Page 98 of Scandalous Contract

Fucking Scott!

I inhaled deeply, lungs on fire, and steeled myself against the next blow, raising my arms to block it. I pushed out as he swung. It dulled the intensity of his punch and gave me a chance to roll away from him.

I grabbed a handful of wet dirt and flung it into his eyes. He staggered, giving me a chance to rise. I don’t think I’d ever moved this slowly in my life. Neither had I ever been this disadvantaged in a fight.

Fuck his size.

I refused to die here today. The rain was coming down harder and mixing with the blood on my face, blurring my vision. I blinked, fists raised. The big man rubbed at his eyes, smearing the mud, making things worse for him. This was my chance. Staggering, I moved toward him and delivered a punch to his gut.

With one eye closed, he retaliated quickly, landing a blow to my shoulder. Pain shot through me, but I ignored it, focusing on the fight. I nearly fell over as I swung again. He was taller than me, larger than me.

My blows were barely registering with him. It was going to take some fire power to bring his big ass down. If only I could stop and look for my guns. But if I hesitated for even a moment, I’d be on the ground again.

"Need some help, big guy?"

Fuck! Scott!

Scott emerged from the forest with a sneer on his face. He lunged, joining the fray. It was now two against one and I’d already been struggling against the first motherfucker. I fought with everything I had, but the odds were against me.

Scott slammed his fist into my left cheek. My face jerked to the right. The big man slammed his fist into my right cheek, sending me stumbling in Scott’s direction.

“I knew you’d come for me,” Scott mumbled before punching me again. “I’d left you alone, but you just wouldn’t let me go. So. I hired backup.”

A punch to my gut made me double over. A punch to my side sent me to my knees.

Scott stood over me, gloating. “This is the end for you, Julian.”

Another hit. Then another. And another. I don’t know which strike caused my face to hit the ground. All I knew was that muddy water was in my eyes, nose, and mouth. I couldn’t tell which one of them was hitting me.

Fist, foot... it all blended together. My head was spinning. The rain felt like needles now, stabbing every inch of my skin. I choked on mud. I’d come here to end this once and for all. And it seemed it really would end, with me.

The world around me spun as my body jerked from each hit. Lightning clapped, lighting up the sky, revealing the trees above. It was morning, but it was still dark. The storm was here. Stefanie said it would come. Sweet Stefanie. Her voice drifted through my mind as my eyes drifted shut.

If you must be on the roads this morning, please be safe.

Please be safe.

I had to be safe. I had to get back to her. I forced myself to turn onto my side and curl up.

“Little Cattaneo bitch,” Scott sneered.

Rage surged through me as they punched and kicked at me. I slid my hand down into the side of my boot and gripped the weapon hidden there. I felt I would pass out soon. The only thing keeping me going was my rage and Stefanie’s voice in my head.

Please be safe.

I had to be safe. For her. Calling on a strength reserve I hadn’t known I had, I pulled the blade out and slashed, not knowing who I was swinging at. A wail of agony filled the night. Forcing my eyes open, I stared up and sliced again.

The big guy let out a roar as the knife cut across his stomach. He staggered back, clutching his midsection. Blood poured down his front, soaking his shirt and staining his sleeve. Scott stared at the man, eyes wide.

Scott’s hesitation left him open. I sliced the blade across his leg. He jumped back. I shoved myself to my knees and stabbed the knife down into his shoe, pushing it deep, relishing his howls of pain.

They fueled me, gave me the strength I needed to end this. I left the blade there and pushed myself to my feet. My gaze moved from Scott to the big guy. Scott was the weakest. I needed to finish the strongest first before my energy was depleted.

Body aching all over, I approached the big man. His gaze locked with mine. I saw the anger and disbelief in his eyes. If he thought I was going to be that easy to kill, he’d fucking thought wrong. With a snarl, he lowered his hand and rushed my way.

I dropped low, sliding the other blade from my shoe and rising just in time to swipe it across his face. A streak of red bloomed against his cheek. I didn’t hesitate to slash him with it again across his chest, then his abdomen. I continued swiping until he stumbled backward.

Beside me, Scott was crying like a little bitch as he stared down at his foot, unwilling to pull the knife out of it. I kept going after the big man. I swung, landing a punch to his cheek. It was like hitting a brick wall.