Page 59 of Jump on Three
The suit cocked his head like he was considering it. “Hmmm…nah. If we let him off easy, he might think he can come back and be forgiven when he fucks up again.”
Cue Ball—Jay—clucked his tongue. “Don’t think either of you are the forgiving type.”
Ivan stared down at the man with dark, hooded eyes devoid of all expression. I couldn’t come close to guessing what he was thinking or what he would do to this man, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him.
“Some shit is unforgivable,” Ivan gritted out. “You’re going to understand.”
And then Ivan let loose. He pummeled the other man with his fist, still holding him by his hair so he couldn’t escape. Bella jerked with each hit, but I was frozen solid. Unblinking, glued to the violence raining down right in front of me.
The besuited Marco walked up beside Ivan, patting his shoulder. “Let him go.”
Ivan’s arm was cocked, ready to drive his fist back into the mewling man’s face. “You think he’s done?”
Marco’s low, dangerous chuckle rolled across my skin, making all my little fine hairs stand on end. “I think if you keep holding him like that, you’re going to scalp him. Drop him down on the fucking filthy ground where he belongs. Let him roll those fresh scrapes and cuts around in the shit and piss.”
Jay groaned. “Man, you know there’s no shit and piss in our alley. We take good care of our stuff.”
Marco held up his middle finger. “I’m not going to get out a magnifying glass and analyze what’s getting stuck to the bottom of my shoe. What I do know is it’s not a fuckin’ tea party out here.” He patted Ivan again. “Drop him.”
Ivan let the man go and swiped his now-free hand against his side. Marco prowled back and forth, nudging the sniveling man with the toe of his shoe while Ivan loomed, his arms folded across his chest.
“Motherfucker.” Marco reared back and kicked him in his middle. “Trashy-ass rapist.” Another kick, then another. He moved around his curled-up torso, treating him like a soccer ball. Every connection of shoe to body gave rise to cries and inhuman sounds I had never heard before.
And when he was done, breathing heavily, his hands on his hips, Jay stepped out into the alley, scooped the man off the ground, and walked slash dragged him toward the street. He did this so seamlessly I assumed he’d done it many times before.
Marco stretched his neck one way then the other. Ivan flexed his hands and shook them out.
“Ready to go back in, kid?” Marco asked.
“Yeah. I need some fucking ice for my knuckle.”
Marco leaned into him, checking it out. “Shit. It’s already swelling. Your dad’ll kill me if I let you break it.”
Ivan wiggled all his fingers. “Not broken. Do not worry.”
Then they walked back into the club and tugged the door closed, leaving Bella and me in the dark, far-too-quiet alley.
“Oh my god,” she whisper-screeched. “Did that just happen?”
I nodded, but she couldn’t see me. “Yes.”
“That was surreal, right? I mean, they kicked the shit out of that guy right in front of us. I—what?”
“Yes,” I repeated. We’d both seen the same thing. We both knew what had happened. “I think we should go back to the car.”
She squeezed my hand. “I’m scared to move.”
“They won’t hurt us.”
“How can you know that? Why aren’t you freakin’ out?”
“It’s Ivan. He won’t hurt us or let anyone else hurt us.”
I knew this was true, though I really didn’t have any evidence to back it up aside from the time he rescued me from the pool. I was simply certain.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Let’s go.”
Once we started walking, I found I wasn’t as steady as I’d thought. I stumbled over my feet, and Bella righted me, saving me from hitting the ground, which maybe wasn’t covered in piss and shit but definitely had fresh blood on it.