My head swiveled to him. “Seriously?”
“Very. It’s only fair.”
I huffed. “Thank you. That’s amazing.”
Headlights illuminated our cab from behind.
“What is that guy doing?” Brother Matthew muttered, gripping the wheel tighter. “He’s way too close.”
I turned on the bench and looked over my shoulder. The glare stabbed my corneas. What—
The vehicle swerved to the left and shot forward. Instead of passing us, the massive truck came dangerously close.
“Are you out of your mind?” Brother Matthew yelled.
Crash!
The truck hit us, sending us careening off the road toward a ditch separating the street from the jungle. Despite wearing a seat belt, I slid into Kingsley. He wrapped an arm around me to steady me.
Brother Matthew steered to the left and brought us back onto the road.
The truck rammed into us again, and this time, it didn’t back off. It steered us down the incline, all the way into the ditch. A sharp jolt brought us to a halt in a tilted position, the seatbelt cutting into my skin. My head pounded, my nose burning.
The charcoal truck had come to a stop ten yards away, facing us with glaring headlights. The doors swung open, and two beefy figures wearing hoods climbed out. They came for us, one of them swinging a baseball bat.
“I got you,” Kingsley whispered in my ear. He let me go and unbuckled. “Brother Matthew, lock the cab as soon as I’m out.”
“What are you doing?” I hissed.
But he’d already opened the passenger door and climbed out.
My heart pounded in my chest. Good Lord, was he crazy?
Chapter 10
Kingsley
Adrenaline dumped into my system as I headed for the guy with the wooden baseball bat. With the hood up and the headlights of the big pickup backlighting him, I couldn’t make out a face. One thing was for sure—these men weren’t here to talk. Their posture and aggressive moves screamed violence.
I didn’t care. All I could think about was protecting Harley.
No matter the cost.
Sure enough, the guy swung his bat. I backtracked—just in time. My attacker’s choice of weaponwhooshedpast my head, the air of the momentum brushing my face like a death kiss.
Not wasting the opportunity for a counterattack, I shot forward, ramming my shoulder into the guy’s massive chest and driving him all the way back until his spine cracked into the bumper of his truck.
He dropped the bat with a grunt. Drove his fist into my ribs.
Fire shot through my side, but I didn’t let him go. He went for another blow. And another. Not having another choice, I backedoff. The guy grabbed my sweater, hauled me up in a one-eighty-degree spin, and slammed me onto the hood.
My breath got punched from my lungs. I writhed. Where was the other guy?Lord, Harley—
Two hits to my face jarred my brain. Beefy hands wrapped around my neck. The guy’s hood had slid down.
Harley’s ex.
“Shouldn’t have gotten involved, Monk Boy,” he snarled. His breath reeked of booze.