Behind him the girl whispered through tears.
“Please… just go. They’ll hurt you.”
But Lucas didn’t move.
The first punch split his lip instantly. The second slammed him into the wall. Then came the kicks, the fists, the scraping of concrete against his palms. Blood filled his mouth, and every breath burned.
Each time he fell, he dragged himself back up and stood in front of the girl again.
“Stop!” she cried. “Leave him alone!”
One of the boys grabbed Lucas by the collar.
“Do you even know who you’re protecting?” he sneered. “That’s Hawk’s daughter.”
The name was familiar even to someone living on the streets. People spoke about him quietly—Victor “Hawk” Moreno, leader of a powerful motorcycle club. A man some people respected… and others feared.
Lucas struggled to breathe but managed to answer.
“I don’t care who she is,” he said hoarsely. “She’s a kid.”
Another punch drove into his ribs.
The girl sobbed behind him. Lucas’s body screamed for him to stay down. For a moment he almost did. The world had never been kind to him, and maybe this was just how things worked.
But then he felt the girl clutch the back of his shirt.
And he stood up again.
“Don’t touch her.”