She turns to face me but won’t look at me. I walk up to her until her tits brush against my chest. From this angle, I get a prime view right down her shirt. I see the edges of a black, lacy bra and fuck if I don’t want to tear it off with my teeth.
“I told him no,” she whispers, her words chilling my blood. “I thought this time I was stronger. That he would hear me this one time.”
All lust-filled thoughts are pushed off a cliff as dread rumbles through me like a thunderstorm.
I grip the hair at the back of her head, tugging down so that her face is forced to look up at me. Tears cling to her lashes that bear no makeup today. Her pink, glossy bottom lip wobbles. It’s her throat that’s colored with purple bruises that has me exploding with rage.
“Who did this to you?” I demand, my voice cutting the air like razor blades. I know who did this. I fucking know. I just need to hear it.
She swallows and a tear leaks out. “Ryan.”
I gently stroke her throat, inspecting the damage. “There’s more?”
Her head pulls to the side like she wants to escape the truth, but I hold her firmly, my arm encircling her waist. She fists my tie as the tears continue to stream down her red cheeks.
“I called the cops to the house last night,” she murmurs. “A woman officer helped me file a report and encouraged me to get a restraining order against him. I’m sure his dad is going to be pissed, but I don’t care.”
She trembles in fear that has me feeling shit I have no business feeling. Possessiveness. The urge to protect and hold her. Unreal. Yet, I can’t let her go.
“What. Did. He. Do?”
She blinks hard, sending tears flinging from her lashes. “I spat the pill out.” Her eyes plead for me to believe her.
“Good girl,” I croon, hating that I’ve given her the praise, but also loving the way she leans in closer, aching for it. “What else?”
“He stuck his finger inside me.” She sobs. “It hurt.”
Against my will, I hug her to me. Sure, she fucked Terrence over, but she’s Hollis’s little sister. Roux’s best friend. A motherfucking Hoodlum.
Ryan will pay for this.
I will destroy him.
“And?”
“And he pulled my shorts off. I, uh, I was so scared. I tried to scream.”
I stroke her soft blond hair and kiss the top of her head. “Did he…”
“No.”
“You fought him off?”
“Penny put a gun to his head.”
A bark of a laugh escapes me. I knew I liked that girl. Charlotte laughs through her tears, the sound warming cold parts of me.
“Too bad she didn’t pull the trigger,” I grumble.
“Too bad,” Charlotte agrees.
We’re silent for a moment, neither of us pulling away.
“I was terrified, Cal.”
Rather than reminding her she’s not allowed to call me that, I pet her hair like she’s mine. “You’re safe now.”
“He won’t stop,” she whispers. “A restraining order is just a piece of paper. He doesn’t care. He’s crazy.”
“I thought you had claws, English. Where are they?”
“I don’t know how to use them.”
I pull away slightly and study her tearstained face. “Maybe I ought to show you.”
“Better than the alternative,” she agrees. “I refuse to let him hurt me anymore.”
Leaning forward, I surprise us both when I nip at her bottom lip before releasing her. “That’s right, loser.” I wink at her. “You’re mine to torment. No one else’s.”
She smiles, her fingertips touching her lip, and it smacks me right in the chest. So fucking beautiful. This girl makes it really damn hard to hate her. You have to be some kind of psychopath to actually want to hurt her. I know Ryan’s type. He’s another version of Wes. They get something in their warped heads and don’t stop until they’ve ruined it completely.
Ryan is going to feel every painful thing he’s done to her tenfold.
I’ll make damned sure of it.
It’s nearly seven by the time I drive past Howie’s Hamburgers. Man, I miss that place. If I wasn’t so blind with my purpose, I’d stop by and grab a burger.
“That place smells good,” Roan says, practically salivating all over my window.
“It’s Terrence’s favorite. We used to eat there almost every day.”
Jordy stays silent from the back seat. It means a lot that he came. I know what a risk this puts him in, but he’s a Hoodlum and we have Hoodlum shit to take care of.
“Where is this place?” Roan asks. “Are we close?”
“Yeah. Everyone who’s anyone hangs out at the Alpha Gamma Rho house,” I tell them, heading toward our old frat house. “Corvallis Chaos.”
“Keepin’ the tradition alive,” Jordy says. “Creating Hoodlum chaos all over Oregon.”
“Like you weren’t up to some shit at OHP?” I taunt.
Jordy laughs. “With Daddy Hoodlum.”
Roan shakes his head. “Don’t call him that.”
“He’s your daddy and the OG Hoodlum,” Jordy throws back. “At least I know where you got your winning personality from.”
Roan tries to punch him, but Jordy is quick, anticipating his move. They both laugh but sober up when I pull up behind a few cars. We grow serious, knowing what we need to do.
“Hollis is going to kill me,” Roan grumbles. “But then he’ll also suck my dick because it’s for a good cause.”
Jordy groans. “Keep letting that shit slip into conversation and I’ll start telling you how many times in a row I can get your sister to come on my tongue.”
“You fucking asshole,” Roan growls.
“Enough, children,” I chide. “It’s time to go talk to this motherfucker.” I climb out of the truck and pull my baseball bat out from beneath the seat. “And by talk, I mean scare the shit out of him.”
Roan and Jordy back me up
