The men grinned in her direction. Suddenly, they attacked once more, taking her by surprise, overwhelming her. They grabbed her and pulled her in all directions. Their fingers dug into her tender flesh as they began to open up her jacket, tearing it off, leaving her upper body in nothing more than a sparkly bra.
Some of the men hollered loudly, impressed by her busty chest, making her blush deeply. They were impressed by her body and her skimpy little outfit. “Well then… look at the sexy little alley cat we got here. How much do you charge sweet cheeks?” One of the men grinned.
Crystal growled, trying to push him away. “Leave me alone you creeps!” She yelled at them, trying to fight her way out of the group, throwing her bag at the closest man with all her might. He grabbed it mid-air, however, leaving her defenseless.
Crystal was shocked for a moment, looking up at the men who loomed above her. She shivered, knowing it was now impossible for her to escape.
Chapter 2
His body leaned down against the bike, letting the air roll over his body as he kept looking forward through his darkly tinted helmet. He was going to be late. But then again when wasn’t Scott late? He was late to everything in his life, and work was no different. He pushed the gas just a little harder, the hum of the engine echoing through the deserted streets.
It was nearly four and the inklings of dawn were slowly emerging on the horizon. Why coaches liked to get up so early was beyond anything Scott could ever comprehend. But he knew his trainer would be cross with him if he missed his pre-training session. At least, he only had a practice match to worry about today, and luckily his opponent was easy, a man he had beaten before with ease. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take too much effort on his part, since he was still trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes.
As he rode through the streets, he killed his speed a bit, enjoying the serenity of being the only one awake in this part of town. Or so he thought. As he slowed down, he heard a cry for help, somewhere nearby. Cruising along, his eye caught sight of a woman struggling against a group of men. Scott rode along, wondering if he should step in and do something or if he should walk away.
He was about to round the corner and drive away when he heard her scream once more. Spinning his bike around quickly, he made his way back down the street towards the alley where the plea had come from. He got off his bike and tossed off his helmet, before approaching the backstreet. The men, at first, didn’t notice him and continued to torment the girl who was now helplessly trapped in their clutches.
“Ahem,” Scott called out from behind the group. The men turned around, one of them pulling off his hood, revealing a kid no more than 19. He had a grin on his face like he knew the answers to the universe. He looked smug and grinned at Scott, obviously underestimating him.
“Got a frog stuck in your throat?” The boy said, getting closer, puffing out his chest, his posse following him, ready to back him up if they had to. Or so he thought. Scott suddenly lashed out, throwing one well-aimed punch at the boy’s face, knocking him out. The group watched in horrified awe as their leader slumped to the ground, seemingly lifeless. Scott eyed them all, waiting to see if anyone else wanted to challenge him.
The other kids now had fear in their eyes and remained quiet, knowing this man would cause them trouble. Slowly, they eased their way out of the alleyway and then ran down the street, leaving their supposed leader behind. Crystal stood there in awe, a little shocked by the whole thing.
While she had been powerless to stop the group, this man made them run for the hills with a single punch. She eyed him curiously, taking in his physically fit body, his tall stature, and his nearly gray eyes. He had a sort of cold, mysterious look in his angular face and his pointed eyebrows made him look angry at the world. Crystal wondered if she shouldn’t, herself, be scared of this man.
But to her surprise, he stepped forward and offered her a hand, an almost kind expression in his eyes. Hesitantly, Crystal took it, looking up at him and trying to steady the fright that had overwhelmed her when she found herself, moments away from being seriously injured.
“You alright?” His voice was rough around the edges, with a husky twist in it that indicated that he rarely spoke. As she stood next to him, she forgot all about his question and curiosity took her over instead. There was a need in her mind, nagging her to ask questions, to discover, to find out anything she could about her handsome savior.
“Hey…” He leaned down, getting to her eye-level, suddenly breaking her out of the trance she had gotten herself into. She blushed slightly, looking up at him with her own bright blue eyes, her light brown hair framing her face, as her blonde highlights made a slight appearance in the rising morning sun.