Page 17 of Tease

Rina turned her head up to look at me.

“H-h-h-he is?”

I nodded.

“Your cousin is perceptive. Guess it runs in the family, considering how knowledgeable you are.”

She blushed again and buried her face in my neck. It made me chuckle.

“I’m not complaining. You know I think you’re perfect the way you are.”

We fell silent again. Rina looked out over the rolling hills, both of us admiring the view. I turned to her after a while.

“Do you want to take a walk? We can put this back in the car and then wander around?”

“Y-yes, please.”

Rina helped me pack up the picnic stuff. I’d just finished stuffing the folded blanket in the bag when I heard a rustling sound behind us. My head whipped around, but it was far too late. A knife dug into my throat. I straightened slowly, my eyes going to Rina, who had a man behind her, holding her in place. Her grey eyes were wide behind her glasses as they landed on the knife against my neck.

“Don’t you fucking move,” hissed the person behind me.

“Or what?” I ground out, keeping my arms by my sides.

“I’ll leave you for dead, mate.”

I stared at the man holding onto Rina. He was tall and bulky, with a beanie on. My hand slid into my coat sleeve. If they thought I’d come out here unarmed, they were idiots.

“What do you want?”

“We’re taking the girl. Been waiting for one of those bitches to be on their own. Can’t be helped that you’re here. Collateral damage and all.”

The fact he’d called Rina a bitch made me want to strangle the fucker to death.

“I suggest you take your hands off her.”

The man behind me chuckled as the beanie guy raised his eyebrows.

“What you going to do if we don’t, huh? I’ll slit your throat before you can even move an inch.”

If he thought that was a threat, he was stupider than I thought. The idiot wasn’t even attempting to restrain me. He thought a knife would scare me into submission. Wasn’t the first time someone had held one against me. Wouldn’t be the last.

It was time I taught these men a lesson about why they should not have come after Rina. They were going to learn why I was Zayn Villetti’s right-hand man. And why he’d sent me to keep his cousins safe.

Seven

Arlo

Sliding the knife hidden in my jacket down into my palm, I elbowed the guy behind me in the gut before ducking out from under his hold. He let out a grunt. I ignored him, my eyes on the man holding Rina. It only took me a second to make a judgement call before I threw the knife. It sailed through the air and embedded itself in the man’s shoulder. He let out a harsh sound of pain.

“Run,” I barked at Rina, who was already shoving the man away from her.

She darted towards the trees and hid behind one. I wasn’t going to tell her to keep moving. There was no time.

I turned and launched myself at the guy I’d elbowed. He landed heavily on the ground, the wind knocked out of him. I grabbed a hold of his wrist, banging it on the ground until he let go of the knife. I took hold of it, rose to my feet and spun around just as the other guy came at me. He’d left my knife in his shoulder. Wise move on his part. Pulling it out would only make him lose more blood. I could use that to my advantage.

He threw a punch, which I ducked. My fist slammed into his side before I spun and grabbed hold of my knife, ripping it from his body. Gripping both knives tight in my fists, I watched the guy staring down at the blood staining his shirt.

“You motherfucker,” he roared.

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