“Don’t worry, dear. I’ll take good care of you.” Hawthorne’s hand snaked out and touched her knee. His fingers slid the edge of her skirt higher and higher, until her stockings could be seen. He licked his lips, alternating his eyes between the road and the delectable prize to his right.
As he turned his car down a side street, he slammed on the brakes, cursing loudly. His hand left its place on Samantha’s thigh and he exited the vehicle in a huff, leaving Samantha to peer blearily through the windshield. Another car was parked across the center of the street, blocking both lanes. As Samantha watched, the driver and the passenger both emerged from their vehicle, coming to stand side-by-side.
Hawthorne’s voice reached her ears and though she was confused, she could hear the anger in his voice. “What’s wrong with you two? Get out of the road before I run you over!”
Samantha leaned forward, suddenly recognizing the two men in the street. The taller of the two was Lazarus Gray, dressed in a well-tailored suit and tie. His hair contained as much silver as brown, making him appear older than he truly was, but his firm jaw and handsome face was enough to make any young woman’s heart skip a beat. Samantha certainly wasn’t immune to his charms, carrying a torch for him that burned quite brightly. Lazarus had founded Assistance Unlimited after his previous identity of Richard Winthrop had ‘died,’ allowing him to cast off the shackles of the past and become someone new.
The shorter man beside Lazarus was Eun Jiwon, a Korean immigrant who had joined Assistance Unlimited after his parents had fallen prey to one of Sovereign City’s protection rackets. Eun was handsome but so filled with anger that he was rarely seen without a grimace on his face. He was a master of the martial arts and never missed an opportunity to show off his abilities.
The world began to swirl again and Samantha’s eyes fluttered. The last thing she saw before the world went black was a flutter of movement, as if a majestic bird was taking flight.
Eun Jiwon didn’t bother waiting for a signal from Lazarus. They’d both spotted Samantha’s drugged form in the passenger seat of Hawthorne’s car and the sight had stirred a large amount of rage in the Korean’s heart. Everyone on the team loved Samantha, whether they desired her as a lover or merely felt for her as a sister… and the mere thought of her falling prey to a disgusting brute like Hawthorne was enough to stir any of them to fury.
Eun leaped into the air, driving a booted foot into Hawthorne’s chin. The big man went flying back, landing hard on the asphalt. Blood oozed from the back of his head and he groaned.
Eun stalked closer, planning to finish off Hawthorne with a quick punch to the forehead. To his astonishment, however, the larger man swept his leg between the young Korean’s, knocking Eun off his feet. With amazing quickness for one so large, Hawthorne was up onto his knees, raining punches down upon Eun’s face. Though the young man was able to block most of them, some got through and within seconds, he was seeing stars.
Lazarus was not one to stand idly by, especially when it was one of his aides in danger. He’d known that Hawthorne was a deadly opponent who used his bulk to great advantage — unfortunately, Eun had apparently not paid attention during the briefing process.
Lazarus descended upon Hawthorne and grabbed him by the collar. Despite the fact that Hawthorne outweighed Lazarus by at least one hundred pounds, the big man was lifted easily into the air. Lazarus stared him down with his infamous gaze: one eye was a dull brown, the other a stunning emerald.
“Your days of hurting women are over,” Lazarus hissed.
Hawthorne’s hands fumbled with the pockets of his jacket and Lazarus threw him aside. As soon as the big man hit the ground, Lazarus drove an elbow into the back of the man’s head. It took three blows to knock the villain out.
Lazarus did a quick but thorough search of Hawthorne’s pockets, producing a small pistol and a vial containing some colorless drug. He dropped both of these into his own coat and then checked on Eun, who was rising unsteadily, blood oozing from a split lip and a swelling nose.
“Sorry, Chief, guess I let my emotions get the best of me.”
Lazarus gave Eun a pat on the shoulder and then went to Hawthorne’s car. There was no need to rake Eun over the coals for his mistake — the young man would do that enough on his own.
Samantha stirred as Lazarus lifted her into his arms. Her glazed eyes fixed on his and she smiled wanly. “My hero,” she deadpanned, eliciting an extremely rare grin from Lazarus.
“You did very well, Samantha,” he said, cradling her close. “This is one predator who won’t torment anyone ever again.”
Chapter II
Blood brain volume
Morgan Watts adjusted his tie and wished that he had a drink. Visiting a prison was never his favored activity. He had spent altogether too much time in jail cells during his lengthy career as a confidence man and being back here now not only reminded him of those days but also made him an easy target for the incarcerated who viewed him as a traitor. He tried to ignore their shouted insults but he’d have been a liar of the highest order to pretend that they didn’t bother him.
“You okay, Morgan?”
Morgan glanced over at his companion and smiled. Abigail Cross was a buxom brunette from the Deep South with a talent for the supernatural. Her accent was honey-smooth and enough to melt the hearts of even a hardened criminal. As she sauntered through the prison in her tight-fitting black dress and boots, the shouted insults quickly began to turn into catcalls.
“Just remembering how close I came to being a Lifer in a place like this. Makes me glad that I met Lazarus and turned my life around.”
Abby nodded as if she understood but Morgan wondered if she really did. It was hard to truly empathize with someone when his or her life was so completely different from your own.
The warden, a stout man with an unsightly complexion, was waiting for them by Doc Pemberley’s cell. He didn’t look pleased to see them and for Morgan, the feeling was mutual. Warden Matthews was corrupt, taking bribes for a wide variety of things within the prison walls. Morgan and the rest of Assistance Unlimited were well aware of this but unable to prove anything substantial.
Matthews frowned severely when he saw Abby. He turned immediately to Morgan and lowered his voice, “This is absolutely no place for a woman. Not only is it indecent of you to subject her to these sorts of comments but the impact upon our male population will be severe.”
Before Morgan could respond, Abby had reached out and touched the warden’s arm. He jumped like his flesh had been singed and his eyes widened as Abby began speaking. Morgan didn’t think she was using any actual magic on the old man — rather, she was calling upon the sort of spell that any beautiful young woman could work when needed. “I’m sorry but I did insist on coming. The awful things those men have been saying don’t bother me in the least. Knowing that men like you and your guards are here to protect me leaves me feeling as snug as a bug!”
Morgan stifled a grin as he saw the warden melting before his eyes. Abby and Samantha were very different in how they used their beauty — Samantha was the sort who was just as much at home in slacks as she was in a dress. She had the kind of wholesome girl-next-door beauty that made every man want to take her to the dance… but Abby was different. She dressed to emphasize her curves and she had a way of leaning forward while she talked, pushing her ample cleavage towards whatever man she was speaking to… Combine that with her Southern accent and you had a dangerous package.
“Well, of course you’re safe. I just meant that most of these men haven’t seen a woman in months or years. You might stir them to violence.”