Jack and Djinn (The Houri Legends, #1)(41)

“Gramps, please,” she pleaded, “don’t let them do this. Call the police.”

The old man, draining a tumbler of whiskey, waved a hand in dismissal. “Oh, the boy’ll be fine, girlie. The boys won’t damage him too much.” She realized he thought she was worried about Ben.

“No, you don’t understand. I’m worried about them,” she said as she gestured to his grandsons.

Gramps looked at her with incredulity. “Darlin’, he ain’t that scary. He’s a big’un, sure, but you don’t know my boys. They’ll handle him just fine—don’t you worry none.”

Gramps wasn’t going to do anything but watch, and if it were anyone besides Ben, he’d be right.

She ran into the melee, Gramps and Jack’s mom calling after her. She pushed between Jimmy and William, who grabbed for her, too late. Jack was bouncing on the balls of his feet, fists up, body turned sideways. His nose was bleeding now, and one eye was purpling; Ben wasn’t faring much better.

Just as Miriam reached Jack and caught at his sleeve, Jimmy wrapped his burly arms around her midsection and pulled her away, saying, “You’re gonna get hit, you daft girl. Jackie can take him.” Miriam tried to thrash free, but Jimmy held her tight.

Ben was biding his time, waiting for the right moment; she’d watched him bounce enough drunks out of the bar that she knew his style. He didn’t just toss them out, he followed them into the parking lot and tore them apart. He’d stand his ground, let them hit him a few times, let them think they were winning, and then he’d explode in a fury of military-trained technique. Ben wasn’t content to just break a nose or black an eye—he had a taste for snapping bones, catching a punch in one hand and using the heel of his palm to crush his victim’s elbow.

She watched, helpless, unwilling to let her magic free in this moment, knowing she might accidentally hurt Jimmy or someone else, not to mention the spectacle of it all. But she knew she had no control over it, and she felt the fires burning, seeking release. She had to fight just to keep it in, keep it down.

Then, between one breath and the next, her fears came true. Jack threw a quick right jab and Ben blocked it, caught it, and flashed his opposite palm into Jack’s elbow like a lightning strike. Miriam heard the bone snap, and Jack bellowed in pain. She screamed, twisting and thrashing against Jimmy with renewed desperation.

“Help him!” she shrieked.

Jimmy let her go and rushed in. A slow smile spread across Ben’s face. He spat a gobbet of blood and kicked Jack aside, and turned to deal with Jimmy. William waited until Ben was tangled up with Jimmy, and then he joined the fray. William was a stocky man with a barrel chest and buzzed hair the same color as Jack’s. He wrapped a thick arm around Ben’s neck and squeezed, holding the larger Ben nearly aloft, bending backward to get the proper leverage. Jimmy backed away and slugged Ben repeatedly in the stomach. Miriam was at Jack’s side, but he brushed her off until he realized who it was, and then he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away, trying to get her inside. Other family members were crowded around the door at this point, watching. She heard someone in the doorway gasp, and she whirled to see that Ben had thrown William over his shoulder and was lighting into Jimmy with a wicked barrage of hammering blows to the kidneys and liver. William was on his back, moaning, struggling to his feet. Jack, cradling his arm, growled, and turned to rejoin the fight.

Miriam felt desperation run through her. These people had welcomed her as family, treated her kindly and with affection. She couldn’t just stand by and watch as Ben tore them apart. Not over her. Miriam put her hands around Jack’s broken elbow and channeled a tiny thread of the magic, felt it respond to her call and rush into Jack, healing him instantly. He looked at her, pain fading from his eyes, to be replaced by fear for her. He could tell what she was planning.

“Jack,” she whispered. “I…”

She felt something inside her tear open. She had to stop this, had to keep anyone else from getting hurt because of her.

Before Jack could stop her, she kicked off her heels and darted in between Ben and Jimmy, pushing Ben away with her hands on his chest, meeting his crazed eyes with her own. “Stop, Ben,” she said, “please stop. Leave them alone. I’ll go with you. Just stop.”

Ben backed off, and Jimmy staggered away, bleeding from his nose and cuts to his forehead and cheekbones. He was battered but enraged. He brushed the blood from his eyes and charged back at Ben, but Miriam held out a palm to stop him.

“No, Jimmy, it’s okay. I’ll go.”

Jimmy looked down at her, shaking his head. “No, you can’t—”

Jack was reaching for Miriam. “What are you doing? Miriam, talk to me! You can’t! Don’t do this!”

She only shook her head, turned away. If she looked at Jack, her resolve would weaken. These people would gang up on Ben if she asked them to, and they’d win, eventually, but the cost…too many people would get hurt. Jack’s arm had been broken, Jimmy was gushing blood from a dozen places and clutching his ribs, and William was still gasping for breath and rubbing his neck where Ben had wrenched it nearly to breaking.

“Stop, all of you,” Miriam pleaded, her voice catching. “I’m so sorry…I caused this. I shouldn’t have come here, I shouldn’t have—” Miriam saw Mary, the bride, standing next to Jack, the hem of her beautiful dress dragging through the dirt of the parking lot. “Mary, I’m so sorry I ruined your wedding….” Miriam’s voice broke then, and she turned to Ben, pushing him to his car. “Go, Ben. Let’s go.”