He looked too smug. I fought against the urge to bring my knee up in a sharp jerk. Mason was coming, but I didn’t know when he’d show. I needed to stall until Mark could get here, and I hoped Adam would join in. I wasn’t holding my breath, though.

I moved back, moving away from the carnival midway. “Yeah. I work here. Why?”

“I pegged you for a stuck-up bitch. No rich priss works as a carnie.”

“Really? How do you know? Spend a lot of time at carnivals?”

“Ha-ha.” His eyes flashed. “I used to work at one that didn’t stick around longer than two weeks.” He pulled on the rope, testing how strong and tight it was. He gazed around the tent and the booth next to us. “I think this is a good company. They stay in one place for two months, too. I wish they’d been here when I needed a job back in school.” His eyes raked over me.

I had that feeling of being covered in mud again. I’d need more than a few showers to feel like I’d cleaned off his filth.

His eyes darkened with lust. “Would’ve been nice if you were there, too. Maybe we wouldn’t be on opposite sides like this.” The lust dissipated quickly, anger coming back full force. His jaw clenched as he leaned closer. “But I know you’re just slumming it here because you are a privileged bitch. I would’ve known it back then, too, and I would’ve fucked you, then tossed you to the trash. Kade wouldn’t want to touch you, not after I ripped apart that pussy of yours.”

I felt a low growl in the bottom of my throat, but I swallowed it. Time. I needed more of that. I just had to wait. Help would be coming.

All I said was, “Really?”

“Oh yeah.”

He looked down my shirt, and I fought against the revulsion gathering in my stomach. It wanted to spew out all over him. I moved even farther back. I couldn’t help myself. My body was on full alert, my mind screaming to get away from him.

“Where you going?”

“Hey! What’s going on out here?”

I cringed. Worst timing ever, Petey. I didn’t want him to get involved with this, too. He’d get hurt.

My co-worker stepped out of our booth, coming toward me.

“Hey, man.” One of Caldron’s friends stopped him, a hand placed on his shoulder.

Petey went still, his eyes narrowing. He looked at the hand, then at the guy it belonged to. “Get it off, or you’re going to lose it.”

“Hey.” Caldron turned around to face Petey. He held his hands up, making his voice all friendly. “I know Sam here.” He grabbed me, dragging me to his side and throwing his arm around my shoulder. I grimaced, but he kept on, “We’ve got a friend in common. We’re just catching up. I wanted to tell her all about Budd, how he’s doing in prison. Right, Sam?”

His eyes were on me.

Petey was watching.

Caldron’s friends were waiting, too.

Stalling. That was what I was supposed to be doing. That was the smart thing to do. Being so close to Caldron already had me nauseous, but now that he was touching me, my senses were shutting down. My vision was tunneling. The edges were blurring, becoming black, and I could focus on only one pressing need: to get his fucking hands off of me.

I stopped thinking then, and I felt myself throwing off his arm, stomping on his foot, and swiftly turning to bring my knee up. It made contact, and he recoiled. I heard a roar, but it came from a distance. And then I stood there as Caldron sank to his knees.

There was something…

Wait.

Something… I needed to do something, but all I could do was stare down at him, seething. How dare he lay hands on me? I wanted to hit him once more, and I was bringing my knee up again, this time aiming right at his face, but he saw me. His face was contorted in pain, but he shoved me backward, a hand flying up to my face, and then I saw stars.

I swung around, falling, too.

After that, a tornado whirled inside of me. As Caldron struggled to get to his feet, his friends held Petey back. One of them looked like he’d been hit, but he was still in there, helping to keep my coworker restrained.

Good for you, Petey, I thought as a shadow fell over me.

I looked up, and Caldron was there, rage glittering in his eyes.

He raised a fist, and I knew this was it. He was going to beat me unconscious. And unlike the other times I’d been hurt, I didn’t know if I’d come out of this one alive. Caldron looked like he wanted to murder me.

I felt myself pulling back. I didn’t move, but my mind was leaving. It was retreating to a back area, somewhere I’d be safe. My eyes wanted to close, but I held on. I couldn’t look away. If it was going to happen, if this was the end for me, I wanted this guy to see my eyes the whole time. I wanted him to see me.

His arm started to come down.

Then suddenly, he was gone.

Mason came out of nowhere, tackling Caldron and sending him slamming into his friends and Petey. Petey broke free, and then someone else rushed past me, right on Mason’s heels.

I looked over. I was here. I was seeing this, but I wasn’t here at the same time. I watched from above somehow. I swallowed, trying to stand up. I could come back. I could—I tried to tell myself it was safe now.

Mason reared back and rained punches on Caldron, one after another. Matteo was there fighting one of the other guys. Petey—Petey?—had tackled a third friend, and the fourth… I swung my head around; it felt so heavy. Mark was holding the fourth guy back, with Adam beside him.

“...ou okay?”

A voice sounded through the haze. I looked for that, too. Becky approached me, her hand stretched out. The closer she got, the clearer her voice was.

“You okay? Sam?” She touched me, but she still sounded at a distance.

I shook my head. I needed to clear it. Then with a snap, I was back.

“Sam?!” she yelled.

I held a hand out. “Stop.”

People were yelling. Shouting. I could hear the deep thuds of punches being exchanged, and I gasped, feeling salt and dirt in my mouth. Mason was beating the shit out of Caldron. “Mason!” I rushed forward. “Stop!”

He was going to kill him.

BOOM!

I jerked back, and my head snapped around.

Keifer stood a few feet from the fighting with a gun in the air. He lowered it, pointing it at everyone. “Get out before I call the fucking cops!”

Mason scrambled off of Caldron, holding his hands up as he backpedaled to where I stood. Matteo came behind him, and Petey stood in the middle, wiping blood from his mouth. He rested his hands on his hips, his shirt ripped in half. One side was gone, and the other hung limply from his arm.

Caldron and his friends were slower getting to their feet.

“They started it,” Caldron said, pointing at me. “You know what kind of a bitch you got working here?”

Keifer fired into the air again, his eyes bulging. “I don’t give a damn. Get the fuck out of my carnival, or I’ll let my boys finish the job.” He got in Caldron’s face, breathing down at him. “You got that?!”

“But—”

“Get out! Now!” Keifer motioned behind him, and five or six big guys started forward.

Caldron’s eyes widened as those guys plucked him up. His friends, too. All of them were literally carried from the carnival.

Keifer waved his arms at the crowd that had gathered. “You all get going, too! Get back to the rides and games. This show’s over, folks!” He turned, his sharp gaze landing on me. “You best start explaining, Missy, or you’re out of a job.”

“Uh, it’s like this, boss…”

Petey took over for me, and was explaining what happened, or trying to explain, in Keifer’s office. The rest of us waited out in the hall. Adam, Becky, and Cass were standing, and Mason and Matteo sat next to me. Mark had been sent back to his booth once Keifer realized he’d only come over to help.

I sighed, standing up. Petey’s explanation was sucking at some major levels.

Mason looked over. “What are you doing?”

I nodded at the opened door. “I need to do something. Petey’s making it worse.”

It was obvious Keifer wasn’t buying the first excuse Petey had given him—that the guys attacked us for no reason.