As soon as the goon started forward, Terry landed two swift hits and a kick that sent the guy back against the restaurant window. Surprisingly, it didn’t break.
Terry swiveled and rushed to me. “What happened?” he asked, kneeling down.
“Taser.”
Mario stumbled to his feet and hobbled to Gio.
“He’s getting away,” I croaked.
“Not my priority. You are.”
I melted a little bit inside and lifted my hand as much as I could.
Terry knelt beside me and took my hand. “I’ve got you, Grace.”
This made it two times now that he hadn’t called me some derogatory cat name.
