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Mitsuko stiffened. Miki, suddenly at the mouth of the alley, glared daggers at the guy with Mitsuko. He shoved past one of the boys, eliciting a curse and a shove back.

Shit. Mitsuko quickly threw up her hands, smiling nervously around her cigarette. “It’s okay,” she called. “We’re all done, okay?”

The first guy squinted at Miki, then threw a look at Mitsuko. “Are you gay?” he asked. “Or is that your little sister?”

Mitsuko froze. Her heart thudded once, loud, as Miki’s fists clenched.

Shit!

The cigarette fell from Mitsuko’s mouth. “Don’t!” she shouted, throwing out a hand at Miki.

But it was too late. Miki tackled the guy at waist height, knocking him to the floor of the alley.

The other boys shouted and ran at Miki. Miki and his opponent rolled on the pavement, cursing as fists and elbows cracked into faces. Mitsuko screamed at Miki to stop and ran up to block one of the other boys.

Miki rammed his fist into the guy’s jaw; the guy’s head snapped to the side, leaving him limp and groaning. Miki grabbed the arm of another boy who clawed at his shoulder and flipped him hard enough to slam his back into the pavement. Miki’s head snapped to Mitsuko; she shook her head frantically as she struggled with the last boy.

“No!” Mitsuko shouted as she shoved the guy backward. “This isn’t a fight! Just get out of here!”

“Move it!” the boy snarled as he shoved back. He wasn’t too strong for her; she blocked him with her forearms and spread her feet.

Her chunky heel caught in a seam of the payment. She stumbled.

The boy growled and ran past her. In the half-second it took for her to turn, Miki kicked him in the stomach and rammed another guy into a wall. Miki straddled one of his toppled opponents and punched him over and over in the face.

Panic seized Mitsuko, the blood rushing in her ears. The fire in Miki’s eyes as he wailed on that guy’s face…she knew that fire. It always rumbled under the surface, contained by his reason and whatever coping mechanisms he could make work. But when it was out, and he lost control…

He was an animal consumed by rage. And he was ready to kill the boy under him.

“Miki!” Mitsuko screamed.

(Full story available in downloadable ebook/PDF and hard copy versions of Book 1.)