Chapter 1 #2
He stumbles backwards, gripping on to her tighter as he drags her with him.
Dove’s delicate, pretty features contort in pain.
Her frame is slight and frail like she hasn’t eaten in weeks, her cheeks mascara-stained with tears in a way that cuts up my insides.
Her once-beautiful green eyes now look more dead than mine. What happened to her?
Her eyes are frightened, but I can see she’s still got some fight left in her.
Her hands are bound at her front, making it nearly impossible for her to shove him off.
I give her a subtle nod, and like no time has passed at all, she knows what it means.
We always did have our own language, her, Jayden, River, Bodhi, and me.
That’s how we survived growing up here. Right on cue, she brings up her leg and knees the fucker right in the junk.
Her eyes light up just a little as his grip on her loosens.
The behemoth roars back in pain, just long enough that I can grab him and drag him off her, his greasy ponytail in one hand.
Dropping him to the sandy ground below, my fist connects with his cheek, catching him off guard enough that I have the upper hand.
He might be big as an ox, but he’s slow and dumb as a brick.
“Get behind the Ute,” I yell to her, needing to know she’s safe while I deal with this scum.
She takes the second of reprieve to scurry behind me, not doing as I say but still out of harm’s reach and close enough I can make out her ragged breathing.
She’s not in a good way from the beating she’s endured, probably a few broken ribs, and that was just the part I witnessed.
The monster below me will suffer a fate much worse for daring to touch her.
I drop an elbow to his chest to get started, the crunch and groan of pain that comes from him so damn satisfying.
He didn’t know it when he called me pretty, guess in the low light he couldn’t see the bend in my nose, but I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth.
From a very early age, I worked out how to get by, with concrete in my veins.
I fight assholes like him to blow off steam. Taking him down is a walk in the park.
With every fresh blow I inflict, he struggles against me, landing a few flyaway blows of his own. But I have the upper hand, turning his ugly face to putty. “Ready to apologize to the lady?” I sneer.
Blood flies toward my face as he spits at me.
“Fucking never. You can kill me, but that little bitch will be in debt to us until she dies or pays out her dues, and she fucking knows it.” He reaches for something, and I see the flash of silver under his shirt.
“You can run but you will never hide from us.”
“Gun,” she wheezes as she sucks in a breath; she’s not too far away from me.
Stupid fucker is armed and thinks he’s going to overpower me. Fat chance. I wait till he has his fingers wrapped around it then knock it from his grasp onto the sandy ground below, a dark chuckle vibrating from me. “You might just be out of luck.”
His eyes become more desperate, and the distinct smell of urine hits my nostrils.
“Did you seriously just piss yourself? So tough when you’re beating up a girl, you useless piece of shit.
” That’s it for me; this time I don’t hold back.
I grin back at him like the psycho I am, pain no longer registering, as making this asshole pay for touching her is the only thing I give two shits about.
Anger vibrates through me in a way I have never felt before.
If I did what I came here tonight to do, she would have been on her own against these thugs.
I’m kinda glad I got to stick around to rid the world of this kind of trash.
“Don’t you know who the fuck I am?” he whines in pain, like I should.
My eyes narrow to slits as I suck in ragged breaths.
“I don’t care who you are, little boy. Let this be a lesson for the rest of your mates.
This is my town, and we don’t allow anyone coming round here to beat up our women.
” I lose control of my movements. There is nothing but a blur of my fists connecting with his flesh, until he’s nothing more than a bloody whimpering mess under me.
Not so fucking tough now, is he. My head swells with the power I have over him, how his body falls apart in my hands.
I’m sick, I know it. “What the fuck do you want with her?” I get out through gritted teeth as I stare down at him, his torn shirt clenched in my fists.
“She works for us,” he whimpers, blood flying from his busted lip. “The slut knew what she signed up for.”
She brushes past me, my hand flies out to stop her, but it’s too late. “Liar,” she seethes, standing over him with so much disgust in her pretty features it’s unnerving. What did he do to her?
He grabs her around the ankle, pulling her to the ground with us.
I curse myself for being too distracted to see it coming.
“Fuck you,” she spits as she struggles against him, viciously clawing at any exposed flesh she can.
I throw myself in front of her and get between them again, shoving her back, pushing her behind me. She slumps back, looking like a rag doll as she sucks in labored breaths in a way that turns my stomach. I can’t bear to see her like this. Someone needs to pay, and lucky for me, he’s right here.
“Not a smart move.” I strike the bastard across the face again, the satisfying crunch of his cheekbone beneath my strength echoing in my ears, like a chant to keep going, to end him the way he would have her.
Her soft hair brushes over my shoulder, pulling me from my trance. “Don’t move.” Her words are barely a whisper, but I stop dead still. I trust her with my life.
The pop of a gun registers before anything else. His body is a bloody mess and bounces back, his shoulder bursting open in a show of crimson as the bullet makes contact. He clutches it with his busted-up hands. “You crazy fucking bitch.”
I catch a glance over my shoulder at her, the slightest twitch of a smile on her lips. I’m not going to lie. I’m totally impressed my birdie had it in her.
She’s on her knees, barely holding the gun in his direction.
Her hands tremble terribly, but her eyes are locked on his, no fear in them, just pure hatred that sends a shiver down my spine, because I don’t recognize this version of her at all.
“You chose the wrong fucking night to come after me, asshole.” She aims it at his chest and pulls the trigger again.