Isaac’s hands burst free of their restraints, and he grabbed the man on his left and rolled with him. The guy screamed as he was shoved into the knife, shoulder first. As they rolled, they toppled Vance and the other brute. Blood spattered Vance from the man’s shoulder wound, and he yelped.
Isaac scrambled to his feet. Cosette worried that the other two men would come at him and he’d be fighting six on one, but miraculously, the tattooed guy she’d noticed earlier turned, grabbed the guy next to him, and tossed him against the nearest container. The man screamed in surprise as he hit the container and then the concrete.
The tattooed guy ran to face the other men, side by side with Isaac, as Vance and the other two men disentangled themselves and stood. The guy with the knife in his shoulder looked more enraged than hurt. He yanked the knife free and waved it dangerously at Isaac and Tattoo Guy. “Traitor,” he sneered.
Tattoo Guy gestured to him. “Come on, scum, let’s go.”
Vance backed away as the other four started battling it out. The man who’d hit the container staggered to his feet and hurried toward the fray. The guy holding Cosette knocked her feet out from under her and threw her to the ground. She hit face-first and cried out in pain and surprise.
“Cozy!” Isaac yelled, and she heard bodies hit the concrete.
She could hear the fight going strong, and her nose was assaulted by the stenches of sweat, blood, and men. Yet she could also smell Isaac.
He lifted her easily to her feet. “You’re okay?”
“Yes … Ike!” she gasped. A man was coming at him from behind.
Isaac turned and deflected the punch coming at him with his forearm, then slammed his fists into the man’s body. With his shirt cut away from his back, Cosette watched in awe as the muscles of his back rippled while he threw punch after punch, fighting two men at once. Tattoo Guy was definitely an asset, as he also fought two men. One of Vance’s guys was splayed face-down on the concrete, unconscious.
One of the guys fighting Isaac jabbed at him. Isaac grabbed the man’s arm and whipped him around. The sickening sound of bone breaking was drowned out by the man’s wail. Isaac released his arm and put him in a choke hold. The man flailed and dug at Isaac’s arm with his unbroken arm, but Isaac held strong, using the man’s body to shield himself from the other guy who was trying to hit at him. The man in the choke hold finally went slack. Isaac tossed him away and started pummeling the other man with hits and kicks.
“Yes!” Cosette cheered.
Arms wrapped around her waist and yanked her backward.
“No!” she screamed. Her hands were useless pinned behind her, but she flailed and tried to kick at her captor. “Ike!”
“Shut up,” Vance growled in her ear.
“Isaac!” she screamed louder.
Isaac turned to her, and his eyes widened. He grabbed the man he was fighting and slammed him down to the concrete, then sprinted toward her and Vance.
Cosette dug her heels in and slammed her head back into Vance’s. He yelped in pain, and his grip on her loosened. Isaac reached them, grabbed Vance, and hauled him away from Cosette.
Vance’s eyes were wide with fear as Isaac glowered down at him.
“Now,” Isaac said in a low, dangerous voice. “Let me show you how it feels to have your arms ripped off.”
“Please,” Vance begged, cowering. “Don’t hurt me.”
Isaac glanced at Cosette. “You really dated this loser?”
Cosette let out a shaky laugh. “I was being an idiot. Forgive me?”
He grinned. “Always.” He glowered back at Vance. “Now about that apology.”
Sirens cut through the air, and Vance’s face turned white. One of the men Tattoo Guy was fighting broke free and sprinted for an exit door. Tattoo Guy clocked the other man in the temple. He went down hard, and Tattoo Guy took off after the sprinting man.
“Ike, my dad.” Cosette didn’t care about Vance apologizing. She only cared that her dad and Isaac were okay and that Vance was arrested.
Isaac dragged Vance toward the corner where her father lay. Cosette shuffled behind them.
“If he’s hurt, I will use that knife to carve you up,” Isaac said, “before I rip your arms off.”
“Please, I can pay you,” Vance whimpered.
Isaac let out a menacing growl, and Vance clammed up.