Chapter 10
Emma
“L et me—” I choked on the rest of my protest. Falling back toward the hard metal surface of a dumpster, I flung my hand out to stop my drop to the filthy puddles in the alley.
My hand smacked against the dumpster in the same second that Luke threw that Marchese soldier across the alley. Threw—one-handed. If that show of power wasn’t enough of a sign that he was ripped and ready to use his body like a machine, then his ready stance to square off with the other Marchese man was.
“Oh, shit.” It came out as a whisper, all I could manage with my heart racing like it was. My lungs couldn’t fill fast enough with air, and I grew dizzy. From the up and down of all this. First, the gut-wrenching fear that those Marchese men would make good on breaking me in for Antonio. They’d be killed for touching what was his. They must not have been around long enough to understand how possessive Antonio would be of me. If he was already talking and bragging about how he’d share me with his men, though...
I grimaced, catching my breath as I eyed the still form of the man on the ground. He hadn’t gotten back up from Luke’s throw. His head cracked on the wall. If I could, I’d check if he had a pulse. That nurturing nature I had to lock away came out strong in this moment. I wanted to see if he lived, if I could help stabilize him as first-aid procedures would dictate.
And if he was alive, this asshole who wanted to gang rape me... I’d kick his nuts in so far he’d feel emasculated.
I didn’t dare step away from cowering near the dumpster. Luke fought with the other, taller man. They circled each other a bit at first, but now, they were engaged in what looked like a fight to the death.
I stayed out of the way while they exchanged blows. Hitting, punching, kicking, and twisting, they stayed locked in upfront and personal combat. I couldn’t understand the gritty things they growled. They had to be swears and curses, either damning the other one or taunting them to fight harder. Blood flew. Thuds of fists and flesh sounded so loud, and their groans of pain ran out clearly.
Before I could gather my wits and run, Luke picked up the other man in a complicated twist and slammed him down to the pavement. Like the first man he rendered unconscious, this bulkier guy didn’t make a move to get up. Unlike the first guy, though, his chest rose and fell. He breathed. He lived, just severely beaten.
Luke straightened and caught his breath. His chest heaved with the force of sucking in deep lungfuls of air after all the energy he exerted. He whooped that man’s ass. Handed it to him like it was just another thing to do.
He noticed me hunched over by the dumpster. A strange look crossed his hard features. Then a feral scowl contorted his face. “Get out of here.”
What? Shock gripped me. Seeing him so violent didn’t startle me. Witnessing him kill someone didn’t freak me out. He’d done it all in the name of defense, no different than any of my father’s men might be expected to.
But he wasn’t a Giordino soldier.
He wasn’t even affiliated with any family.
Luke was a regular guy trying to be my hero, and he’d just damned himself for daring to.
He killed one of Antonio’s men. A soldier. To attack one of the Marchese was to attack them all.
He has no clue what he’s just done.
I swallowed hard.
“I said get the fuck out of here, Emma.” He winced as he took a step from where he’d straightened. Glancing down the alley, he noticed the few people who’d watched, gawking at the bloody fight.
The bigger Marchese man groaned but still didn’t get off the pavement. His elbow splashed into the puddle of a pothole, but he couldn’t rise.
“You...”
“ Go , dammit.” Luke narrowed his eyes at me, easing into a stiff walk away from the man he dropped.
He had no clue. It didn’t escape my notice that he didn’t look back at the man who would never move again, as if he couldn’t care less if he lived.
I had to explain.
He approached me, already moving smoother the more he worked his body into walking off the hits. “Get out of here.”
I stood fully, bristling at his command. That he thought he had authority over me.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” I replied.
He huffed, shaking his head as he walked down the alley. Leaving me there. He intended to defend me then just walk away?
What the hell was his problem?
I hurried, catching up with him but not without a look over my shoulder. The bulky guy lifted to his hands and knees, but he wasn’t in any shape to chase after us. The other man didn’t budge.
“You killed him?”
He furrowed his brow, glancing at me. “No, I didn’t.”
“He wasn’t moving.”
He didn’t reply for a long moment. “I’m pretty sure I saw him breathe.”
Then he was paralyzed at best. And this rugged fighter didn’t care.
Who the hell are you? I was intrigued about him before. I noticed him, unable and unwilling to stop looking for him at the resort. Now, seeing him beat those men so easily, I was more addicted to figuring him out.
“But you don’t care either way?” I asked, needing to understand something—anything—about him.
“I cared about helping you get away from them. And I did. Color me confused why you still won’t get the fuck outta here.” He hissed in a sharp breath with his next step and he rubbed his side.
“Are you all right?”
He deadpanned at me, licking the slight spot of blood from a small cut on his lip. He had no right to look hotter. To be even more tempting. So sexy, like a rough-and-tumble beast of a man to tame.
“I can see you home.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m walking.”
“Then I’ll walk you home.”
“No thanks.”
My jaw dropped.
“I’d rather you not.”
Again, trying to tell me what to do. I tipped my chin up. “Too bad.”
He muttered something too low for me to hear, but he didn’t repeat himself. He turned to head down another street, but I couldn’t resist peeking back at the mess he’d left behind.
The further I walked with him, the thicker the tension grew between us. So many questions filled my mind, and I scrambled to push them aside.
Nervous and anxious, I tried to land on one thing to say.
“What?” he groaned. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?”
I gave up glancing at him and cut him off so he’d stop. “I feel like I should say thanks.”
He smirked. “Save it.”
“But I don’t want to express any gratitude to you and have to owe you anything.”
His brows lifted. It almost looked like he wanted to smile. It was probably another smirk or sneer.
“And I’d prefer not to be indebted to you.” To anyone, actually.
He chuckled lightly, laughing me off like he had that night when I was on the balcony. “You don’t owe me anything.” Shoving past me, he resumed walking. “Just go away.”
I pressed my lips together, annoyed that he’d push me away. Over and over. “You don’t make any sense.”
“I wasn’t aware I was supposed to.”
I hurried to catch up with him, rushing a step ahead to block his way and force him to face me. “You fight those men to defend me, but then you want nothing to do with me.”
He licked his cut lip again, glancing to the side.
“Why?”
Locking his intense glare on me, he seemed to search for a reason why he should bother replying.
“I don’t want anything to do with you because were too damn different.” He pointed between us. “We’re on different sides of the line drawn in the ground. Rich to poor. High maintenance to dirty lowlife. VIP pain in the ass with the idiot worker.” He scoffed. “That’s why I need to you go away and fuck out of my life. Where and how should I want anything to do with someone like you?”
“How dare—”
He held up his hand. “I’ve got enough fucking problems in my life without you being an issue too.”
“I’m not an issue. ”
He ground his teeth together, so much closer to snapping. “I’ve got too many things to focus on instead of you.”
This time, he didn’t plow past me. He waited for a long, tense moment, gazing into my eyes as though he wished otherwise. With all those heated looks he gave me when he thought I wouldn’t notice, I wanted him to focus on me. Only me. Nothing else.
He wasn’t wrong. We were opposites, from two totally different paths of life. Yet, he was the one who sparked me to care. To feel. Fighting like this and going toe-to-toe invoked something in me.
I felt alive.
Wanted, even if it was for the sake of arguing and glowering.
Right now, my wish came true.
He was focused on me.
He stared at me with equal parts loathing and lust, and I just couldn’t take it anymore.
I lunged forward, reaching up to grab his head and pull it down so I could kiss him.