Isla hit the ground hard. Every joint screamed at once, pain radiating deep enough it felt like her organs had shifted places.
"Isla, are you okay?!" Marcus, spotting her fall, dropped his guard entirely, and paid for it instantly, catching a boot to the gut. The second man seized the opening, grabbing him from behind by the throat.
"Marcus, watch out!" Isla's warning came too late.
Watching him get overpowered, dread flooded through her. She tried to push herself up and found her whole body had gone numb, no strength left to do anything but watch.
Marcus, throat pinned, went cold and calculating for a half-second before twisting the wrist and elbow of the arm choking him, launching a sharp, precise counterattack.
Gentle as he usually seemed, the man clearly had actual training behind
