“Help!”

The cry made Reeve stop dead in his tracks, husky eyes flickering to where the sound had come from. And there she was.

In the alley just to his right, was a girl. She couldn’t be but a year younger than him. She was of average height, and much like Reeve, was rather skinny, while also being well-built. Long blond hair struck with ashen highlights cascaded over her shoulders as she stumbled backwards, back slamming hard into a wall. Her black skirt was torn and now dirty, her fancy white blouse doused with a shade of grime. Around her, three men easily larger in both bulk, height, and muscle mass stood with disgustingly crooked grins. One held a knife. Another what Reeve assumed was the lady’s purse. The last one held nothing, but bent down next to the fallen woman. He extended a slender, deeply tanned finger and placed it under her chin, forcing her head up and staring with cold beetle eyes into her pale green ones. Reeve didn’t wait to hear what he had to say.

“Hey!” he yelled. “Back off!"