I'd had the damn girl strapped to a chair, threatened endlessly and still she was too fucking stubborn to give me what I wanted. Running my hand through my hair. Exasperated, and so fucking pissed off I could drive a knife through her skull, I stepped out to my trailer and lit a cigar from my back pocket.

Closing my eyes, I tried to calm myself. The blood lust was building. Demanding I grab the closest blunt object and smash in her smug face. Unfortunately, the man in me wanted to keep his cool.

Afterall she was a firecracker. I liked that. Chuckling I take another drag and breathe out the smoke slowly. Feeling my senses and mind clear.

The woman was a pain in the arse! Flopping down on a chair on the porch of my trailer I lean my headback. Closing my eyes, moving my cap over my face to block out the light from the nearby lanterns.

All I wanted was the truth. I'd thought about it long and hard and there's no way in dante's hell any normal female could handle herself like that. Whatever she was, she was special. Kerrigan wanted her bad. The look of hatred on his face as I took her right out of his own territory will always bring me satisfaction.

Truth be told, the woman facinated me. She was smart, resiliant, bluntly honest and sexy....my, my, my. Best looking woman I'd seen in...well, ever!

Hearing her scream I sit up. My ears twitching as I listen to the cries of pain and grunts of my men. What the blasted hell were they doing to her!?

Tossing my hat aside, my cigar forgotton on the floor, I vault over the porch fence and hail arse to where I'd left her for the boys to carry on my handy work.

Bursting through the door of the barn I see her on the ground, face down. Her face hidden by her long pink hair. Her clothing was ripped and bloody.

They'd beaten her.

The three men I'd left her with stood around her, blood oozing from one of their noses. While another clutched his arm to his chest. Obviously nursing a broken arm. Panting, my chest heaving with rage, I roared.

"The fuck have you done!"

They coward back. Too scared to meet my gaze. Too scared to even reply. Scowling, I bend and wrap my arms around her. Pulling her up into my arms. I study her for a moment. Her beautiful face was bruised and bloody. Blood dripped from her busted lip as her left eye began to deepen in colour and swell.

Without looking back I leave the cowards to fuck each other in the barn. Taking her back to my trailer where I knew no one would lay a hand on her. I'd rip their arms off and beat them to death with them if they tried. Cowards who hurt a woman of any species deserve a slow and painful death in my book.

Kicking the door shut behind me, I lay her down on my bed at one end of the trailer. Gently, I remove her shoes, bottoms and cover her with the blanket. Then sit on the edge of the bed. Sighing angrily. Moving her hair from her beaten face.

Quickly grabbing a warm damp cloth from the bathroom, I wipe her gently. Trying to soothe the bruising and clean up the blood from her pale face.

Standing, I lean agains the counter in the cramped kitchen and sigh. My hands rubbing through my hair as I try to decide what the fuck I should do.

On the one hand he did need her to talk. On the other his boys had touched her without permission. I'd told them no violence. They went against orders. That I can't let go unpunished. It will look bad if I do punish them for hurting an outsider though. Either way....I was fucked.

I was fucking fucked....

...because of a woman.