Adam by Eve Langlais

it was Adam who started it.
    One second, he stood before Laura, a human shield. A blink of her eyes later, and he’d twisted into action. Not one to watch adventure movies, or even sports, Laura couldn’t help but gasp, and wince, as Adam displayed his military training.
    Surely it wasn’t natural for a leg to rotate so high and for a foot to connect so solidly? The impact of Adam’s boot to the guy’s jaw knocked the one toting the gun to the cement floor, the weapon flying from his hand and skittering off into the shadows.
    In a blur of motion, which had a fascinating grace even given the violence, Adam managed to duck the swing of the heavy metal rod, which surely saved him from a crushed skull whilst, at the same time, lunging with one hand and grasping the wrist of the knife wielder.
    The timing was impeccable. Impossible she would have said, and yet she watched it with her own eyes.
    Adam must have applied intense pressure to the wrist he’d snatched because, with a cry of pain, the guy let the blade clatter to the ground. It proved a less ominous sound than the crack that preceded the shrill shriek of the knife man. Hugging his arm to his chest, that attacker staggered away from Adam. Turning on a heel, he fled, leaving only one conscious thug.
    The remaining mugger loomed larger than the other pair, and he showed no sign of backing off. Lips pulled back in a sneer, he taunted Adam, displaying a valid reason for the war against drugs because surely only a mind frazzled by abuse could think at this point he had even a slim chance of winning. “You’ll pay for that. I’m going to mess up that pretty-boy face of yours until even your mama doesn’t recognize you.”
    “You can try, but it’s not going to happen. As a matter of fact, I’ll guarantee, by the time we’re done here, you’ll wish you’d stayed home and watched re-runs.”
    The fist Adam threw practically blurred, but the impact was visible. With a thud of flesh hitting flesh, it connected, and blood gushed from the mugger’s split lip.
    With a bellow of rage, the guy retaliated. The metal rod swung, wildly, the air swooshing with each pass. Adam danced on his feet, keeping just out of reach. But he didn’t keep quiet.
    “Missed me.” Whoosh . “Missed me again.” Whistle . “Come on, can you put a little effort into it?” The wild swings continued to fail as Adam taunted his assailant.
    A motion from the corner of her eye caught Laura’s attention, and she turned her head to see the gunman shaking off his dizziness. More worrisome, while the fight distracted them, he’d managed to retrieve his weapon and aimed it with a wavering hand.
    She yelled his name in warning. “Adam!”
    Several things happened at once.
    With uncanny speed, Adam knocked her to the side, sending her into a parked car and jostling her glasses loose. As she turned around, even with her blurry vision, she could see Adam dash towards the gunman, propelling the big mugger ahead of him.
    “Stop or I’ll shoot!” the gunman threatened.
    Adam didn’t stop. Instead, he hoisted the guy with the rod and tossed him just as the gun fired. Airborne, the big guy flew into the pistol holder, and they both went down in a heap of flailing limbs, but only for a second before Adam hauled the pair up with astonishing strength. Gripping them by their necks, he knocked their heads together before dropping them again, unconscious.
    Silence ensued as Laura blinked and tried to make sense of the insanity, which, at most, probably lasted only a few minutes.
    What to say. What to do. She truly didn’t know how a person should act in a situation like this.
    The same paralysis didn’t affect Adam. He bent down to grab the mugger’s gun and tucked it in his waistband. “We shouldn’t leave this lying around,” he said as she gaped at him. “I wouldn’t want any kids to get their hands on it. Are you all right? You didn’t get injured in the scuffle?”
    His concern for her was