Well, crazier than usual.
And his face was so swollen, I barely recognized him. He spat on my windshield. “Did you really think I’d let you get away with that sucker punch in there? Huh?” His arms flailed around. “Now everyone’s going to think I’m fucking weak because you’re a goddamn cheater!”
“Let’s leave this on the ice, Rozovsky,” I said, backing up, hoping security would catch what was going on. “This is not cool.” I had my hands up as I walked backward, trying to calm him down. “We can talk about this.”
He let out a psychotic laugh that chilled me to the bone. “Nope, can’t trust you to play fair on the ice. We can settle this right here.”
Then he charged at me.
Off the ice was different than on the ice.
Out here, I’d have to give him the first blow.
Oh, my poor damn ribs. His fist came up and struck me on the cheek, making me stumble back. Only by the grace of God did I not fall directly on my ass.
That was a good thing, because once I was flat out on my back, the chances of getting Rozovsky off me would be nearly impossible. “Okay, you got me back. Now leave. You did what you came to do,” I said calmly, rubbing my hand on my jaw. Fuck it hurt.
He let out another laugh and screamed, “I haven’t even started! And I’m not going to stop until you’re in the bed right beside your bestie.”
The cruel look on his face matched his even crueler words. “The rules are different out here, Rozovsky,” I said, using his name again to try to snap him out of whatever world he was stuck in. “Let’s leave this on the ice. All right?” I hoped to appeal to his rational side. Although it didn’t look like such a thing existed.
More crazy laughter burst out of him while he stalked me, getting a lot closer than I wanted. “You’re fucking dead, Moreau.”
And that was the last thing out of his mouth before he jumped me.
Literally.
He rammed into me—and my already injured ribs—shoving me to the ground. I kicked up at him with both feet as he flew right at me.
I felt my bad knee give, but fortunately, the other knee stayed locked and tossed him onto his back. I rolled on top of him and hit his already beat up face. It looked so bad, it made me cringe when I struck him.
His fist connected with my nose, and immediately I felt wetness flow out.
“Goddamn it,” I muttered, knowing he likely broke my nose. Fuck, I hated broken noses even more that broken ribs.
I wound up and cracked him back in his already busted up nose, feeling a snap as I did. It gave me a sick feeling inside knowing I’d likely just broken his nose right back.
“Okay, fellas, that’ll be enough,” I heard someone say from behind us, and I’d never been so relieved in my life to hear the authorities arrive. I could hear the crackle of police radios, then someone pulled me off of Smythe.
I’d expected them to help me stand up.
Nope.
I was shoved to the cement as a knee caught me in the middle of my back. Then, both arms were yanked behind my back and I felt cool, hard metal clink around my wrists.
“Beau!” Geneviève shouted, an officer was keeping her away from me. I could see her out of the corner of my eye.
“Use my card, Geneviève!” I yelled back as loud as I could. “The keys are on the ground!”
“Those aren’t mine,”I said as I snickered at the officer. He was going through my pockets and pulled out Geneviève’s thong.
“Gotcha,” he said, clearly not caring.
“They’re my fiancée’s,” I said, liking how that rolled off my tongue. I mean, technically she hadn’t actually said, ‘yes’.
Yet.
But she sure hadn’t said, ‘no’.