Shattered Justice (47 page)

Be—

No! Fury set her feet in motion. Willard grabbed her arm again, but she pulled away from him. “Those punks aren’t in control here.”

Willard’s eyes pierced her. “Neither are you.”

“No—” the words seeped through gritted teeth—“but I work for the One who is.” She held his gaze, and his hand fell away.

“If He’s calling you to this, then I won’t stand in your way.”

If He’s calling me …

Kyla jutted her chin and stepped forward, sensing more than seeing the elders fall in behind her. A line of warriors. “Be not afraid.” That’s what God said, right? Fine.

She’d show these thugs she wasn’t afraid.
“Where you two tinkleberries think you goin’?”

Rafe wasn’t surprised when three 22s blocked their way. He’d expected it sooner. King K always had lookouts. Big ones.

Rafe fell into his ready stance. Loose. Hands clasped together in front of him, atop his cane, like he was having a nice little talk with his grandmother. Deceptively relaxed. “Tinker
bells
.”

The kid looked at him like he was nuts. “What?”

“Tinker
bells
, genius, not tinkerberries. Get your insults straight.”

His adversary’s lips parted to show one gold tooth. “You talk tuff for a gimp.” His gaze dropped to Rafe’s cane.

“I have one good one.” He tapped his strong leg. “That’s all I need for someone like you.”

The smile turned decidedly nasty. “Oh, you a smart boy. I bust grapes on smart boys.”

“Well—” Rafe shrugged—“you can try.” He tensed, watched the kid’s eyes, waited …

There.

A flicker in the kid’s eyes just before he moved. Rafe deflected the fist aimed at his face, then used the momentum to flip the crud off his feet, onto his back. One strike with the cane to the back of the kid’s head as he fell.

He was out before he landed, hard, on the concrete.

Rafe looked down at the still form. It was over. Ten, fifteen seconds tops.

He
was
slowing down.

He turned to the others standing there, eyes wide. But they weren’t looking at Rafe. They were staring at the boy beside him.

“Elisha.”

The taller of the two remaining gang members put his arm in front of his buddy, and the two of them stepped aside.

Rafe and Elisha ran. But even as they did so, Rafe heard a sound that turned his blood cold.

Kyla’s voice. Yelling for King K.

God, why did
Y
ou let me fall for a crazy woman?

“King K!” Trepidation tripped along Kyla’s nerves as she called out the gang leader. Whispers of alarm shot through her.

Not smart, Kyla. Not smart at all
.

Yeah well, so what? She wasn’t putting up with this foolishness a moment longer.

“King K! If you have something to say to us, step up.
Say
it.” She let a sneer twist her lips. “Or are you just going to let your lackeys speak for you like some kind of coward?”

She didn’t see who hit her.

The blow drove her to her hands and knees, and for a moment she thought sure she was going out. But the stars that had burst to life in her head circled, then faded. She caught the sound of someone yelling. A voice she recognized—

Wayne hit the ground beside her, blood streaming from his nose.

Lord, no … don’t let them be hurt because of me!
Dimly she realized someone’s hands were on her shoulders, her head. Stroking her back.

“Willard, no more.” Hilda’s voice. Choked with tears.

“Tell them it’s over.” Kyla started at the voice right next to her ear. Shamus. Kneeling beside her. “Tell them they’ve won.”

Though her jaw felt as though it were going to fall off her face, Kyla clenched it.
“No!”
She pushed their hands away. Drew a breath.

Stood.

Prayed they couldn’t see how she trembled.

Another kid, hands fisted at his sides, started toward her, but before he came two steps, he yelped and flew backward. The thug beside him followed suit—and then two forms strode through the line. Kyla knew one of them right away.

“Rafe!”

Rafe
.

Not
Rafael
. But
Rafe
.

And the way she said it sent his pulse into overdrive. It took all his self-control not to gather her in his arms, to cradle her against him. But now wasn’t the time.

Not if they wanted to get out of this in one piece.

He took up a stance on Kyla’s right. Elisha moved to her left. The message was clear:
You want her, you go through us
.

“Sorry I didn’t get here sooner,” he ground out of a suddenly dry throat. “We met with a little resistance.”

Her wondering gaze swept from Rafe to Elisha. “I thought …”

Elisha didn’t look at her, but then, he didn’t need to. “I’m not in the Brotherhood.”

Kyla wavered, and alarm stung Rafe.
Keep her on her feet, Lord. Don’t let her fall. If she goes down, they’ll move in
. His leg was already aching, just from the little dance he’d done a few minutes ago. He’d be able to take out one or two, maybe three. But ultimately …

Forget it. Don’t think about ultimately.

Just think about survival.

Kyla fought the wave of dizziness. She was
not
going to fall. She needn’t have worried. The boy to her left shifted closer, just enough to support her with the side of his arm.

He and Rafe stood there, arms crossed, feet planted. Two men of muscle and sinew. Strength personified.

An angry rumble sounded from the line circling them,
and Kyla tensed. Waiting.
Here they come. God, help
.

“Step off.”

The low words worked a miracle. Within seconds the aggressors vanished into the night.

Kyla blinked. “What …?” She turned to Rafe. “What happened?”

“King K.”

This from the boy to her left. She shifted to get a better look at him. “How can you tell?”

His lips compressed. “I know his voice.” He nodded to the nonexistent line. “And so do they.”

An arm came around Kyla’s waist. Rafael. She should protest, but was shaking too hard to speak. In fact, she was shaking too hard to stand.

Rafael caught her as she fell, sweeping her into his arms as though she were a feather. He nestled her against his chest, his arms a protective barrier around her.

“One of those animals hit her!”

He nodded to Hilda. “I know. I saw.”

The raw rage saturating his hoarse reply sent shivers across her nerves. His arms tightened around her, their strength and warmth seeping into her cold body.

“Let’s get you inside.”

Tenderness. Protectiveness. Concern. It all resided in those few words, and as Rafael carried her up the stairs and into the church, Kyla had to fight the powerful urge to press her face to his shoulder …

And weep.