And that’s when things started getting ugly.

Finn grabbed the wrist she’d just slapped him with. The second he put his hands on her, I went into action. I rushed toward them and drove my fist into his jaw as soon as I was within reach. That made Finn let go of Josie, but since the first punch had been thrown, the rest of the Masons were closing in. Right as I was about to wrap my arms around Josie and drag her back to her truck, something shattered against the back of my head. It wasn’t the first time I’d had a bottle cracked over my skull, but it was the first time Josie had been around to witness it. She screamed, her eyes widening as I fell to my knees. The bottle had rung my bell, but I wouldn’t stay on my knees long. Especially with Josie still out in the open and five guys getting ready to unleash hell.

“Look who’s the tough guy now.” Finn lunged at me, his fists ready. Just as I was bracing myself for the hit, someone leapt in front of me.

“Josie, no!” I yelled, trying to push her out of the way, but Finn’s fist got to her before my hands did.

The punch hit her across the cheek, sending her flying back into me. I caught her before she fell to the ground. Even though she hadn’t cried out in pain and she looked more pissed than hurt, I felt murderous rage flood my veins. If a gun pointed at Finn had magically appeared in my hand, I wouldn’t have thought twice about pulling the trigger. That’s how blind with rage I was.

“Josie, baby, are you okay?” I ran my hand down the side of her face he’d hit. It was already swelling.

She nodded, her eyes finding mine. “Now that baby was a term of endearment.” She managed a small smile and tried getting up.

“What the hell, Finn?” Colt charged his brother and shoved him hard in the chest.

“She got in the way.” Finn motioned at us, not looking the slightest bit sorry or ashamed. “If she’s going to try to protect this piece of shit, that’s what she deserves.”

The thread I’d been hanging onto had snapped when Finn’s fist connected with Josie. But fuck the thread. I’d snapped. Once I’d scooted Josie up against the wheel of my truck, I formed my hands around her face. “Are. You. Okay?”

“From that little bitch slap? Yeah, I barely felt it.” She lifted her hand to her cheek, glaring at Finn.

I would do a hell of a lot more than glare at him as soon as I made sure she was okay. “Please stay here. Let me handle this.”

She shook her head. “Sorry, Garth. If I liked hanging out on the sidelines, I would have been a cheerleader.”

“Fuck the cheerleaders—”

“You certainly did back in high school.”

I was fighting two battles: one with my fists with the Masons and one with my words with Josie. “I’m not asking you to stay here because I want to keep you on the sidelines forever. I’m begging you to stay here so I can keep you safe.” How was that not clear? Five moderately to severely drunk guys were looking to turn me—and anyone else who got in the way—into their human punching bag.

“We’re waiting, Black. But we’re not going to wait much longer.”

Josie’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Why don’t you go buy a fruity drink and make out with a guy like we all know you want to, Finn?”

A few of the Mason boys’ mouths dropped open, Finn’s mouth clenched closed, and Colt tried not to smile. Me? I laughed. Hard.

Lifting his finger, Finn took a few steps our way. I braced, ready to pounce on him if he came another step closer. “As soon as I’m done teaching this piece of trash some manners, I’m going to hold you down and sew a red A on that cheap farm-girl dress of yours, you ungrateful, cheating little—”

Yep. That was it. My rage containment threshold. Letting out a grunt of outrage, I drove my shoulder into Finn’s stomach and tackled him to the ground.

“Are we finally going to fight?” Finn yelled at me, dodging my first fist. He didn’t dodge the second one quickly enough. He grunted when my fist cracked the same spot he’d hit Josie.

With the reminder he’d laid his hands on Josie, a whole new level of rage bubbled to the surface. Phase two of Garth Black losing his shit. “No, I’m going to fight.” I cracked him in the other cheek. “You’re going to lay there and take it.” Before I could get in a third punch, Finn’s brothers piled on me. A couple grabbed my arms, and the others pulled Finn off of the ground. He was barely up before he came at me, throwing a solid fist into my stomach. And then another. And another. I lost count a few punches later. When I curled over and coughed up a bit of blood, Josie came charging toward us. Well, she came charging for Finn.

The guy had her by a hundred pounds, and she was coming at him with nothing more than sheer determination and gusto. If I wasn’t so terrified of what would happen next, I would have been bursting with pride. Right before she got to Finn, Colt leapt in front of her, stopping her from going any farther. She tried ducking around him, but he dodged in front of her. She tried again, and she almost got by him. Finn was back to turning my insides into gelatin when I sighed.

“Jesus Christ, Colt. Hold her back and keep her out of this,” I said.

Josie flashed me a glare like I’d betrayed her. If betraying her meant keeping her from getting any more hurt, that was what I would do. When Josie made another run at Finn, Colt didn’t hesitate. Cinching his arms around her, Colt dragged her away from his four brothers and me. That was the first positive mark in Colt Mason’s corner. Josie struggled, and I’m pretty sure she stomped down hard on his toes, but Colt was a strong enough guy. I had a beating from him to attest to that.

Okay, Josie was safe. Time to kick some ass.

As Finn was winding up for another round of Liquefy-Garth-Black’s-Internal-Organs, I jumped off the ground and kicked out just in time to send Finn and his fists flying backward. The sudden motion surprised the Mason boys holding my arms, so I was able to twist my arms free. I didn’t waste any time pouncing on Finn. I might not have had any issues with the Mason brothers—other than Colt dating Josie—but after what Finn had said and done . . . They’d just secured the number one spot on my most hated list.

The two of us rolled across the gravel, each landing hits as we struggled to gain the upper hand. Finn was a big guy—bigger than me even—but I was a bigger badass, so that made us about even. Even through Finn’s and my grunts and curses, I heard Josie crying out, yelling out, and finally, cussing us out. I’d lose the fight right then and there if I could go back in time and keep Josie from seeing it, but since time travel wasn’t a skill I’d honed yet, I hit harder and hoped it would be over soon.

Finn and I were a pretty even match, but his three brothers threw themselves at me as soon as I managed to pin Finn. Boots flew, fists connected, and before I knew it, I was on my back, curling into myself and hoping at least a few of my vital parts were still intact when they were done. My dick being the most vital of them all. I made sure to cup both hands over that piece of my “vital” parts.

Josie’s screams of protest quickly changed to pleas to stop. She hollered her lungs out begging them to stop, threatening to call the cops, promising she would kick all of their asses. Then her shouts turned to sobs as their kicks and hits only picked up speed. I was close to passing out, no longer able to feel what parts of my body were and weren’t working when her weeps turned to choking whimpers. That right there—hearing Josie falling apart and being unable to fix it—was the most painful blow I’d been dealt that night. I’d no sooner convinced myself of that and then Finn grabbed the baseball bat. Shit, that would hurt like a mother.

His first swing hit me in the lower back, his second a bit higher. By the time he’d moved on to his third and fourth, I was passing out. His brothers yelled at him to stop. Their hits and kicks had stopped as soon as Finn took the bat to me, but from their voices, they were scared of the same thing I was: Finn wasn’t going to stop swinging until I’d stopped breathing. It took all three of them to pull him away from me. Even then, he was still swinging that bat.