Protect Her

Two of the remaining attackers charged at him simultaneously. Ethan sidestepped the first, grabbing his arm and twisting it in a swift motion, forcing the man to his knees. With a quick, precise strike to the back of the head, Ethan incapacitated him.

The second man swung wildly with a knife. Ethan dodged effortlessly, grabbing the man's wrist and twisting the knife from his grasp. In a fluid motion, he spun the man around and used him as a shield against another attacker who had lunged forward with a steel pipe.

The pipe struck the man's back, causing him to cry out in pain. Ethan shoved him away and caught the pipe in mid-swing, yanking it from the attacker's hands. He used it to block a punch from another man, then delivered a swift kick to the attacker's knee, bringing him down.

The remaining men, seeing their comrades fall one by one, began to falter. They stepped back, forming a loose semicircle around Ethan, their bravado replaced by fear.

Ethan's gaze locked onto each of them in turn, his smile fading. "Last chance," he said quietly, his voice carrying an edge of steel. "Walk away now, or face the same fate."

One of the men, the apparent leader, clenched his fists and stepped forward, defiance burning in his eyes. "You're outnumbered, freak. We're not going anywhere."

Ethan's expression hardened. "So be it."

In a flash, Ethan was upon him. The leader barely had time to raise his fists before Ethan's elbow drove into his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. He followed up with a series of rapid strikes, each one precise and devastating. The leader crumpled to the ground, gasping for air.

Seeing their leader fall, the remaining men hesitated, fear paralyzing them. Ethan stood over the fallen leader, he did not have a hint of exhaustion or sweat on his face while they were bleeding sweat and blood. Ethan looked at them, his eyes burning with an unspoken warning.

When they did not move, he tilted his head to look at the girl and extended his hands. The women let the girl go at once. They did not want to meet the same fate as the guards. 

The girl was not sure if she should jump off the cliff to save himself from the wolves. But when she looked at his face, she felt a strange assurance and nodded softly. 

Ethan held her hands and walked forward, his eyes meeting them with a provoking smile. One by one, the men backed away, their resolve shattered. They could handle their boss but they could not die then and there.

As they left the chaotic nightclub behind, silence fell between them. The girl looked around and then at the hand, he was still holding.

"Why were they behind you?" he asked after a pause, "it did not look like your beauty is the only reason." he pointed it out with a chuckle, "though I do not mind if that would have been the reason. Any man would be smitten by a beauty like you." 

Mary blushed and shook her head.

"You are exaggerating," she complained but her face looked relieved. Who did not like to be complemented without facing any kind of consequences? "I am the daughter of the previous right men. Since he died in the fight and the new one took his place, they wanted me to use it as a lesson for others.

They want to destroy my family only because of internal conflicts in the gang." her eyes went dark and she spat those words with hatred in her voice. 

"They will not leave you that easily." he deduced and she nodded. Her hands clenched into a fist until she realized that he was still holding them.

"Why did you help me though?" her eyes searching for him. For a second she had believed that he was from the enemy gang or had underhanded reasons for helping her. But so far, she did not remember him related to any gang and he did not look like a dangerous person despite the brutal way he had beaten all of them.

His eyes fell on her chest and he looked crudely for a second.

"Why? The only reason is because you are beautiful. I wanted to spend the night with you." he chuckled softly when she stiffened at her place.

Her whole face went red and she coughed softly.

"That. I am not sure." 

"It is alright, I do not force girls and I have a girlfriend already. Perhaps I should wait for her.'' He stared at the sky and took out a cigarette from his pocket. His face looked a little gloomy and he stopped.

Panic filled her. What if he decided not to help her anymore because she had refused him? He did look handsome enough and he had already saved her life. It would not be a bad thing to spend some time with him. Would it?

She reconsidered the decision in her mind when he pointed at his left through his chin.

"The left alley is known for its safety and if you look properly, you can find safe rooms there." He took out his phone, took out his sim from it, and gave it to her. "Keep it in case you need to contact someone. I will buy a new one." 

The girl looked at him blankly as he gave her some money and his mobile. Then without waiting for her reply, he left from there.

"Wait.." she called him as he had already taken a few steps away, "about that joke, I think I do not mind it." Ethan paused in his tracks.

In honesty, he had only saved her because he was standing against the dragon gang. He wanted to challenge them to gain their attention. But it would be a lie if he said he was not attracted to her.

"I have a girlfriend already." he reminded her only to get a wry smile from her.

"I know, but in the gangs, there is nothing to protect. My mother was one of those girls you have seen in the club. And soon I would be one of them. It would be better if I was with a good person. So when the time comes, I will not regret it." her face burnt with bashfulness. 

Though she had seen that world closely, her mother had always protected her.

"Where is your mother now?" He asked, looking at the longing on her face.

"Ah! She is no more." she rubbed her arms waiting for his reply while staring at her feet. She had not thought that she had to wait for his reply. But for some reason, it warmed her heart that he was more concerned about her than only caring about her body.

"You are alone in this world then?" he asked softly, his expression softening when she nodded.

"Then I have a proposal for you." he took a step closer. "I am opening a cafe. You can work there and there is a small room attached to the shop. You can live there too. I will protect you as long as I can."