“Get back or I’ll have to kill…” Asshole One started in a gruff voice, but Bishop was already close enough. He let his booted foot come back and kicked the fucker’s balls so hard he was pretty sure they now resided somewhere next to his large intestine.
The big guy dropped his hold on the women and went down with a low groan. This was the moment when he would normally give his opponent a nice adjustment to vertebrae C1 and C2 and then no one ever had to worry about him again, but he’d made a promise so he merely picked up the nearest bottle. Vodka. No great loss. One little tap and the glass was broken and the asshole was out for a while.
“Thanks.” The blonde, Laura, put a hand on her lower abdomen. She’d gone pale, the blood draining from her face. “I think I might have popped a few stitches.”
“Go sit with Nell and we’ll make sure you get to a hospital.” Bishop turned and assessed his next victim. Though he really thought the Stark kid was obnoxious, he was also turning a nice shade of blue. If Bishop had his way, he’d get this guy with one punch to the solar plexus. He would break the man’s xiphoid process, neatly shoving it into his diaphragm and causing an almost instant death. Instead, he took the boring route and wrapped his arm around the man’s neck, cutting off the blood flow to his brain and causing a very quick trip to nighty-nightville.
Seth Stark hit the ground, his chest heaving. “Thanks.”
“Go protect the girls.” He didn’t really intend for Seth to protect anyone, but he needed to give the kid something to do.
“Logan,” he started, looking back to his best friend.
“Is doing just fine.” Logan was a mean shit in a fight. His form sucked ass, but he made up for it with pure bile and rage. It was a beautiful thing. And he had to stop it because Nell would be upset by the blood.
He decided to take this shithead out long range. He grabbed Max Harper’s empty beer bottle and aimed for the dude’s meaty head. One nice thunk and Logan was left with a completely defeated opponent.
Logan looked down at the man, scratching his head. “Did I do that?”
“Sawyer, Max, finish them off or I’ll do it for you.” Those two were perfectly capable of handling it.
Max punched out one last time, blood coming off his fist as he broke his opponent’s nose. He got to his feet with a frown on his face. “Spoilsport. I was having fun.”
Sawyer finally seemed to find the right angle to cut off his guy’s circulation. His opponent went limp, and he slid to the floor.
“That took you long enough. You need to practice more,” Bishop said. It had been a sloppy takedown.
“Who the hell are you? Where did you learn that shit?” Sawyer asked, new respect in his eyes.
He learned that shit in Delta Force and later refined it in the CIA. Yeah, he wasn’t telling anyone that. “Krav Maga classes.” He stretched his hands out, popping every knuckle, and gave them his best professorial smile. “I take it with the other history professors at my college. You have to keep the body limber, too, you know.”
“Henry, can I open my eyes now?” Nell’s voice carried across the room.
“Yes, sweetheart. It’s over and everyone is alive.” He hoped. The beer bottle to the head had been a little stronger than he would have liked. Nope. He was still breathing. Excellent. The asshole would only be brain damaged, but he hadn’t seemed that smart before.
“Idiot youngsters, come on. The first and only beer is on me. You did good, boys.” Sawyer popped the tops on two cold ones.
Nell flew across the room. One minute Bishop was standing alone and the next his arms were full of Nell.
He wrapped her up and hugged her close. Something settled inside him when she was in his arms. He didn’t even try to pretend like he wasn’t smelling her hair.
“You did it. Thank you, Henry. Thank you.” Nell squeezed him tight.
“Guys, can y’all take it from here?” Holly asked. “I’m going to take Laura into Del Norte and get her looked at. She had surgery a week ago. I’m really sorry. I’m just going to stop doing this. It just gets me in trouble. If my luck holds, my soul mate is in Russia or Africa or someplace. Just not here.”
“I’ll drive you,” Max said. “Rye would have my head if I didn’t.”
Sawyer looked up from the bar. “How about you, professor? Want a drink? It’s on the house.”
“No,” he said, unable to stop staring at Nell, who was looking at him like he was a goddamn hero. “I can’t. I have a date.”
Chapter Four
Nell walked out of her room and wondered if she was just doomed to be “friends” with people. Was she one of those women who just fell firmly into that class for all men? Two hours after Henry had dropped her off at her room at Mountain and Valley, she suspected just that. He’d been so passionate in her cabin. He’d held her and she’d felt the hard ridge of his erection nudging her and she’d thought, “Finally.”
And then nothing.
They’d sat in a booth at Stella’s for three hours and not once had he touched her. He’d been a perfectly pleasant companion. He’d let her do most of the talking, urging her to give him her thoughts on topics that ranged from politics to TV shows, but he hadn’t reached out and brushed his hand along hers or let his knees rest against hers.
She breathed in the chill of the night air. She had to face a few very logical facts. She wasn’t a great beauty. Sure, she wasn’t an ogre or anything, but she didn’t have Holly Lang’s figure-eight body or the model good looks of the blonde they had rescued at the bar. Even Callie had a nice set of breasts and sweet good looks. Nell wasn’t going to lie to herself. She was sort of plain and earthy and, beyond that, she could be very obnoxious when it came to her beliefs. Not an appealing combination for many men. Lots of times men walked away the minute she opened her mouth.
Nell buttoned up her coat and pushed out into the courtyard. He hadn’t even kissed her good-night. He’d made a big deal about asking her out, and then he’d just dropped her off at her doorstep and walked away. It didn’t take an idiot to know he’d changed his mind about wanting her. Maybe because he’d gotten a look at Holly and realized there were much better prospects in Bliss.
Nell growled a little. She wasn’t going to think that way. She liked Holly. Holly had been through a lot, and just because Nell wanted a man who likely thought Holly was more attractive didn’t mean that she would be unkind to Holly. Holly couldn’t help the fact that she had great boobs and Nell didn’t. Women should stick together, not allow a man to come between them. Holly was her friend, and if she started dating Henry, then Nell would just stand by her and support her.
Perhaps she was just meant to be alone like her mother had been for her whole life.
Snow covered the courtyard, the whole world blanketed in white. She walked across, leaving small imprints where her feet touched the earth. This was what she needed. If she stayed in her borrowed room, she would end up crying and feeling sorry for herself. She’d wanted to go back to the cabin, but apparently Henry had called Rye and he was going to close the place up for the night, so now she was here. And she wasn’t going to let one man who didn’t want her wreck her night. It was beautiful in a way only Bliss was. The air was fine, and the stars made a map of the heavens.
Nell turned her face up. A billion stars shone down on her, every single one a miracle. This was what she needed. She needed to be alone and to find her peace. She would sit out here just for a few minutes and soak in the beauty of this particular night. There would never be another one like this one. It was like a snowflake—perfectly unique.
“What do you see?”