Chapter 11 #2
The chiding tripped a switch. The one-eyed man shoved Colin hard.
Colin flew back but recovered in an instant.
He threw his fist at the guy and blood splattered from his nose.
I wriggled out of my assailant's grasp. I stumbled away to catch my breath and stop the dizziness in my head.
Colin and his friends were in a full brawl.
They were fast and strong and seemed to be way more strategic about their fighting.
I flinched every time knuckles hit flesh and bone.
Blood dripped on the pavement and grunts and groans rumbled off the side of the building.
Colin had one man in a headlock while his three buddies took care of the others.
A loud horn honked several times and drew nearer. A man with a giant belly was barreling toward us in a golf cart. He honked his horn again, but the fight continued. "Already called the police, so if you're not a tenant here, you'd better go or you'll also be arrested for trespassing."
The man with the patch, who seemed to be the leader, yelled through the fray. "We're out of here. Let's go!"
It took a few more seconds of fists before the thugs pulled out of the fight and took off. At least two were holding hands under bloody noses.
"Mr. Wilde," the man on the cart said wryly. "Why am I not surprised? You've always had that potential for trouble. Maybe we should rethink your lease."
Colin was using the end of his shirt to wipe blood off the side of his mouth. "Potential for trouble? I've been a good tenant."
"Your opinion. I recognize your brother Ronan, but who else do we have here?" He leaned slightly out of the cart causing the whole vehicle to tip to the side. "So, one tiny slip of a thing caused eight men to throw fists?" His tone and words made me bristle.
"Guess I must be a lot more than a tiny slip of a thing," I said.
"You know—to cause an eight-man brawl. And you should have better security on your grounds.
I was just walking through the lot to visit my friend Colin, and those four thugs attacked me.
They were trying to kidnap me, and these men came to my rescue.
So, in a way, all of this trouble is your fault …
for lack of security. Now, I need to get these men up to the apartment, so I can clean up all the cuts and bruises they got coming to my rescue.
If they hadn't, I'd probably be dead in a ditch right now all due to your very unsafe building complex. "
The man's face reddened. He sputtered a few almost apologetic words, then spun his cart around and chugged away.
The friend with black hair and green eyes who had a smile that seemed to mirror Colin's laughed. "Shit, where the hell were you when we were young? I think the high school principal would have been shaking in his twenty-dollar loafers every time he saw you coming."
I shrugged. "I've learned how to talk myself out of a lot of situations with a lot of indignation, drama and bullshit. Although, I probably wasn't far off on that dead-in-a-ditch assessment."
The others looked at Colin for an explanation. He shook his head. "Don't ask. It'll just lead you to a dead end." A few of the other tenants had obviously heard the melee and were just now getting brave enough to come out of their apartments to see what was going on.
"Let's go up to my place," Colin said. "I seem to remember something about an offer of first aid."
The big dude had a fat lip. He glanced at his reflection in his phone screen and flinched as he touched it. "Fuck, Nev is going to be pissed as hell."
We walked up a flight of stairs to an apartment just above where I'd been accosted. "I guess this is how you knew I was in trouble," I told Colin as he opened his door.
"I heard a scream, and it sounded kind of familiar and I thought 'I just bet that little Sadie Rivers has gotten herself into trouble again' and I glanced out the window and thought, 'yep, she has.'"
We piled inside. I felt like a splinter in a forest of redwoods as the four massively built men filled the room.
"Uh, these are my brothers." Colin pointed to the one with black hair.
"My twin, Ronan." He pointed to the biggest one.
He was equally handsome and well over six foot.
"My oldest brother Zander. And the sort of brains of the bunch, Jameson.
" Jameson had Hollywood bad boy good looks, and he looked askance at the "sort of brainy" label.
"And that rounds out the Wilde brothers all except the family diamond, Nate, who is on tour with his band right now.
Guys, this is Sadie Rivers, Ace's sister. "
Jameson nodded. "Good to meet you. You don't seem anything like your brother."
"That's because I'm not." I clapped my hands together once. "Now, where is the first aid kit?"
Everyone looked at Colin, who looked as if he'd just been asked where the magic wand was. "Uh, first aid kit?"
"Seriously?" I asked.
"I've got some bandages and some of that stuff that stings and … and some clean washcloths. And ice," he said proudly. "I've got ice."
Jameson shook his head. "Pretty sure the ice is a given, but go ahead and pat yourself on the back for that one."
"Well, gather those things," I said. "You guys are in luck. I've been trained in first aid. It's my turn to thank you guys for saving my ass out there."