Shiver (Unbreakable Bonds 1)

The hillbilly stumbled forward, keeping his weight off his injured knee. Lucas attempted to put some space between himself and the unconscious man. A quick glance revealed that the guy with the broken nose was still on the ground, wiping tears and blood from his face.

Lucas’s only choice here was quick and dirty, or he was going to be back to having the odds out of his favor. The ache in his jaw was forgotten, his attention trained completely on his opponent.

But the hillbilly’s stance gave him pause. The man’s fists were up and turned outward while his body was open and facing him. This wasn’t a fucking boxer’s stance but that of someone trained in Muay Thai. He’d seen it often enough with Rowe’s men as they trained.

Fuck.

As if to prove Lucas’s assessment, Hillbilly led with a hard kick to the outside of his thigh. Lucas shuffled a couple of quick steps backward, trying to shake the sore muscles loose after the impact. The man grinned at him, as if taunting him, then followed with a cross jab that Lucas knocked aside before sliding past the second. The next rear leg round kick caught Lucas just above the left knee, staggering him. A sharp hiss of pain slipped between clenched teeth as he was spun slightly to the side. The attacker took the opening to deliver an elbow. Lucas turned his head at the last second so that it was little more than a grazing blow, but it was still enough to split him open just above his left eye.

Hillbilly chuckled, a low evil sound, as if to say that he’d been holding back. But that was over now. He came at Lucas with a flurry of punches that Lucas barely managed to sweep aside and block as blood leaked into the corner of his eye. Lucas regulated his breathing and watched for an opening. The other man wheezed already. He might have had Muay Thai training, but fat and muscle weighed down the rest of his body. He wasn’t accustomed to an extended fight and he was wearing out fast.

A sloppy punch created the opportunity Lucas had been banking on. Pivoting to the left, Lucas smashed his fist right behind the man’s ear. As his head dropped, Lucas threw his knee up in his face, breaking his cheekbone and knocking him onto his back. His head hit the concrete and he was out cold.

Lucas drew in a pained breath. His body trembled in aching exertion. It had been far too long since he’d last been in a fight for his life and even then he’d had the benefit of a weapon or two. He started to turn toward the third remaining man, but he was too slow. Broken Nose launched himself at Lucas low, grabbing his left leg at the thigh and twisting. Lucas instinctively threw out his arms to break his fall, but he didn’t act fast enough to tuck his chin. The back of his head bounced off the pavement twice. For a second, the dimly lit alley went completely black and Lucas gasped, fighting to surface and remain conscious as pain swamped him.

Broken Nose was immediately positioned on his left, pounding his left knee hard into his ribs, weakening them so that Lucas was now struggling to catch his breath through the pain. The man was lightning fast, cursing the entire time he moved. An elbow slammed down on his right side, catching his floating rib. Lucas struggled to get his hands up as a final elbow slammed down on the already open gash above his left eye, widening it.

Pushing through the pain, Lucas caught Broken Nose’s arm with both hands. Bringing up his left knee while holding the man’s wrist and elbow, Lucas twisted, pulling him up and over until his back slammed onto the pavement.

Lucas instantly rolled, throwing his right leg over the man’s neck and shoulder and tucking his foot under his own left knee. Locking in the hold, Lucas applied pressure, groaning against the pain lancing through every muscle as the asshole struggled beneath him. Through clenched teeth, Lucas slowly counted to five. By four, the man stopped moving. At five, Lucas hesitated and held him for an extra second before rolling away from him to his feet.

“Fuck,” Lucas moaned. He immediately stumbled to his side, slamming his shoulder into the wall. His left knee was fucked to hell and wouldn’t hold his entire weight. Blood poured down the left side of his face and at least one eye was swelling shut. The pain became a distant, throbbing thing that he couldn’t really focus on. The world swam, blinking intermittently in and out. He couldn’t think. Couldn’t remember where he’d been going or if anyone had been with him.

Instinct screamed move.

Move or they’ll kill you.