Page 78 of Taming Her

“Yeah.” Griff frowned. They were so vulnerable in their inebriated state. “You heading for the taxi rank?” Griff asked the girls.

They paused. One hiccupped.

“Yes, Officer.” A blonde grinned.

“Good, stick together, right.”

“Sure thing, Officer,” another said with a giggle, then, “Hey, fancy taking us home?”

“Yeah, she’s been a bad girl.” The blonde hooted with laughter and the others joined in. “You should punish her, Officer.”

“On your way,” James said, indicating the direction of the taxi rank.

They turned, still giggling, and carried on staggering.

Griff and James kept walking. They passed the quayside, Ruby’s, and went over the padlock bridge.

When they reached the other side a sudden loud scream rang out.

“Shit. This way.” Griff broke into a run, his hand instinctively going to his baton.

James was close behind him. They rounded a corner. Another scream.

“Down there.” James pointed to the right.

They approached an alley and the sound of crashing rattled around the high brick walls.

It took a moment for Griff’s eyes to adjust but when they did he saw two men brawling, one with his head at the other’s abdomen and ramming him against a wheelie bin.

A woman in leather pants and a white t-shirt let out another scream, her hands at her mouth.

“Stop! Police!” James yelled, rushing forward.

Griff was at his side. The way the men were fighting was serious. This wasn’t a drunken poke at each other. They were mad as hell. And the taller, broader one was coming off best.

They rolled to the ground. Tall Guy threw a punch.

“Stop!” Griff yelled, approaching at a run. “Police. Stop!”

Tall Guy jumped up. The other man rolled to the right, clutching his face. But when Griff reached him he realized it wasn’t a punch injury, it was a long slash mark going from below his eye almost to his upper lip.

Griff’s heart squeezed and a new shot of adrenaline went into his bloodstream.

“Get back, or I’ll cut you too, pig.” Tall Guy waved a long knife with razor teeth at Griff. He was backed into a corner and snarling like a caged animal.

“Hey.” Griff held up his hands. “We don’t want trouble. Drop the weapon.”

“Get back, you bastards, I swear, I’ll slit your throats.”

Griff was grateful for his stab vest, but it gave his throat no protection whatsoever. He puffed up his chest and clenched his fists. “Drop the weapon and we can talk about this.”

“Nothing to fucking say,” he spat. “Piss off.”

James was on the phone, calling for backup and an ambulance.

Griff didn’t take his attention from the knife. The metal flashed menacingly as it was thrust forward in threatening stabbing movements. He stepped back, avoiding it coming too close.

But then Tall Guy lunged with a flash of determination in his eyes, aiming for Griff’s face.

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