I waited until there was a lull in Jake’s howls, then tipped his head up with the knife point and gazed into his eyes. They’d lost all hint of their red, fiery magic. Now his brown irises were wide and glossy with panic, fear, pain.

“You ever come to my restaurant and fuck with me or my customers again, and I’ll carve you up like a Thanksgiving turkey.”

I slashed down with the knife, breaking the skin on his beefy neck. Jake yelped at the sting and clawed at the slight wound with his sausage-thick fingers. I slapped his hand away and nicked him again. The smell of warm, coppery blood filled my nose. Something else that hadn’t bothered me in a long, long time.

“Every time you move, I’m going to cut you again. Deeper and deeper. Nod your head if you understand.”

Hatred flared in his gaze, taking the edge off the pain and panic, but he nodded.

“Good.”

I clipped his temple with the knife hilt. Jake’s head snapped to one side and fell onto the floor. Unconscious.

Just like his friend Lance.

I stood up, wiped my fingerprints off the knife, and dropped the weapon on the floor. The half giant didn’t stir. Then I got to my feet and headed for the girl, still crouched underneath the table.

She shrank back against the legs of a chair at my approach, like she wanted to melt into the metal. Her pulse fluttered like a mad butterfly in her temple. I put my friendliest, most trustworthy, charming, Southern smile on my face and crouched down until I was eye-level with her.

“Come on, sweetheart,” I said, holding out my hand.

“It’s over. Those men aren’t going to hurt you now.”

Her chocolate eyes darted to Jake lying on the floor.

Her gaze flicked back to me, and she chewed her lip, her teeth white against her toffee skin.

“I’m not going to hurt you either,” I said in a soft voice. “Come on, now. I’m sure your friend wants to see how you are.”

“Cassidy!” the other woman called out since Sophia still wasn’t letting her go. “Are you all right?”

Her friend’s voice penetrated Cassidy’s fearful daze.

She sighed and nodded her head. The girl reached out, and I grabbed her trembling hand. Cassidy’s fingers felt like thin, fragile icicles against the thick scar embedded in my palm. I tugged the girl to her feet. She eyed me with understandable caution, so I kept my movements slow and small, not wanting to startle her.

“I’m fine, Eva,” Cassidy said in a low voice. “Just a little shook up is all.”

Sophia let go of the other woman, and I stepped back.

Eva rushed forward and caught her friend in a tight hug.