Page 55 of Hiding In the Dark (The Righteous 4)
“What the fuck?” the second assailant yelled in confusion.
Those would be the only words he got out, as the rounded handle of the cane found a new home in his gut, driving the air from his lungs. With a quick snap of his wrist, he brought the handle up to crack the man under the chin before he reached back and, with a sickening crunch, brought the wood around into the side of the man’s jaw. The power of the impact knocked the man out and most likely broke the bone, but he didn’t care. He glared even as the man’s eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed like a sack of potatoes at his feet.
Glass crunched under his feet as he stepped toward the man that had sailed through the glass. Blood decorated the little pieces as the man stumbled to his feet, cutting his knees and hands in the process.
Wide, terrified eyes found his, and a rumbling growl escaped his lips as he pictured ripping the man into two. The guy took off in a fast dash to try and escape across the street, but he wouldn’t let him get away that easily. Changing his hold on the cane, he threw it with deadly accuracy, the piece of spinning wood catching the guy between strides in the backs of his legs. He sneered as the wood did its job and tripped the running man, sending him flying across the pavement face-first. An oncoming car laid on the horn and its tires screeched, narrowly missing the man as it came to a stop inches from his body.
Kes took a stride toward the man, the wave of fury still riding him, until he heard his name. “Kes, stop!” He looked back at Ashley—her eyes were surprisingly calm, but she was struggling to get to her feet. “Let him go. He’s not worth it.”
He glanced at the man that was now limping to his feet and shuffling off, and every instinct in his body screamed to run him down, detach his head from the rest of his body, and post it on a pike somewhere. His nostrils flared as he sucked in a deep breath trying to rein in the wild, dark urges.
“Kes, please help me up.”
The soft request was like a bucket of ice water dumped on the burning inferno. He stepped over the still-unconscious man and was in the middle of helping Ashley stand when Dennis and the caretaker Charlie, along with a few other members of Salvation Place, came rushing out the door.
“Oh my god, Ashley. Are you okay?” Dennis asked, his face as white as a ghost.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Ashley said, even as she winced trying to stand. “I seem to end up on the ground a lot lately.”
Kes’s jaw twitched as he gripped her side and helped steady her with his body. He watched Dennis’s panicked face closely as he looked down at the knocked-out man.
“This is the same jerk that was here the other week and was trying to steal. Don’t you remember? They hit you with the door when they ran out. I should’ve called the cops,” Dennis rambled, his hand going to his forehead.
Kes’s hand gripped Ashley’s side a little firmer. “You mean they hurt her once already?” His voice was like steel as he glared at Dennis from under his hood. “And you didn’t call the cops?” he bit out.
Ashley looked up at him and placed a hand on his chest. He flicked his eyes down to hers, and he knew she was silently asking him to drop it. He didn’t want to. He wanted to demand answers from Dennis. He wanted to race across the street and find the fucker that got away, but instead, he nodded to let her know he would behave.
“I’m so sorry, Ashley. He’s right. I should’ve called the cops. I didn’t think they’d be so bold as to come back.”
“It’s okay, Dennis. I’ll be fine,” she said as sirens drew closer.
Kes looked up in the direction of the oncoming police and ground his teeth together.Great. “I can’t be seen by them,” he whispered in her ear. “I’ll be over there until you’re ready to go.” He nodded toward the alley, and she lifted her brow at him in obvious curiosity, but then simply said, “Okay.”
He slipped into the shadows and blended in with the night as the flashing lights pulled up to the bus stop, now a flurry of activity. Ashley looked over at him once as she was giving her statement, but if she said anything about him, they never looked his way. He leaned against the dirty brick and was tempted to leave. He was toxic, and he never should’ve pushed his way into Ashley’s life again. He’d almost killed those two men and ripped out their hearts in front of her. He pinched the bridge of his nose and watched as the man that had been knocked out was loaded into the back of the cruiser and driven away.
As Ashley looked his way and held out her hand for him to go to her, he knew there was never going to be a way to walk this back. His heart was hers.
Ashley slipped her fingers into Kes’s hand, and the simple contact eased the nervousness and stress that had settled in her chest. He’d kept his hood firmly in place, but she could feel the weight of his stare, and she gave him a small smile.
“Thanks for not saying anything about me,” he said, finally.
“You’re welcome, but why exactly is that, Kes? Why do you not want to be known or seen? You always seem to be hiding. Are you wanted by the police?”
“No, I’m not.” He paused and looked around at the few rubberneckers that were still hanging around. “We should talk about this in private,” he whispered.
“Fine.”
He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Baby Doll, meet me at my location.” Ashley crossed her arms over her chest, her heart thudding a little faster. Had he been lying to her this whole time? Did he have somebody else on the side? Adding insult to injury, he’d given them both the same pet name. Her teeth ground together as the jealousy rose in a rush. Whoever this girl was, she was going to rip her hair out from its roots. There was only one other time in her life she had felt this violent over a man, and shock of all shocks, it was once again over the one standing before her. What the hell was it about him that made her so crazy?
A soft chuckle had her looking up to Kes. She was just able to make out the shadow of a smirk. His lips curled up further, making her want to smack them off his face.
“Is someone jealous?” The teasing tone made her hand twitch. How could he tease her like this after everything they’d been through? She looked away from him before she did something insane like jump on him like a wildling and clawed his eyes out. His hand snaked around her waist, and before she could pull away from his touch, he trapped her to him with his iron-like grip. “I love seeing you jealous,” he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “It makes me hard,” he baited, dropping his head and nuzzling at her neck like a cat would.
“You’re a jerk, and an asshat, and a number of other things that I can’t think of with you doing that,” she said between gritted teeth.
“I can’t deny any of that, but Baby Doll is not what you’re thinking. You’re the only woman for me,” he said, raising his head and locking his eyes with hers.
The emotional storm that was brewing like a tropical hurricane slowed as she stared into eyes that held no teasing. With the anger turned down a notch, she had to ask, “Then who is Baby Doll?”
