Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David) novel Chapter 203

“Oh, you want to fight me?" The mercenary leader, Aran Hunt, pointed at himself, clearly amused.

“Yep, if I win, you let these villagers go and stop causing trouble," the head of Darling family bodyguard said, not backing down.

"It wasn't that the other bodyguard doubted the captain's abilities, but with guns involved, they knew there was a chance the enemy might play dirty.

“Captain?" he asked, still unsure.

"The captain shot him a quick, reassuring look. Winning would mean the villagers were safe. Losing? Well, at least they had go down fighting.

"Aran chuckled, clearly mocking him. "And if you lose?"

“My life is yours to do with as you please," the bodyguard captain said, his resolve clear.

“Alright then." Aran tossed his gun to one of his men, crossing his arms with a smirk.

“Let's do this." It was obvious he wasn't taking the bodyguard captain seriously.

"The mercenaries stood back, watching the scene unfold, while the villagers were filled with worry.

The bodyguard captain threw a punch at the mercenary, aiming for his face, but the mercenary didn't flinch.

Just as the punch was about to land, the mercenary grabbed the captain's arm and twisted it with a sickening crack, nearly dislocating it.

Without missing a beat, he slammed a punch into the captain's chest, making him spit blood, then kicked his knee, bringing him to the ground.

"The whole thing took less than five minutes. The bodyguard captain was completely defenseless, taken down without even a chance to fight back.

Another bodyguard from the Darling family rushed in, furious. "You dare lay a hand on our captain? I'll kill you!"

He threw a punch, but before even making contact, the mercenary kicked him away like he was nothing, sending him flying several meters.

"The bodyguard captain, kneeling on the ground, watched in disbelief, wondering if they were going to die there without ever completing their mission for Danielle. He felt like he had failed.

“You think you can take me on? You'll never win, not even if you try again in your next life," Aran said, his voice dripping with disdain.

"The villagers wanted to help, but Aran raised his hand, and just like that, guns were aimed at them. "Stay back. I'll ask one more time: where is she? Hand her over now!"

"Nathan, who had been buried in paperwork, looked up and froze when he saw the bodyguards from the Darling family sprawled out on the ground.

“This is bad. Those two aren't villagers, they are Danielle's bodyguards!" he quickly realized.

"Panicked, he rushed out of the car, fearing the mercenaries would finish them off. If they did, Danielle would definitely be furious with David.

"David, still sitting in the car, snapped back to reality. He initially thought the bodyguards were no good, but now it made sense.

"He had always been focused on Danielle when he visited the Darling family, never noticing anyone else.

"Now he had almost beaten up his own people. If Danielle found out, he was sure she'd be pissed and ignore him. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like a real possibility. So, he quickly followed Nathan out of the car.

"Nathan rushed toward the bodyguards, yelling, "Stop! Stop!"

"The mercenaries exchanged confused looks. They were sure they had been sent to protect Danielle, yet Nathan was telling them to stop.

“See? Just a classic case of accidentally attacking ally," Nathan said with a grin. "You guys got messed up pretty bad. Let me get someone to take you to the hospital."

"The bodyguards were still lost, unsure if David was about to wipe out the whole village. They had no idea why they had been beaten up in the first place.

"Nathan looked at the two guys still sitting there, dazed. He wondered if his people hit them too hard, but quickly shook it off. Bodyguards couldn't be that weak.

"Aran finally got it, those guys they had just beaten up were Danielle's bodyguards. Indeed, they were in big trouble now.

"David walked up just then. "What are you doing here? Where is Danielle?"

"The two bodyguards snapped out of it when they saw him. "Miss Darling isn't in the village. She told us to stay and protect the villagers. We thought you were the ones who caused trouble earlier and were coming back for payback."

"The villagers were starting to realize what was going on. These people weren't the same people from earlier.

“Where did she go?" David asked calmly, eyeing the bodyguards.

“Miss Darling and the others went to the forbidden area, Mr. Charrington. You should stay here; they've been in there for a while, they should be back soon," the captain said, wincing from the pain.

“We're really sorry. We didn't mean to hurt anyone. Just a misunderstanding," Nathan said, bowing slightly to the villagers.

“Take them to the hospital. Leave some people here to watch over the villagers, and the rest of you, come with me to the forbidden area," David directed.

"The village chief stepped in, stopping David. Even though these guys seemed tough, now that the misunderstanding was cleared, he couldn't just let them walk into danger.

“Don't go in there," he said, his voice serious. "It's dangerous. I couldn't stop the woman earlier when she tried to go in. You don't know that place, it's too risky."