Page 80 of Critical Mass
But Natalie couldn’t move. Her body felt frozen as her mind struggled to process what she was seeing.
These men weren’t the security team her father hired.
These were attackers. People trying to hurt them.
Trying to hurt Hudson.
The thought broke through her paralysis.
Natalie threw open the car door and looked around, desperate for anything she could use as a weapon.
Her eyes landed on the landscaping stones bordering her flowerbed—smooth river rocks the size of baseballs.
She grabbed one and ran toward the fight.
One of the men had Hudson in a hold, and the other drew back for a punch.
Natalie didn’t think, didn’t hesitate.
She swung the rock as hard as she could at the closest attacker’s head.
It connected with a sickening thud.
The man staggered, releasing his grip on Hudson.
“Natalie, get back!” Hudson shouted.
But it was too late. She swung again, not ready to back down from this fight.
Hudson saw Natalie swing the landscaping stone like she was trying to hit a home run, and his heart lurched with equal parts appreciation and terror.
She was brave. Foolishly, recklessly brave.
And completely untrained for this kind of fight.
He couldn’t let her get hurt while trying to protect him.
He used the distraction she’d created to break free.
He landed a solid punch to the first attacker’s jaw and sent him stumbling backward.
But the men recovered quickly and came at him.
The squeal of tires sounded nearby, then headlights cut through the darkness.
For a split second, Hudson thought reinforcements for the attackers had arrived.
Then Jake’s voice cut through the night. “Get your hands off him!”
The two attackers exchanged a quick glance, some silent communication passing between them in that split second.
Then they broke and ran, not toward the street but between Natalie’s house and her neighbor’s, heading for the wooded area that backed the residential development.
Jake and Atlas ran toward them, weapons drawn.
“Stop where you are!” Jake shouted.
But the men were fast, and they’d clearly planned their escape route.
