Enzo has this.
But then just as I think Enzo will win easily, Phin grabs his wrist and forces the knife from Enzo’s hand. And then he punches Enzo over and over as he grips his wrist. Enzo tries to duck, but Phin anticipates this and punches lower. Hitting him in the face and stomach.
I gasp as Enzo’s eye turns purple, and his mouth swells with blood.
The crew can barely watch.
Liesel stands frozen, unable to watch yet unable to stop watching. She’s speechless, unusual for her. She’s as terrified as I am.
Phin changes his tactic from punching to kicking with his steel-toed boot—doing serious damage to Enzo’s stomach.
Dammit, stop him Enzo.
I know he can take pain. I’ve seen him in worse situations before, but it still makes me sick.
I grip my stomach as the queasiness washes from my stomach up my throat.
I will not be sick. I will not be sick.
But I know it’s only a matter of time. The morning sickness combined with the anxiety of watching Enzo getting beat up and knowing there is nothing I can do is too much.
Enzo spots me from the corner of his eye. His face pales for a second when he sees me in this much pain, and then he winks at me.
He fucking winks. How is that supposed to make any of this better?
Stop fucking around and kick this guy’s ass, I mouth sternly.
He laughs.
I shake my head sternly. No laughing. Stop making me care about you. I can’t care about you. What don’t you get?
Enzo smiles and then in one quick movement he gets out of Phin’s hold and quickly fires several punches back until Phin looks like the bloodied one and E
nzo looks like the stronger.
I smile, thank you.
Enzo sweeps the knife off the floor and then kicks Phin to the floor, pressing the knife against Phin’s neck.
“This is your last chance, surrender and I’ll let you live, although you will be punished for your actions,” Enzo says, barely breaking a sweat, while Phin pants heavily, drenched in blood, sweat, and his own loss.
“Never,” he says, his eyes flickering somewhere. And that’s when all hell breaks loose.
Men attack the boat from every angle. Guns drawn, knives in their hands, or just their fists curled.
At least a dozen. This has gone from an unfair fight to a complete ambush. Unfair isn’t a strong enough word for what is happening.
Enzo simply laughs as he draws his own gun.
“Really? You can’t even fight me one on one; you need a dozen men to back you up?” Enzo laughs more.
Stop laughing and start killing men.
Enzo looks around at the room at men, who I assume work for him. “Surrender now, and you get to live. I understand you all loved and respected my father as leader, and you want to do your part to ensure I’m just as strong, but this isn’t necessary. We have enough enemies I can prove my strength against.”
Enzo waits, but he already knows none of the men will back down.
Langston moves to back up Enzo, but Enzo shakes his head.