Where the fuck is she?
The alleyway she just called me from is right there, and there’s a bunch of dudes hanging outside. I don’t want this to get ugly, but if it has to, then so be it.
If she’s hiding down there, she won’t come out with them standing around shouting at one another.
“Hey, guys,” I say, trying to sound as friendly as possible as I approach. “You seen a small chick with blonde and pink hair about yay high.” I pull my hand up to below my shoulder. Nova is kinda short. “Answers to Nova, she was with a couple of other girls.”
I take two seconds to realize the three dudes are drunk, but hopefully they’re happy drunks and this won’t end badly. Two are average, the third is a fat fucker, but one punch to the guts and I could take him easily.
“If we did, we’d sure as fuck show her a good time,” Idiot number one says.Helpful.
I feel my phone vibrate. Glancing at it, I’m relieved to see it’s her.
Nova
I’m here, two doors down, behind a dumpster by the kitchen
This place serves food? Jesus. H. Christ.
I take off back the way I came.
“Hey, where are you goin’?” One of them tries to grab me but I shrug him off. I don’t have time to brawl.
“Fuck off,” I say, jogging back the way I came until I get to the other side of the building.
I see the dumpster, and a door that must lead to the kitchen. As I approach, I see Nova crouched behind it, clutching her phone to her chest.
“Baby girl?” I say as she jumps in fright. My eyes widen at her state: messy hair, her mascara has run, her eyes are wide and frightened. “Holy fuck.”
“Sawyer!” She jumps into my arms with a sigh of relief. “I’m so sorry I got you up in the middle of the night. I didn’t wanna call Brew or Haze, and fuck Logan, who thinks he can still ground me?—”
“Let’s just get out of here before anyone comes out,” I say. I glance down at her attire, choosing to keep theyou wore that?comment to myself. It’s not that I don’t approve, but she’s cold and shaking in a short skirt and a strapless tube top. I shrug off my cut and throw it over her shoulders.
“Thank you.”
“Next time bring a damn sweater.”
“Jessa and Em were meant to give me a ride, they have my jacket,” Nova explains as I take her hand and pull her along. “A fight broke out, and they just left me! Some of the guys left, but others went back inside.”
We round the corner and the three drunks are hanging around near my motorcycle.
Fucking great.
“Here he is,” Idiot number two says, swaying as he waves a beer bottle at me. “Ooh, she’s pretty. Nice tits, babe.”
I don’t want to smash my hand punching him in the nose, so I do what any self-respecting, sober man would do in this situation: I slap him like a little bitch.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I can fight any which way the wind blows, fair or dirty. But there’s something about a slap that ishumiliating as it is funny. The sound ricochets off his chubby cheeks and I hear Nova gasp behind me.
“That’s no way to talk to a lady,” I grit, knocking his beer out of his hand. “Now fuck off before this gets really ugly.” Out of the corner of my mouth, I tell Nova to pull her helmet on and get on the bike.
“Fuckin’ asshole!” Idiot number two takes a swing, but I see it coming. I punch him once, twice, until he doubles back and Idiot number one charges at me like a bull. I dodge him, then elbow him in the throat, he drops to his knees, sputtering.
I reach into my boot and retrieve one of my knives, then wield it around as idiot number three turns and runs.
I turn to check on Nova and she’s staring at me with wide eyes. “Holy shit, Saw, that was insane.”
“Nobody talks to you like that, Princess. I don’t care if they’re drunk or not.”