Page 54 of The Hero Within
"I'm the one giving the orders here. This your woman?" said the stranger, leering at Colton.
"Yes."
Eden's heart skipped a beat as the stranger captured her chin and tilted her face toward him.
"She's pretty," he mused.
"Rath," said the muscly woman, and it sounded like a warning.
Colton shifted.
"Just playing, Bobbi."
Nobody was watching her. Nobody expected her to cause trouble. Eden's hand slid to her belt—and her emergency precaution.
"You keep your fucking hands off her," Colton growled, and the knife in his hand drew blood.
"Maybe I'll have some fun with her." The enormous stranger grabbed her and wrenched her back against his chest. His hand rested a little too comfortably on her waist.
"Hey!" She wriggled, but his grip was merciless. "You promised."
"What's your name, sugar tits?"
"Eden." There it was again. Eden seethed. "You don't happen to know a guy called Black Tom, do you?"
"Can't say I do. Why? Friend of yours?"
Eden uncapped the syringe behind her back with her fingers, and swallowed. "Not exactly."
"What's your man's name?"
"Johnny Colton."
She could feel his breath stirring her hair, and her eyes met Colton's. Unlike everyone else, he'd noticed the syringe in her hand.
"You want to have some fun with me?" Rath murmured, but she knew he was watching Colton. His enormous arm locked over her chest, and the hand on her waist began to shift, moving up.
"Not really."
"Pity. Now we have both your friends, Colton," Rath said, sliding his hand up and down the side of her ribs, his fingers brushing against the under curve of her breast. "But I think since I've got the prettier one, you might start paying attention. Put the knife down. I won't ask again. If you hurt Lincoln, you're a dead man."
"You fucking touch her like that again, and I'll kill you," Colton growled.
"I put my gun down," she said, "because you swore you wouldn't hurt us. You just broke your promise."
"Gun in the air, Rodriguez," Rath called.
Instantly the man holding the shotgun to CJ's head lifted it, aiming toward the sky. He kept a hand wrapped in CJ's collar, to keep him on his knees.
"Now you, Colton," Rath said. "Let Lincoln go."
The second the knife shifted, the warg Colton had been holding hostage jammed an elbow back into Colton's ribs. Lincoln lashed out as Colton jerked the knife away, and slammed a fist into Colton's thigh.
Shit.
Mayhem erupted. Rath grabbed her by the throat, just as Eden stabbed the syringe in his side and pumped its contents into him.
Rath roared, his grip slackening just enough for her to get away. She staggered forward, but Bobbi tackled her. Eden slammed to the ground, her ears ringing, as a fight broke out.
