Chapter 13
JESSI
Adoor in the hallway clicks and nudges me awake. Groaning, I reach for my phone. It reads slightly after two a.m. I still hear music, but it’s quieter now. The party must finally be winding down.
I adjust the covers over myself and roll over. Then the bed squeaks and dips at my feet.
What the . . . ? I sit up straight and tap my phone’s flashlight. David’s face rushes into my line of sight. He’s shirtless, and his hands are making quick work to unbutton his pants.
“David, what the are you doing? Get out of my room right now before I scream.” I whip my blankets off, forgetting that all I’m wearing is an oversized T-shirt and underwear. I freeze, not wanting him to see me so exposed, but also wanting to get away from him as fast as I can.
He’s on me instantly. He has one hand behind my head and the other over my mouth, locking me in place. His weight crushes me, further restricting any chance of escape. My mind races. What is happening? I try to push him off, but I can’t.
David’s cold, bloodshot eyes stare right into mine then past me.
His breath reeks as it washes over me. His hands tighten around my wrists as he guides them over my head, pinning them to the sheets.
Then he whispers into my ear through clenched teeth, spit flicking against my cheek and neck.
“I know you play hard to get, Jessi, and I like that, but enough is enough. I’ve waited patiently.
I know how much you want me, and now I’m done waiting.
” He shuffles his legs between mine. My sleep shirt bunches around my waist, and I whimper. There is nothing I can do to stop him.
I scream, but he shoves his shirt into my mouth before anyone can hear me.
Hot tears pour from my eyes as he starts slithering between my legs.
Understanding precisely what he plans to do paralyzes me.
His hard length grows and pushes between us.
I shake my head, begging him with my eyes to let me go.
A wicked grin spreads across his face. “I know your pussy is going to be dripping wet when I push my cock inside you.”
As he inches his pants down just enough to free himself, my mind scrambles for a way out.
Can I kick him in the nuts? No. He’s pinning me down still.
Can I scream? Bite his hand? His bare skin brushes against me and I want to vomit.
If I can get him to let his guard down, maybe he’ll loosen his hold long enough for me to wrestle out from underneath him.
I will myself to stop fighting and try to make it seem like I am giving in. That I want him after all. He takes notice and says, “I knew it. If you play nice, I’ll make this feel good for you too. You can see what you’ve been missing.”
I nod quickly and shift my hips, rubbing up and down his length. He closes his eyes and throws his head back, pushing into the friction.
“Fuck, who knew Austin’s sister was such a freak.” He releases some of the pressure from my arms to allow himself to wrench my panties to the side.
Go, go, I scream at myself.
I headbutt him right in the nose as hard as I can. I hear a crack and then warm, thick liquid drips over my face and neck.
“Holy shit. You bitch. You broke my nose!” David roars.
I don’t think twice. I spit out his T-shirt and roll from under him, kicking him in his chest. He falls against my bed, onto his back, holding his nose.
“You fucking bitch.”
I race from my room screaming then bolt down the stairs and out my front door. Without thinking, I sprint to Jack’s house. I bang on his door until my hand stings. “Come on, come on.”
I don’t take my eyes off my house, expecting David to burst onto the porch any minute. I hear the thundering of my heart in my ears, and my hands and feet throb from adrenaline.
Please don’t follow me. Please don’t follow me.
I continue hammering the door. Finally, the lights turn on and the door opens.
Jack’s mouth hangs open and his eyes widen as he scans my blood-covered body.
He drags me inside. “What the hell happened to you? Are you hurt? Who did this?” But I’m too overwhelmed to speak.
He wraps me in his arms, keeping me upright.
I can hear his heart beating rapidly. He rubs my back.
“Shh. It’s okay. You’re okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.
It’s going to be okay.” He kisses the top of my head, repeating himself over and over.
I push away, horrified to see blood covering Jack’s bare chest. I shriek in embarrassment. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up, but I didn’t know what else to do. I’m so sorry.” I tremble as tears spill down my cheeks.
Jack cups my face in his hands, his thumbs swiping across my lips. It feels good, kind, soothing.
“No need to apologize, Jessi, but you do need to tell me what the fuck is going on. Is any of this your blood?”
I swivel my head. “No.”
He leads me to his living room and urges me to sit down, but I resist. “No thanks. I don’t want to get any blood on your couch.”
He shrugs. “I need a new one anyway. Sit.”
I sit as carefully as I can and try to explain what happened, aware that he’s holding my hand.
He gives me his focused attention, but it’s intimidating.
His pupils dilate, and the veins in his neck bulge, but he conceals his expression.
He rubs his thumb over my hand and listens to every detail, and I almost forget he’s my neighbor and not my friend.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
I jump, and my entire body starts shaking. My gaze lasers on the door. Who’s out there?
Jack stands in front of me, his stance as rigid as an attack dog’s. “Go into the kitchen and wait for me,” he says.
I silently agree and leave the room. I watch from around a corner as Jack grabs something from a table near the door before he whips it open.
Austin’s face appears. “Jack, did Jessi come over here? She freaked out on my buddy and ran out of the house. She fucked him up good. What the fuck is wrong with her? I swear when I get my hands on the bitch, I’ll make her pay.”
Jack moves toward my stepbrother, and Austin stumbles backward. Wow. Austin actually looks scared. “Austin, your buddy,” Jack spits, “tried to sexually assault your sister.”
Austin gapes at our neighbor. “No way. David wouldn’t do that, bro. He has girls all over him. He doesn’t need to force someone to fuck him. Jessi freaked out on him. She’s a spoiled brat.”
Jack has Austin’s shirt fisted now, holding him two inches from his face—with a gun to his head.
My mind reels. Why does Jack have a gun, and what is he thinking pointing it at Austin’s head?
He could go to jail for something like this.
I glance at the floor, sure I’m wearing a hole in the carpet as I shift my weight from one foot to the other, watching everything unfold.
“Austin, listen here. Your friends are dirtbags, and if you were any sort of brother, you wouldn’t put your sister in this situation. But you’re no better than them, are you?”
Austin cuts him off, seething. “She isn’t my sister. She is nothing to me.”
When Jack continues, his voice is eerily calm.
“I have heard the things you and your buddies have said to her. So here’s how it will go.
You will walk back to your house and tell every single one of your fuckboy friends to stay the hell away from Jessi.
If they don’t, they’ll have to deal with me.
I can promise they don’t want that. You will also stay the fuck away from her.
Do you understand? If you come near her or say anything remotely insulting to her, it will be the last words you say.
Got it?” He lets go of Austin and pushes him toward our house.
“What the fuck, dude!” Austin screeches.
“Don’t try me, Austin,” Jack warns.
“Okay. Okay. So, how will that work since Jessi lives with me?”
Jack shoves the gun into his waistband. “That’s easy. She’ll stay here until your parents are back.” Austin stares with shock, confusion, and red-hot rage.
“I wasn’t kidding,” Jack says. “Let every single one of them know not to speak to or look at her or I will be the last person they see on this good earth.”
The door slams shut before Austin can reply.
“Jack,” I hiss in the stillness that follows, not believing the authority in my voice. “What the hell?”
Jack’s stance softens the moment his eyes meet mine. “Jessi. I told you to stay in the kitchen.”
“I can’t live with you. This’s crazy. You threatened Austin with a gun! Are you insane? What are you thinking? What if he calls the cops?”
Jack towers over me. A mix of emotions flashes in his eyes, despite his poker face. His blood-covered chest heaves up and down, and the veins in his neck and arms shift as he moves. “They are lucky that’s all I did. Let them call the cops, but you’ll live with me for now, and that’s the end of it.”
“What about my parents?” I say.
“I’ll take care of it, Jessi. I’ll take care of you.”