the night watch
maddox.
Standing on the dock in front of the boat, Maddox quietly scanned the shadows. Eerily silent, but he heard no movement. He was in the middle of turning to go until the ocean took his attention away, for a secondâŚÂ
A body came out of the dark slamming into him. Knocking Maddox off his feet and forcing the wind audibly from his lungs. He tried to gasp for air but an excruciatingly painful pressure striking at his ribs from the figure over him made breathing impossible.Â
A glint of moonlight caught in a fuller of a blade raised over him, the face behind it coming into view. Gideon. The motherfucker got him. Not only that but the gun had flown out of his hand to skid somewhere across the planks.Â
Maddox saw everything he needed to do behind a quick flash of white-hot pain burrowing steadily between the ribs. Both hands shot up to clasp a wrist bringing down the knife, halting the sharpened steel inches from his chest. The gunner twisted hard to bend towards the unforgivable, painful anatomical point triggering the manâs fingers to loosen the grip. Mercifully he grappled the knife away fast, as his side felt like it was being split wide open with a blow torch.Â
The gunner had few options to put distance between them. A leg sweep would be useless on this one, so time to get dirty. A kick at the balls happened first to disarm and then a boot was shoved at Gideonâs midsection to dislodge him from the spot. The effort ripped an agonized yell from Maddox.Â
Getting to his feet was a struggle but aided by a seething rage whistling between the pants for a breath. But he was up, Maddox had the knife, and with a practiced flick of his wrist he readied the weapon in his grip.
âStupid fucking move, mate.â Where is the gun? Where is it? His gaze frantically bounced between the man who attacked him and the blurred corners of his vision searching. Where is that bloody gun?
@treacherous-kaneâ
Gideon wanted so badly to sink the knife between ribs and into bright red heart tissue. Watch the pirate bleed out in a few seconds. But pirates would be pirates--a grunt and the knife twisted from his hand under a painful grapple and before Gideon could try to catch it, a boot between the legs sent him reeling backward off the other man. Pain seared white hot and black spots across his eyes and with the wind knocked out of him, he only had seconds to regroup. Shit.
Rising to his feet, Gideon remained doubled over but his head lifted to watch the pirate flick the knife in his hand. âIs it?â he asked darkly, deciding to keep himself hunched over and deceivingly injured. The pirateâs shirt was damp where the wound wept onto the fabric. A breath and Gideon charged the pirate again, using a cross at the elbow to punch the joint out of place and get the knife free, while his other fist collided deftly into the pirateâs throat. Then he punched him in the side, right on the wound, while his other hand gripped long hair and yanked the pirate down as he kneed him in the chest. Grabbing the pirate by the back of the shirt, he threw the man aside. He didnât have time for this--
Movement from the corner of his eye and Gideon found himself unnecessarily distracted by the presence of his brother. He started for him. âKane--â This didnât look good. He focused on Maddox again, a bit too late to anticipate his next move.
@treacherous-kaneâ
















