Page 164 of Lawless Protector

I move faster.

By the time I’m at the alley, they’ve cornered her.

The child is no longer in her arms.

I can’t see the kid at all, which tells me Eva’s hidden her somehow.

Perhaps behind the dumpster.

Then Eva pulls out a set of knives.

Jesus, there’s no way she can overtake three men with knives, but I do admire her fight.

I stand in the shadows watching as one Bratva soldier reaches for his weapon.

It’s the last thing he does as I fire, the bullet catching him in the base of his neck.

The second, the back of his head as he’s falling.

“What the fuck?” the second man growls, turning toward me. Two shots to his chest, one to his head.

The third pulls a knife instead of a gun, which I suppose is smart in close quarters, but not against me. Not when my woman is in danger.

He rushes toward me, blade arcing toward my gut.

I sidestep, grab his wrist, and force the knife upward, driving it beneath his jaw and into his brain.

His body twitches as I let it slump to the ground.

Three bodies. Less than ten seconds.

Not my cleanest work, but effective.

I turn to Eva, blood spattered across my face and coat.

She's on her knees, her daughter having run to her once the threat was over.

"You're alive," I say stupidly, as if this fact weren't obvious.

Eva’s eyes dart between me and the bodies, like she’s not sure what to think. It pisses me off a bit that she’s unsure of me. I just saved her and the kid, after all.

The little girl shifts, her eyes peeking at me from the safety of her mother's arms.

I approach them both slowly. Even with a split lip and dirt smudging her face, Eva is still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" It’s a dumb question considering the wounds I can see. I wonder how many I can’t.

She doesn't answer, just clutches the child tighter.

"I can get you somewhere safe," I continue, reaching toward her. "Both of you."

Eva flinches away from my outstretched hand. There's no relief in her eyes, no joy at seeing me. Only fear.

"You weren't supposed to find me," she says. "You were never supposed to know I was still alive."

TO BE CONTINUED.