"Belle?"Cal's voice somehow reaches me over the blood pounding in my head."Come here, I won't let them get out of line."
His voice soothes me.I don't know why.I like Cal.He's nothing like Eli, but he gives me the same feeling that Eli does.I can trust him.He's more than he seems.I go up on my tip toes to look Cal in the eyes over Adam's shoulder.I look from him out into the crowd of large strangers.
"Look at me, Belle."
He's holding his hand out for me to take.I do.I actually reach for him.If Adam is bothered by this, he doesn't show it.Cal takes my hand and introduces me to the gathered testosterone skin sacks.There are so many.
Honestly, how many dudes do they even need on one team?
"Gentlemen, this is Eve.Eve here has done the impossible.She has brought the Captain to his knees in a matter of days."
Laughter breaks out again."Wow, that must be some magical pussy" comes from somewhere in the back of the group.
Suddenly, I feel the loss of Cal's hand from around my own.In the same moment, I feel a brush of something against my arm.It's Cal; he has thrown his body into the crowd...behind Adam who is mowing down some of the biggest guys I have ever seen in real life.What's happening?It's mayhem.It's loud, so loud.The yelling.The thrum in my head.People are grabbing Adam.They're grabbing Cal.Adam is stomping a guy on the ground, and Cal is keeping people off him so that he can.
Who is the enemy?I need to find the threat.Cal is not the enemy.Adam is not the enemy.Everyone else is the enemy.I have the knife in my hand before I know what I'm going to do with it.
Eliminate the enemy before they eliminate you.
CHAPTER 20
Adam
"Adam!"
Cotton's voice is barely a murmur over the boiling of my blood.
"Adam!Help!It's Eve!"
Eve.It's Eve.Where is Eve?I turn and see nothing but teammates around me.Cal is tossing guys back away from us like they weigh no more than a loaf of bread.
"Adam!Damn it!"
Cotton.Where is Cotton?I push my way back out of the swarm of bodies and I see it.I see them.Cotton is fighting with Eve.There's blood.It's everywhere.Cotton has a knife.I rush toward them and as I get closer, I see that he's keeping the knife away from her.Why does she want it?What's happening?Finally reaching them, I make the decision to grab Eve.I know that Cotton would never hurt her, and I need to find out where she's bleeding from.Searching her body frantically, moving my hands up and down her arms and to her face, I see no wounds.
"Where are you hurt?What happened?"
