Page 35 of Ruthless

“Let me go!”

Sara. I release Blue Hoodie, and he scrambles away. Luca should be waiting at the back, so I don’t bother trying to catch him again. Instead, I race out the front door, the interrogation forgotten.

Chapter 12

Sara

My heart races mile a minute, and my system accelerates with panic.

As I struggle to escape the burly man who grabbed my collar, one of his arms squeezes my waist as he buries his face in my neck. I squirm and swing at him, without success.

“Come on, baby. Don’t be like that. If it’s about money, I got money. How much for an hour? Name your price.”

A disgusted shudder racks my body. “Let me go!”

This time, my slap lands, hard enough to send him stumbling back a pace. He touches his reddening cheek as his expression contorts with rage. “You stupid little bitch. You’re gonna pay for that.”

Panic overrides my adrenaline. I attempt to dodge him, but he captures my upper arm, trapping me in place. As his fist rears back, all I can do is close my eyes and pray the blow doesn’t knock me off my feet.

Then I’m free.

For a few seconds, shock roots me in place.

What the…?

A pained whimper forces my eyes back open. Dante continues twisting and wrenching my attacker’s elbow until the man’s shoulder pops out of socket.

As the man cries out, Dante inspects me from head to toe. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Just a little shaken up.”

His jaw flexes, and his attention switches back to the stranger.

My pulse whooshes in my ears as the rest plays out like a movie. The man sways on his feet, and Dante wraps him in a hug, steel glinting in his hand. After a few violent motions, the stranger clutches his good hand to his belly while Dante lowers just him to the ground. Dante then nonchalantly wipes his wet blade on the man’s dark jeans, tucks the knife away, and fishes through pockets for a wallet.

When he finds one, he scans the ID inside. “Washington Heights, huh?”

Dante studies the name and address before tossing the wallet onto the man’s belly.

Pale and sweating, the man tries to crawl away only to realize he has nowhere to go. His spooked eyes appear too big in his pallid face. “What the fuck, what the fuck?—”

“There’s a lady here, so I’ll keep this short.” Despite Dante’s calm demeanor, I sense an inferno raging inside him. I can tell he wants to rip the other man apart. I think the guy should thank his lucky stars that the place is crawling with people. Otherwise, I don’t like to think about his chances of surviving this encounter.

“Fortunately for you, I refrained from nicking any important organs. But I suggest you don’t hang around the Bazaar too much longer. You have ten, maybe fifteen minutes to get to a hospital before all that sauce leaking out of you becomes a real problem.”

Already more ashen than he was a moment ago, my attacker struggles to his feet, clutching his stomach where a dark stain spreads across his brown Luigi’s Pizza t-shirt. “You’re crazy!” Spittle flies from his gray lips as he wobbles.

Dante releases a beleaguered sigh. “Possibly. But in my defense, you really shouldn’t go around touching other people’s things.”

The man’s gaze darts to me, and I take an involuntary step back. I should probably be mad over Dante referring to me as his belonging, but under the circumstances, I’ll give him a pass.

Dante notes my retreat, and his upper lip curls. When he speaks, pure menace laces his tone. “Be careful getting home later,Andy Pelton, of 955 Fort Adams Avenue, Unit E.”

With another muttered curse, Andy Pelton staggers off. Dante waits until the injured man vanishes into the crowd before focusing on me. “I promise he won’t bother you again. Problems like him have a convenient way of making themselves disappear.”

I don’t ask. I won’t like the answer, and nothing I say will persuade Dante to alter his chosen course of action. Besides, the man assaulted me. Who knows what might have happened if Dante hadn’t shown up?

As reaction sinks in, I start shivering and hug myself tightly. Dante brushes his fingertips over the bare skin of my upper arm, right where the man grabbed me. “That fucker. You’re going to bruise.”