Silver(4)

Her jaw dropped.

Were rich people this unaware of the world? She didn’t care how big his ego was. It would be six on one, and despite his fit build, he had zero chance of making it out of a street fight with even one of them, most likely.

What on earth gave him such confidence?

The men around him laughed nervously, as if unsure whether or not he was insane.

“You’re the one who should go if you want to avoid trouble,” the leader said, and Kelsey watched the newcomer, praying he didn’t just turn around and leave her.

She expected him to, given the way he’d looked at her before.

His eyes settled on her, and he let out a wary sigh, as if hating himself silently for the situation he was in. He folded his arms more tightly.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Fine,” the leader said. “Suits me fine.” He rolled his shoulders. “I’ll beat the shit out of his prick and take his stuff. It’ll be good foreplay.” He nodded to Kelsey. “Someone hold her so she doesn’t make a run for it.”

He circled her defender and his men joined him, except for one, who walked to her and grabbed her by the arms, jerking them behind her back.

“Stop it,” she said. “Let him go. Come on. This isn’t fair, six on one. I’ll do what you want. Let him go.” Panic rushed through her. She’d seen mean things on the streets. This guy had no idea what he’d gotten himself into.

She hadn’t wanted him to run, but now, seeing the sheer numbers and size against him, she wished he had.

The leader only gave her a glance before shaking his head. “Shut up, bitch. We’ll deal with you next.”

The stranger’s silver eyes flashed just before a fist shot out and connected with the leader’s face with a loud crack that echoed through the alley.

The leader staggered back, dazed, but the stranger darted forward, following up with a sharp hit with his other fist, crushing it into the other side of the leader’s face.

Kelsey heard the impact as much as she saw it, and his feet practically lifted off the ground as her rescuer sent the man flying backward to collide with a small group of trashcans that had been huddled next to a brick wall, minding their own business. The cans made a symphony of clanging as the lids careened in every direction.

“Burt!” the man that was holding Kelsey called out in shock.

The stranger whipped around, his dark hair flicking tiny beads of raindrops to the side as his quickly dampening shirt began to better reveal the incredible, bulging muscle beneath his shirt.

“You,” he said, pointing at the man behind her. “Unhand the woman now,” he commanded, though Kelsey couldn’t help but feel a little off-kilter at the strange way he had of talking at times.

Kelsey felt the man behind her freeze as the stranger strode in their direction. But he wasn’t paying attention to the fact that the other men around him were now springing into action. She tried to call out to warn him, but she wasn’t fast enough, and she saw a dull, rusted pipe slash through the air and catch the man in the shoulder with a loud thud.

The man with the silver eyes cursed, then whirled around, catching his attacker in the gut just as another one leapt onto his back, attempting to wrestle the huge, muscular rescuer to the ground.

On the one hand, the rich jerk seemed to have almost superhuman strength. But on the other, it seemed pretty clear by his lack of awareness that he probably didn’t get in fights like this very often.

Either way, Kelsey just prayed nothing would happen to him.

With a grunt and a heave, the stranger grabbed his assailant from behind by the collar of his heavy jacket and heaved him bodily overhead, slamming him into the ground, sending water splashing high into the air and making the pavement beneath her rumble.

This time the now-soaked stranger spun around just as two more approached from behind. Both men stepped back reflexively, as his silver eyes seemed to almost glow with ferocious rage.

“Dirty humans. Can’t even fight fair, can you,” Kelsey thought she heard the stranger mutter.

Both men just glanced at each other in confusion, then one reached into his back pocket and brandished a sizable knife, the blade clicking open and gleaming steel in the glittering raindrops.

The stranger didn’t back down, though. Instead, his eyes slitted, as if in disgust.

With complete confidence, he strode forward, and the man raised his knife defensively. The stranger swatted it away without a second thought, and Kelsey heard the blade clatter into some hidden corner far down the alley.

In utter shock, the man looked down at his hand where the knife had been, then up just in time to see the stranger smack him with the back of his hand, so hard the guy was sent reeling to into the side of a large green dumpster, making a metallic groan from the force of it.