Awakening (Book 2 in the Original BOC Series) ✔

Chapter Twenty-Five

Nathan slowly straightened, closely standing to Mara with a hand holding her arm to keep her calm, as his eyes glared over at the man that had touched and threatened Mara.

Walgreens sneered his gaze shifting from Mara to Nathan. He lifted a finger, tilting his head a little as his beady eyes stared hard. He then grinned widely, shaking his head. Raising his brows, he shook the lifted finger at Nathan.

"You... You're not supposed to be alive."

He chuckled, nodding but didn't say anything for a moment. "It was you then... I remember only one man being able to take down--," Walgreens paused. He looked away to the side, his brows creased as he was thinking aloud, "What was it now... oh yes..." Looking back up, he grinned, "You were the only one who took out twenty-nine men... all on your own."

Nathan's lip curled muttering low, "I had some help..."

Walgreens threw his head back laughing loudly with a hand on his stomach. He shook his head and took a deep breath. Looking down at the bat in his hand, he rotated his wrist to lift solely the bat upward and gazed at it with a crooked smile.

"Tell me bodyguard," he looked over at Nathan and raised a brow while tauntingly moving the bat side to side. "Is she really worth all this trouble...? The cost of your friends' lives...?" He grinned revealing more of his yellow stained teeth. "The waste of energy to save the bitch, who you'll end up dying again for anyway. Only this time..."

Walgreens raised his brows, "I'll make sure you stay dead."

Nathan pulled Mara behind him and the man he kept his focus on threw his head back to laugh at him again. Walgreens pointed the end of the bat at him, chuckling, "You go right ahead and protect that little bitch for what little time you have left, bodyguard. Give her the hope that her hero will keep her from seeing your dear ol' friend, Charles Travosky again."

Mara's fingers clutched to Nathan's sides and he could feel her stand close to his body, trembling at the mention of the name.

Walgreens grinned, turning his head and leaned it forward, "Ah... I can see that you are disturbed by the revelation of Charles making it out of the explosion you managed to kill everyone else in." He sniffed, looking at the bat he lifted again. "Except for me of course. I happened to make my escape during your act of nobleness and then returned after the coast was clear to find the great man you tried to destroy under the piece of metal that saved his life!"

"I however," he began again looking over at Nathan, "did not expect for the sacrificing hero to still be alive. Ohhhh, how Travosky will just relish this news—I shouldn't tell him however, since I'm about to kill you and then...," he raised the bat sneering. "And then make that little bitch beg for death after I have my way with her... cutting into that perfect body... Piece. By. Piece," he spoke the last three words through grit teeth, his eyes filling with lust for the heiress hidden behind Nathan.

Mara whimpered, filling the anger Nathan already had. He narrowed his eyes, lowering his chin towards his chest while he glared at the man. Nathan could see just how much he wanted Mara; remembering how frantic the man was tearing at her clothes.

Nathan rolled his shoulders back, rolling his head to the side at the same time. "I can assure you that you won't be getting past me. And you fucking won't be touching her again either. That was your first mistake. The second... is your little toy there." He nodded at the bat that Walgreens glanced at and then warily looked back at Nathan.

He scanned the distance from himself and the man with the bat, calculating how long it would take for him to reach Nathan. It was risky... but Nathan knew he had no other choice.