Page 73 of Necessary Evil

Sentinel lifted him up and threw him into the wall. The breath left Evil’s body in a whoosh.

Shit.“Leave him alone,” Lucy screamed.

And then she swung a chair at Sentinel. The look of shock on Sentinel’s face would have been hysterical if Evil could breathe. The cheap-ass chair shattered into splinters across Sentinel’s wide back. As Sentinel turned to her, Evil took his shot and punched him in the jaw, which brought Sentinel’s attention back to him.

“Ryder, let her go,” Warden shouted.

Evil blocked another of Sentinel’s blows and then looked up to see that Ryder had Lucy in a choke hold.

“Tuck your chin,” he yelled at her, taking an uppercut from Sentinel.

But Lucy seemed to panic. She wasn’t a fighter. She wasn’t used to blowing off steam in a bar brawl. Sentinel landed blows into his stomach and head while he tried to see if Ryder just had her in a half nelson or if she was choking her out. Lucy pulled Ryder’s hair, scratched and bit at her arms, and bucked and kicked, trying to get Ryder off her.

Good luck with that.

“Let her go,” Evil roared when he saw the tears stream down Lucy’s face.

Lucy flailed, kicking back at Ryder, trying desperately to escape. Ryder was immovable: her face was inaccessible to Lucy’s clawing hands and her arms were safe from Lucy’s teeth. Then Lucy wheezed for breath, her eyes rolled back, and her arms went limp.

“No!” Evil gave up on defense and charged past Sentinel. Too late. Ryder loosened her grip and Lucy sank bonelessly to the floor.