Page 40 of Tabitha

Banks lifts his brows, his hard gaze sweeping over the men. “Why don’t we make it interesting? How about one of my men fights one of yours? Whoever wins will help you pack?”

I stiffen at the idea of Tabitha being alone in the house with a bunch of murderers.

Anything could happen without one of us to watch her back.

I try to signal to her, but the stubborn woman refuses to look at me. She scans the others before her gaze settles on River. “Fine. I choose River.”

River flashes a vicious smile at the thought of shedding blood, bouncing on his feet like a boxer.

I glare at the infuriating girl. Instead of calming the situation, she escalated it.

We’ve been avoiding a fight with Legion for weeks, and she just throws us headfirst into one.

Banks lifts his arm and beckons one of his men forward with two fingers. Trevor, his guard dog, leaps off the porch, pulling his shirt over his head as he goes. Though the two men are evenly matched in height, Trevor has a good thirty pounds of muscle on River.

“Very well.” Banks palms his gun, then stands at military ease, the weapon pointed to the ground. “Anyone who interferes will be shot.”

* * *

TABITHA

Oh man, Bast looks absolutely furious!

While I’m still annoyed with him, it’s all I can do to curb my smile when he stomps to the sidelines. Things are just getting interesting. I scoot back, then hop up on the porch, swinging my legs as I wait for the show to start.

Pierce strolls to my side and leans his hip against the porch next to where I’m sitting. I’m not fooled by the casual act. Pierce doesn’t do casual. He has all the tact of a bulldozer.

Gage joins us, shooting a glare my way, like this whole mess is my fault. I wink at him, knowing it will only piss him off more.

River flashes me a bright smile, then yanks his own shirt over his head in a way that has every muscle in his body flexing. Damn! Even I have to admit that he is a work of art. I tighten my grip on the edges of the porch, almost wishing that I could reach out and touch him.

“You got a little drool here.” Pierce leans over, whispering in my ear, pointing to the corner of my mouth.

I instinctively wipe the back of my hand over the spot, only to realize he’s teasing, and I glare at him. “Ass.”

“Brat.” He tugs on a strand of hair that’s escaped my bun, a smug smile on his face, but I know he’s just trying to distract me.

“Begin on the count of three,” Banks says, looking at me with a furrow between his brows, like he expects me to freak out. “One. Two. Th—”

Before he even finishes, Trevor leaps forward and begins hammering away on River. Instead of retaliating, River just brings up his fists, protecting his middle and blocking the blows. I frown when he continues to take the hits for a full minute without taking one swing, and I wonder if I might have made a tactical error.

When he fails to knock River out cold, Trevor’s face contorts with rage, and he changes tactics. He lifts his leg, but before he can land a kick, River drops his arms, catches Trevor’s foot, and nails him in the junk with a powerful blow. I swear the man turns green as he topples backward, clutching himself.

River jumps up with a cheer, his hands in the air, claiming the win.

Trevor rolls to his feet with the speed of a frail old man. He glares at River’s back, absolutely furious, the gleam in his eyes promising death. He gropes his ankle, then pulls out a wicked-looking KA-BAR.

The thought of River being taken from me sends a pang through my chest.

I’m not ready to let him go yet.

We’ve just met.

When Trevor staggers toward River, blade clutched in his hand, I reach under the chair behind me and retrieve the cleaver I hid just last night. I toss it toward River. It spins through the air, landing between his feet with a heavy thump, the blade sinking three inches deep. He looks between his legs with a comical expression, then bends and retrieves it, flashing a smile like I gave him a bouquet of roses.

He whirls, brandishing his weapon at his opponent, a crazy grin crossing his face. He crouches, the blade held at the ready. I lean forward for a better view, then jolt when a gunshot reverberates through the air. “Enough!”

Banks gives me a flat smile that’s more teeth than anything. “If you change your mind and would like more help packing, you know where to find me.”

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