Rise of the Fallen by Donya Lynne

held out his hand. She took
it and he pulled her up. "Are you okay?" he said.
    "I—I don't know. Who were those guys?"
    "I'm not sure. Hey, Micah," He turned to address
her mystery man, only to be blind-sided with a right hook.
    Sam screamed, jumping out of the way as the dark man flew
backward. Her mystery man – Micah – had come out of nowhere, as if
materializing in thin air right beside her. Micah grabbed her wrist and pulled
her back as she tried to go after the dark man and check on him.
    "What's wrong with you?" she said, yanking her arm
away.
    Micah's eyes ranged her body with a mix of lust and disgust.
Something in his forbidding gaze both excited and terrified her.
    "Stay back," he said, his deep voice clipped. Then
he turned his attention on the dark man. "Keep your hands off her, Trace.
You fucking liar."
    "Hey, fuck you, Micah."
    Micah turned his back on the man, placing himself between
her and the one known as Trace. "Are you okay?" He had calmed, and
his voice actually sounded tender. This guy could shift gears faster than a race
car.
    "I—I think—I don't know. I think so." Her gaze
held his and she felt her pulse skip. He was so tall, and he looked better than
he had the other night, as if he had eaten and put on a few pounds. Plus, she
didn't see a scratch on him, as if all the damage those Cretans had done the
other night had simply looked worse than it was. "How are you?"
    As if reading her mind, he smiled and said, "Better,
thanks to you."
    "Good. You, um…you look better. I was a bit
worried."
    Trace stepped up behind Micah. "Wait a good goddamn
minute."
    Micah turned back toward Trace, reaching an arm around her
protectively. The tension between the two men was so thick it made Sam shiver.
Or maybe it was just the cold. She was out here in nothing but leather
underthings.
    Two bouncers rushed through the back door and the
dark-skinned man named Trace lifted a hand toward them. The two men stopped in
mid-stride.
    Her eyes bugged out and she practically choked on her
breath. What the fuck? Who were these guys? Criss Angel and David Copperfield
in disguise?
    "What's up your ass?" Micah said to Trace as he
gave the two men a cursory glance before dismissing them as if seeing two men
frozen in air was oh-no-biggie.
    "You two know each other?" Trace looked between
her and Micah, his eyes narrowed.
    "Yeah, so?" Micah's hold on her tightened.
    "You mind telling me how she remembers you? You know
it's against regs."
    Sam peered over Micah's shoulder, hovering closer to him
without realizing it. Trace looked pissed.
    "Fuck regulations," Micah said.
    Trace shook his head. "You're an asshole."
    "Talk about asshole. 'Just call me when you're on your
way back.' Does that sound familiar? You're like all the rest of them."
Micah waved his free hand in the air as if he was dismissing Trace.
    "Just wait a second," Trace jabbed Micah in the
shoulder, and Sam got the distinct impression that if it weren't for her, Micah
would have gone for the takedown on the other man. Her eyes darted to the back
of his head and his long, black hair that fell like silk over his shoulders.
    "No, you wait a second," Micah swatted Trace's arm
away and pointed a finger at him. "I trusted you tonight, and you fucked
me."
    "No I didn't. Will you just wait a second?"
    Micah took Sam's hand and she clasped onto it without
thinking, just knowing it was the right thing to do.
    "What?" Micah said, snapping at Trace as he pulled
Sam into the warmth of his coat. She instinctively knew to keep quiet while
they exchanged verbal jabs. Besides, keeping her mouth closed and her ears open
might allow her to learn more about what had just happened and who those men
were who had tried to take her.
    Trace's gaze went from Micah to her and back again then he
blew out a heavy sigh. "If Tristan finds out about her, you're going to be
in deep shit."
    "So? When am I not in deep shit?"
    "Look, I wasn't going to tell Tristan about what you
did tonight, anyway.