Shiv-Man smirked.
The only one who seemed to have an ounce of brain cells was the one who’d gotten a cheap shot in. “Let’s hurry this the fuck up,” he snarled, his shifty gaze darting around. “We ain’t gettin’ paid to play with our dinner.”
Tweaker licked his lips. “I’m hungry.”
With a glare, I shook my head. “You’re making a mistake, boys,” I warned, my spine steeling as Tweaker circled to my other side. “But if you really wanna go, let’s get this shit over with, shall we?”
I whirled, and my fist landed solidly on Tweaker’s temple. He went down hard and didn’t get up.
One down. Two to go.
“Tell me who hired you, and I’ll double what he’s offering,” I taunted.
Brains smiled and shook his head. “We both know it don’t work like that.”
“Worth a try,” I muttered, jumping back when the guy with the shiv lunged for me again.
I should’ve had a solid two feet behind me to work with, but something hard and sharp cracked against the base of my spine. Stars exploded in my vision as Brains landed a quick combination of shots to the side of my head and ribs.
A kick to the back of my legs sent me to my knees.
Shit.
I’d missed a fourth guy, who grabbed the back of my hair and wrenched my head back, exposing my throat. Shiv-Man snarled, lifting the glass higher and aiming for my jugular.
With a grimace, I jabbed my elbow back. The soft squish of flesh and a roar confirmed I’d landed a decent shot to the guy’s junk. His grip on my hair slackened enough for me to jerk my head to one side.
The glass clipped the underside of my jaw, the skin burning as it was sliced open.
“Hold him!” Brains ordered, jabbing a finger behind me.
A meaty arm came around my throat and squeezed, cutting off my air.
Forget trying to get out of this situation without adding to my problems—these fuckers wanted me dead, and I was going to have to put them all down before they landed a lucky kill shot.
I tried to stand, but my feet slipped on the grimy, mildew-covered tiles. My ears were ringing, and oxygen was becoming an issue. Something sharp stabbed into my gut, and I grunted. Fire licked through my belly, and I glanced down to see a lot more red pooling under me.
Dammit.
Court was going to have my ass when he realized I’d been bested by four jailhouse punks. Of the four of us, he was the one always trying to get us into sparring and shit. He loved it all—boxing, MMA, and just beating the shit out of people. It wasn’t uncommon to find him and Linc at underground cage fights, when we weren’t in football season and Coach wouldn’t ride their asses about injuries.
“End of the line, pretty boy,” the guy with the shiv teased as he and his friend closed in on my front.
No, no, no.
No way in fuck was I being taken down by these idiots. I didn’t have time to deal with shit like dying when Maddie needed me.
I managed to get to my feet, gripping the forearm of the bitch who’d attacked me from behind. With a grunt and a sharp pain zipping up my side, I dropped my shoulder and rolled him forward. His hold on me released as he twisted away to break his own fall.
My head swam and my vision blurred again. Pain eclipsed thought for a moment, and that was all it took to give the other two a chance to come for me.
I braced myself for the next hit, but it never came.
My legs went boneless beneath me, and I dropped to my knees. Slowly blinking the deluge of water from my eyes, I watched the guys in front of me go down as they were swarmed by five others. Each of the new men had the same image tattooed across his back: a demon ripping through his spine with a bloody dagger.
Rippers.
Grinder knelt in front of me, his eyes a turbulent storm as he grabbed my jaw and forced my head up. “No, you fucking don’t,” he growled. “You don’t get to die until you tell me where that piece of shit is.”