Defiant by Kennedy Kris

Author:Kennedy, Kris [Kennedy, Kris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Published: 2011-04-25T23:00:00+00:00

Thirty-three

Jamie tempered his shout of surprise just enough to furrow Chance’s brow, to make her glance toward her men, but in the end, to hurry to his side, just outside the back door.

In a single swift move, he clamped his hand over her mouth, which muffled the sound of his other hand coming up and hammering into the back of her skull, knocking her senseless against the wall.

Her goons were already on the move, pushing through the crowds, shouting, but no one else seemed to care, except that now they were all looking at the goons. And standing, jostling, getting in their way.

Jamie dragged Chance out the back door, into the small, shadowed courtyard, thinking, What the hell is Eva doing here? And where the hell is Ry?

He didn’t stop to reflect on possible answers, just pinned his spine against the wall as the two closest guards came rushing through the doorway.

Jamie turned to the side and kicked out, smashing his boot into the first man’s kneecap. He went down with a shout of pain, clutching his leg.

The second man, running up behind, flung his arms out reflexively. Jamie grabbed hold of one and yanked so hard the shoulder snapped as it popped out of joint. The man howled in pain as he swung around entirely until his face smashed into the wall. He rebounded backward and fell across the downed man, who was writhing in pain, trying to stand on his broken knee.

Jamie crouched beside him. Making a fist and cupping it with his other hand, he slammed his elbow into the back of Broken Knee’s skull, just as the one with the dislocated arm staggered back to his feet, swinging his sword in an indiscriminate, rage-fueled arc. Jamie ducked as it swooped overhead, then leaped to his feet and launched himself shoulder-first into the man’s stomach. They went flying, scuffling as they rolled.

Jamie was staggering back to his feet when he heard a soft call. “Dick?” It was one of the two guards who’d been stationed in the front. “Dickon? You a’right?”

“I have to change my horse’s name,” Jamie muttered as he drew his sword, keeping his attention on his current target, uncertain if he’d have time to select a second before they came rushing up behind him.

Then he heard the low crunch of boots on pebbles. He froze and slowly turned his head.

Ry and Roger stood there, swords drawn. In a swift glance, Ry took in the unconscious man on the ground, his leg bent at an unnatural angle, and the bloody soldier, facing off against Jamie, one arm hanging helplessly. Then he looked at Jamie.

“You didn’t save me even one?”

“Oh, they’re coming,” he replied grimly as the first beefy soldier barreled through the doorway. Another lumbered through behind. Both had their swords out.

They took them down quickly. He and Ry had been doing this sort of thing for over a dozen years; it was almost ridiculously simple. Skill and cunning always won over brute idiocy, but it was gratifying to have Roger’s sword arm in the mix.

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