Chapter Three #2
A second man attacked, and Owen ducked the punch, slammed his elbow into the rib cage, then hammer-fisted the back of the head. The man crumpled to the ground.
Owen was a blur of motion, his movements controlled and lethal. There was no wasted energy or extra flourish. Only damage.
The third man tried to surprise Owen from the side, but Owen pivoted, grabbed the attacker by the shirt, and drove his knee into the other man’s stomach. As the man doubled over, gasping, Owen yanked him forward and dropped him with a clean strike to the temple.
The last man drew another knife and rushed Owen with a snarl. I screamed as he swung, but Owen blocked the thrust and twisted his arm unnaturally, forcing the attacker to drop his blade. The man drove a fist toward Owen’s jaw, but Owen took him out with a single strike to the throat.
It was over in seconds, and I could hardly process what I’d seen. Silence followed, broken only by the raspy breaths and moans of the attackers. My ears rang with leftover adrenalin, and the world seemed oddly muffled and distant. But I had no trouble focusing on Owen.
Chest heaving, he looked around us like he wasn’t convinced the threat was gone.
I should have felt relief, but a fierce, overwhelming wave of emotion hit me instead.
I wanted to run into his arms and check that he was unharmed.
I wanted to thank him and then yell at him for putting himself in danger.
I wanted him to hold me.
Owen turned to me, his eyes widening when he saw the tree branch I had picked up during the fight. My fingers were beginning to cramp from holding it so hard.
He gave me a nod of approval, and I finally dropped the branch as I stepped toward him, my entire body trembling.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice rough.
I nodded. I didn’t trust myself to speak. I reached for his hand, then drew back. I needed to touch him. Would he let me?
“Hey. Come here.” Owen’s hands slid around my back, and he pulled me toward him. I pressed my forehead to his chest, filling my lungs with his scent and letting it steady me. My hands clutched the back of his shirt, needing to feel him alive.
He rested his chin on my head. “Kira? Tell me you’re okay.”
“I’m okay.” I drew back to look at him. “Are you okay?”
He smiled faintly. “I’m okay. None shall pass, remember?”
Despite everything, I huffed a small laugh, and he relaxed.
Movement behind Owen caught my attention: Jace jogged toward us, his eyes darting around as he took everything in at once.
“Damn, Owen. You couldn’t have left one for me?”
“You’re late,” Owen stated, stepping away from me, and I reluctantly let my arms drop. “Sent you my location when I arrived at the park.”
“Couldn’t find parking.” Jace shrugged.
Owen crouched near the man whose wrist he had twisted and grabbed him by the shirt.
“Why did you attack us? Who are you?”
“We need the woman,” the man rasped.
Owen’s grip tightened and he leaned closer. “Never,” he said, his voice filled with icy fury. “Who are you?” He pressed on the man’s broken wrist, causing him to scream.
One of the other men tried to stand up, but Jace knocked him out with a punch to the face. The man whose wrist Owen leaned on continued to writhe in pain.
“Owen, stop!” I pleaded. I hated seeing anyone in pain, even if he did attack us. Owen immediately lessened the pressure, and the man whimpered in relief.
“We need answers,” Owen growled.
“Please,” I said, stepping toward the man, but one look at Owen’s face made me reconsider getting any closer.
“Why did you attack us?” I asked over the rising sound of sirens in the distance.
Someone from the neighbourhood must have called the police.
But the man didn’t answer, and two hours later, after the police had secured the area, gathered evidence, and taken statements, there were more questions than answers.
“Drugs,” one police officer determined with a heavy sigh like it had been a long day. Probably a long week. “We’ll run some tests, see what they were on. For now, we have everything we need. We’ll be in touch.”
The drive back to my house was quiet. I stared at my reflection in the car window, vaguely noting my drawn expression and vacant eyes. I felt like I could sleep for a week.
Owen walked me to my front door, but when I opened it, I recoiled at the emptiness that awaited me.
Through the dark gloom, I could see the outlines of unpacked boxes.
I’d been so busy with school and helping Charles, I hadn’t completely settled in yet.
Truthfully, I hadn’t cared enough to do so.
This was a rental house, not a home. It offered no comfort.
I felt my heart speed up at the thought of being alone, especially after the night’s strange events.
“I’m not that tired,” I said, reaching for the knob to pull the door closed. “We should check on Charles.”
“Kira, you’re exhausted, and Charles is fine.” Owen placed a hand on the door to stop it from closing completely.
I looked back at the empty darkness of my entryway. I could feel the shadows clawing at me.
“I’m good.” I pulled the door closed again.
“Why don’t I sleep on your couch tonight?” he said and, as I started to protest, added, “It’s no trouble. I know you don’t want to be alone, and I don’t blame you, especially not after tonight. Plus, it’s the least I can do after the way I treated you earlier.”
The idea of a man in my living room while I slept didn’t exactly calm my nerves, but I could feel exhaustion dragging me down. I felt almost dizzy with it, and my legs felt like lead.
Besides, Owen had saved my life in the park. “Okay,” I conceded with a grateful sigh. “Thank you.”
He nodded, following me inside while he texted Jace. “Jace is going to update Charles, and then he’ll drive my car back to his place and pick me up in the morning.”
Owen took the spare bedding from me and proceeded to make up my futon with military efficiency. I felt strange watching him make himself at home in my living room, simply because it wasn’t strange at all. For some reason, it felt right that he should stay here tonight. With me.
And wasn’t that a dangerous thought?
Owen looked up to find me staring. “What’s wrong? You should be asleep by now.”
“Those men were…unnatural, right? I didn’t imagine it?”
“You didn’t imagine it, Kira. I’ve seen some weird shit in my time with the caf, but they were…different. I’ll be here tonight, though. Yell if you need me.”
“Thank you. Again,” I whispered before heading upstairs to shower.
When I fell into bed, however, I tossed and turned for a long time, jumping at every little sound.
I finally turned on the lights and opened my door.
And only then, with most shadows banished and a clear path to Owen downstairs, did I fall into a restless sleep.