Soldier of Fortune: Gideon Quinn Adventures Book One

Chapter 17

"I had this, you know."

Gideon looked at Jinna, mustard dispenser in one hand and fork in the other. "Would you like to take over?" he asked politely.

She sighed and lowered the fork. "Carry on, soldier."

Gideon carried on.

It wasn't a stretch to say he hadn't been in a particularly good mood when a scratching at the bathroom door pulled him from contemplation of his last day of command.

When he'd opened the door to the annoyed draco, and heard some ponce threatening Mia's friend, his mood shot from not particularly good to toweringly angry.

When he eased around the corner of the bathroom hall to see the ponce had brought along some serious muscle, he felt...

... actually, he felt pretty good.

Because muscle he could deal with.

Now, with the remains of the chair in his hand, he clambered over the fallen one-third of the muscle, and rushed for the guy Elvis was harassing.

Mia, he was pleased to see, had already beat a retreat to relative safety on the kitchen side of the counter.

A click of the tongue sent Elvis leaping to safety on a pendant lamp, so there was no one in the way when Gideon, who'd added some much-needed momentum by leaping on a table, came flying at Rolf, half a chair swinging as he jumped.

* * *

From where he stood watching the stranger in action, Killian Del began to wonder if there had been a decline in hired-drone standards as, despite the Ohmdahls coming highly recommended, not a one seemed able to stand before this lone, underfed soldier.

Even as Killian thought this, he watched Rolf crumple from a chair leg to the groin while the stranger spun, swiping with said chair leg (the rest of the chair having been lost to Rolf's back) to crack open the approaching Ulf's cheek.

A quick reversal of swing and the leg numbed Freya's arm as she entered the fight. Rebounding from the arm strike, the chair leg struck Ulf behind the ear as he started to turn back towards the enemy.

And so it continued.

Though the Ohmdahls had numbers, size, strength, and an incredible ability to take a beating, the tall, lanky soldier was methodically, brutally, decimating them.

At last Ulf sank to the floor next to his brother, and the soldier turned to Freya, who was holding her right arm and wiping a bloodied nose on her shoulder.

"Quit," the soldier said. "Now. Please."

"Wid pleasure," Freya said with a glimmer in her one un-blackened eye that Killian could only take for admiration, then sat down next to her brothers.

"Cor, Gideon! That was completely badass," the little urchin said as she peeked over the counter. "I could'a sold tickets."

Killian remained where he was until the soldier looked his way. "I shouldn't, if I were you," Killian said, glancing at the diminished stick of wood. "Unlike these lunks you've put down, I have friends—powerful friends—who would certainly look into any unfortunate accidents which might befall me."

The soldier, Gideon, didn't move, but his eyes on Killian's went flat, and Killian felt the first skitterings of fear before those eyes turned from him to look at Jinna.

She was still in the middle of the dining room, and was also staring at the soldier.

"So this is what you've found to replace my son?" Killian asked her and almost—almost—stepped back when both pairs of eyes turned on him.