Read Online Naked by Francine Pascal - Free Book Online Page B

behind her—only inches away. The stink of their sweat was almost overpowering.
    Mick laughed. “Where’d you find this one? You been workin’ that college boy circuit?”
    Gaia felt a flicker of electricity in her veins: that prefight fizz. She shook her head, willing it away, then turned her back on him. “Ignore these two,” she said to Paul. “They’re not going to do anything here.”
    Much to her surprise, however, a coarse hand seized her arm from behind and spun her backaround, knocking her drink to the floor. “No, I just told you, Gaia,” Mick breathed into her face. “I’m going to do
you.
”
    Gaia sighed, very sadly. She didn’t want to have to hurt him. She really didn’t. Violence was her shadow, though. It followed her everywhere, even if—
    â€œGet the hell off her!” Paul shouted, dropping his drink and throwing his body between them. But Mick’s heinous friend snagged Paul by the wrist and twisted his arm behind his back, simultaneously flipping open an oversized blade with his free hand and holding it to Paul’s face.
    â€œCome on, Gaia,” Mick moaned. “I need you tonight. Why don’t you go find Mary and I’ll do you both?”
    The crowd around them immediately fell away, like a receding tide. That electric current was singing now, pumping through Gaia’s blood. And it was accompanied by something else, too. Something relatively new. Yes. That merciless feeling was growing inside her again—the same feeling she’d had the night before, the impulse to use more force than necessary. But this time she didn’t question it. Not when it came to this neo-Nazi waste of space who’d been stupid enough to let Mary’s name fall from his mouth. . . or his partner, who’d made the very poor decision to draw a weapon on Mary’s own brother.
    Mick wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.
    That was all she needed. In under a second she dropped into a state of total concentration, pinpointing the weakness of his grip. With a vicious jab she thrust her fist into his solar plexus, then hacked his arm away.
    â€œOof!” he gasped.
    She caught a flash of his shocked, bulging eyes—then proceeded to whirl as he doubled over, lunging toward his repulsive friend. Clearly the friend had no idea how to respond to the attack because he simply gaped at her as she tore the knife from his fingers and freed Paul. Still spinning—and gaining momentum— she slashed down at Mick’s crumpled body, slicing his arm.
    â€œJesus,” Mick whispered. He collapsed to his knees. His hand immediately darted to the wound. Blood seeped through his fingers. He glanced over his shoulder. The fear in his wide eyes was plain. “You. . . you cut me.”
    But Gaia wasn’t listening. She allowed the knife to slip from her grasp to the floor, well aware that the CBGB crowd was staring at her. Then she leaped into the air, spinning three hundred sixty degrees and simultaneously lashing out at Mick’s partner’s head with a roundhouse kick.
    Her foot struck his flaccid cheek with a smack, and his neck snapped back. For a moment he stood atattention, his glazed eyes fixed on the ceiling. Then he simply pitched forward. He looked like a falling tree. Gaia smiled as he landed right on top of Mick, smothering him. She glanced at Paul.
    Paul blinked at her. His face was white. He looked petrified.
    â€œAre you okay?” she asked, panting. The music was beginning to fade.
    He shook his head.
    She opened her mouth but found she couldn’t speak. The dark club danced and spun before her. She felt like she was looking through a curtain that was slowly being drawn shut.
    â€œLook, I might faint, okay?” she managed to gasp. “Just get us a cab.”
    Paul’s confused expression became fuzzy, and then everything went black.
    TOM WAS BEGINNING TO WONDER about his own sanity,