Chapter 17
Nathan had never thought that Suzanne could be so ruthless. She’d always seemed so gentle and soft–spoken.
Before Suzanne could say anything, a ruffian rushed in and pointed at Nathan. “Boss, that’s him, he’s here to cause trouble! He knocked Harry out and punched me!”
Within seconds, Nathan was surrounded by several bouncers, who were all staring at him murderously.
This was an illegal casino, so they only let in familiar clients. Everyone else in the casino was wary of Nathan, as he was a stranger.
“Why did you knock out my men and force your way in?” the manager of the casino demanded.
Suzanne bravely put herself in front of Nathan. She faced the manager. “Jim, he’s my friend.
Jim snorted, “You came here and beat up your
brother without a care about the other patrons. You disrupted my business. That’s all fine and dandy, but this is a different matter. Your friend beat up my men.”
Suzanne was afraid that Nathan wouldn’t be able to fight all of the bouncers in the casino. I’m sorry on his behalf, Jim,” she said cajolingly. “We won’t be any more trouble. We’re leaving now.”
She grabbed Nathan’s hand and turned to leave.
Several ruffians blocked their way. “Oh no. You can’t just leave like that.
Suzanne paused.
She didn’t seem to notice that she was still gripping Nathan’s hand tightly.
Nathan wasn’t worried about the bouncers or the ruffians, but he was entranced by
Suzanne’s nervous defense on his behalf.
Involuntarily, his gaze fell on their entwined hands. Suzanne’s hands were soft in his. She was holding his hand tightly. Her grip made his heart skip a beat.
He hadn’t felt this way when Sally held his hand.
Suzanne tried for a friendly smile. “What do you need from us, Jimi
“You need to pay for my men’s medical fees,” Jim said angrily.
Suzanne sighed. Money really was the only thing that ran this place.
“How much?” she asked.
Jim held out five fingers.
Suzanne turned to Nathan. “Do you have any cash on you? Give him five thousand dollars.”
Nathan frowned. His expression darkened.
“Five thousand?” Jim said incredulously. “I meant 500 thousand!”
Suzanne’s jaw dropped. “This is extortion!”
“I’m not letting you leave until you pay up.”
“How about 50 thousand?” Suzanne tried to bargain with him.
“I’m not giving him a single penny,” Nathan interrupted imperiously.
He hated unlawfulness as a principle, so he would never give in to extortion.
Jim stared at him for a moment. He took in his bulky stature and imposing manner. Nathan. looked like he could fight, but he probably wouldn’t be able to take on so many people at
once.
Jim smirked. “Well, someone’s cocky. Do you think I’ll let you leave if you don’t pay me?” He waved his hands. “Get him, boys!”
Nathan shoved Suzanne into the crowd. “Get out of the way. Don’t get hurt.”
Worried, Suzanne took a few steps back so that she wouldn’t get in the way and make things harder for him.
Several men rushed toward Nathan while wielding metal clubs. Nathan dispatched them easily with a sweep of his leg. He knocked their legs out from under them before they could even raise their clubs.
The clubs clanged noisily to the ground.
Everyone was dumbstruck.
For a moment, it was chaos; the casino had never seen someone such a good fighter before. Some of the crowd dispersed to escape the fight, while others stayed to watch.
Jim panicked slightly when he saw that some of his men had gone down so quickly. He tok
a few steps back and bellowed, “Get him! All of you!”
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