Chapter 53

Jason dragged Cleo over, her head covered in blood. She looked helpless and barely conscious, like a drenched little chick in his grip. He suddenly let go, and Cleo crumpled to the floor without resistance. Right then, a few guys picked up metal pipes and charged at him. The rattling clashes echoed in the deserted factory. Jason was alone, fighting off three or four thugs. Amid the chaos, Cleo crawled away quietly and slipped out. Denise stood there frozen, heart racing—Jason looked insanely cool. With no backup, just himself, throwing punches for her, risking everything. Her chest tightened, and without warning, tears rolled down. This man actually cared that much about her. After a while, Jason finally subdued all four. He didn’t get out clean—his arm took a couple of hard hits, already bruised and swelling. The guys realized they were outmatched, and with Cleo gone too, they bailed. "You okay?" Jason asked, quickly scooping her up. "Sorry, Jason… I dragged you into this again," Deni