There was no strategy after that.
I fought. I fought hard. I swung with everything I had. I kicked. I bit. I scratched. I made my body go limp on more than one occasion to get out of someone’s hold. They didn’t punch me, but I was slapped and knocked to the ground. I saw stars, but I jerked upright, aiming for the groin and receiving an ear-splitting sound as my reward. I didn’t know if it was a squeal or a gasp, or even a scream. I could only hear the thumping of my heart. It drowned everything out, and I was back on my feet again. I had no time to stop and think.
I had to fight.
I had to hurt.
I had to protect.
Feeling someone behind me, I let loose with the bat, a scream erupting from my throat. Someone caught the bat and wrapped an arm around my waist. I tried kicking out. He dodged my feet and said hurriedly in my ear, “Damn, Strattan. It’s me, Channing. Stop!”
Channing.
He was friendly.
Stop.
I sagged in his arms, looking for Mason. Where was he? He was circling a guy, still fighting.
I started forward, but Channing caught my arm. “Whoa. Chill.”
I growled as I yanked my hand free and started forward again, but Channing grabbed my arm once more.
He got in front of me, holding his other hand up. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Look. He’s fine. We’re here. He’s got that. Look. Look, Sam.”
My senses began to calm. The black around my eyesight faded. I could see more normally, and the buzzing in my ears subsided. I gulped for breath, tasting salt and dust in my mouth.
Channing was right. Mason’s eyes were deadly, but alert, his mouth set in a flat line. His shoulders were tense, but he looked in control. His opponent was a heavier-set guy. He probably outweighed Mason by fifty pounds, but as he threw a punch, Mason evaded it easily and slammed back with one of his own. The guy faltered, falling to his knees. Mason reared back, his hand coming down hard, and a moment later, the guy collapsed to the ground.
Mason knocked him out.
“Shit.”
I glanced at Channing, who’d spoken beside me. I heard the awe before he broke out in a grin, heading toward Mason.
“Fuck, Kade. If football doesn’t do it for you, and if you’re not going to become a millionaire businessman like your daddy, you’ve always got fighting as a backup.” He laughed again, shaking his head. “You and your girl took on ten of Caldron’s crew.” He swung around. “Heather, you should be taking lessons from Sam here.”
I looked and sure enough, Heather was right next to me, her hands holding her elbows. She gave me a shaky smile. I saw the fear in her eyes then, and another moment of reality hit me like a slap across the face. The adrenaline had been a nice blanket surrounding me, but it was gone now, and I gasped, feeling aches and pains all over my body.
I doubled over. “Fuck.”
“Sam!”
Mason was there, his hands gentle on me as he helped me stand back up. “You okay?” He inspected me all over, brushing back my hair, feeling over my arms, legs, and stomach. When he was certain nothing major was wrong, he pulled me to his chest.
“Are you okay?” He buried his head in my hair, at the crook of my neck.
His hug was gentle, but I crushed him to me. He wasn’t the only one who needed reassurance.
Holy. Fuck.
Eleven to two.
I felt him peppering soft kisses to my neck. “Who knew you were such a badass with a bat, huh?”
A slight laugh slipped out, causing a new burst of pain through my chest. But it felt good. Damned good. I leaned back so I could see him. “You okay?”
His eyes roamed over me, his love and concern evident there. “I’m fine. Worried about you.”
“I’m good.”
Those two words didn’t feel right, but I wasn’t capable of speaking further at that moment.
“I don’t think Caldron will seek you out for a rematch.”
We had all regrouped at Heather’s house, which was now overrun with Channing’s crew. Some of the guys had migrated to the front porch, where their girlfriends were now hanging all over them. Channing leaned against one of the kitchen counters, his arms crossed over his chest as he spoke to Mason.
He turned to watch as Heather wet a washcloth before bringing it to me where I sat on Mason’s lap at the table. Since the fight, we’d barely separated. I needed to keep reminding myself he was okay.
She handed it over, and I pressed it to a cut on my face. I winced, but Heather’s painkiller was already working. The pain was considerably less than it’d been at the event.
Mason watched me as he replied to Channing. “I know, but he got his ass kicked. Budd was going to go after Sam no matter what. I can’t put it past Caldron now.”