Breene, K F - Jessica Brodie Diaries 01 by Back in the Saddle (v5.0) Page B

here.”
    Dusty’s body crested William’s in
my line of sight, stepping toward JP and Phil. I only got a glimpse, though,
because William shadowed him, irritatingly lodging himself back in my line of
sight.
    “Now Dusty,” Adam went on, “you
know we ain’t gonna let no fight happen in here. We got some bulls to run and
we can’t have no trouble.”
    Judging by William’s movement,
Dusty took a few steps back toward his friends. He wanted the numbers. He was
probably weighing his odds and his groups' willingness. Finally, after what was
probably a stare-off, Dusty said, “Why don’t you let the lady decide? We was
havin’ ourselves a nice little chat ‘afore you all showed up.”
    Bodies parted slightly as William
angled his body, moving just his substantial width of shoulder. A glare of
hatred hit me as I met Dusty’s eyes. A creepy smile slithered up his face.
    “I’ll be seein’ you around,
darlin.”
    My foot took an involuntary step
back with the force of his glower, catching the bench, throwing my balance off
kilter. As I teetered, arms wind-milling, Adam and William were already in
action.
    As Adam said, “that about does it—“
they had him clutched between them, jerking him around by the arms and shirt,
forcing him roughly down the stairs.
    A mountain stepped in front of me,
then, but I couldn’t marvel at its size. I was toppling, heading backward in
what I knew, I just knew, would hurt something awful.

Chapter Six
     
    “Hang on there—“ The smaller man
grabbed me around the waist, using all his strength of keep me from
somersaulting end-over-end down the steps.
    “Jessica!”
    That screech could only belong to
Candace.
    Sure enough, another, softer body
barreled into my back, helping the smaller man with momentum if not strength.
Arms like thick cables despite his small stature, he got me on my feet, his
steadying hand welcomed.
    As I teetered to a stop, I saw one
and a half things. The first was the mountain range. And it was huge.
    Six-foot-four at least, he towered
over me. Huge broad back, tree trunk arms supporting more than one tattoo, and
not an ounce of fat that I could see, he was a giant brick of solid muscle.
    Behind him was the half of crowd,
shifting and sticking hands in pockets, left in Dusty’s wake. The other half
was probably there, too, but damned if I could see them around the mammoth in
front of me.
    The boys got a look at him and
shrugged. They lost the desire to fight almost immediately, choosing instead to
skulk off down the stands. I didn’t blame them.
    Andre-the-freaking-Giant turned to
me. “You alright? We wasn’t gonna let him hurt ya.”
    I smiled in relief. “Thanks a
million! I really appreciate it!” Then, thinking I might offend my crew, I
added, “We definitely needed the numbers. Candace and I wouldn’t have been much
help, and these guys were only three against five. Or was it six?”
    The giant looked around at the guys
I came with. Then the littler dude stepped up, smiling like the whole thing was
some big joke. Little did he know, the joke was the two of them standing
side-by-side. A short, wiry guy and a thick tree trunk of a man. I was sure
there was a cartoon somewhere made of this pair.
    The little guy stuck out his hand.
“Hi. My name’s Clayton. People call me Ty.”
    He had a lower voice than I would
have thought. It was quite low, actually. No accent, either. He had trimmed
eyebrows, a short nose that had been broken a couple times and not set
properly, and dark brown eyes. His hair looked shaggy but it was hard to tell
because he had a Yankees ball cap on.
    “Oh, hi. My name
is...ah...Jessica.” I smiled and sighed. “Sorry, my adrenaline is up.”
    He smiled back, showing a pretty
smile marred by a couple chipped teeth. “No harm, Jessica.”
    He scanned the area, completely at
ease. His gaze touched each of the boys, Sara for a half second longer, then
lingered on Candace.
    “Oh sorry, these are my friends...”
    Ty nodded