The leader rushed him, just as Tyler had hoped. He sidestepped and kicked at the same time, nailing his opponent in the groin. The punk crashed to the sidewalk with a howl, but rolled onto his side and leapt up again in spite of the pain. Tyler moved in quickly with a second kick, this one to the chin, and the hoodlum dropped with a grunt.

Tyler turned to face the next one, but this one was moving in more carefully. His hand slipped into a pocket and came out again…Tyler caught a glint of light reflected from a long, slender blade. The kid tried to circle him and force his back to the remaining two, but Tyler moved to his left, keeping his opponent in front of him. The kid came closer, his eyes gleaming with reflected light from a distant street lamp.

Tyler nodded at the knife.

“Is that all you got? A sewing needle? My dick is bigger than that.”

He could hear the punk’s rapid breathing and knew he was afraid, though he didn’t want his friends to know. The kid lunged, driving the blade toward Tyler’s midsection, but Tyler sidestepped to the kid’s right and the knife found only empty air. Before the kid could recover, Tyler aimed a kick at the back of his knee and he staggered, but regained his balance and spun to face Tyler again.

“Kill him, Rogelio!” one of the others shouted. “Mata the bastard!”

Rogelio seemed to take courage from the comment and became more aggressive. Tyler, bent slightly at the waist, watched him, putting himself back in training mode where fear was not a factor and only the problem before him was important. His breathing steadied as the kid tried to circle him again, but again Tyler cut him off, keeping the three remaining thugs where he could see them, and Terra to his rear. Sweat slid down the inside of his shirt in the humid night.

“Tyler?” Terra’s voice had an edge to it—she couldn’t see what was going on, and nobody was talking.

“Not now, Novia.” He liked that word…novia. He was going to have to learn the language. “Put your foot on the other one and let me know if he wakes up.”

Rogelio’s teeth flashed in the dim light.

“She is your novia, huh? Maybe after we’re done here she’ll be our novia. She can learn what a real man feels like.” The knife blade twirled in a little circle, taunting him.

“If I come across any real men out here,” Tyler told him, “I’ll let her know.”

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