by Lila Rose
“Well, at least it’s something,” Julian said and resumed eating his cake.
“You really need to stop getting off on other people’s sex lives,” Mattie sighed, but his smile told me he didn’t care at all.
“He’s coming for dinner tonight,” I said.
The women grinned and Julian clapped his hands together. “I’ve got it. You need to seduce him. Wear something sexy and when he climbs into bed—”
“He sleeps on the couch,” I interrupted.
Julian gasped. “Oh, my God, he what?”
“Like I said, we haven’t been…doing this long, and when he stays, he sleeps on the couch. It’s like he doesn’t want to risk rushing things.”
Clary groaned. “Oh, I know how that feels.”
“Do you want him?” Mrs Cliff asked.
Blushing harder, which was no small feat since I was sure my cheeks were already the brightest they could be, I said, “I, um, I think so.”
“Dose he make your heart rush when you see him?” Zara asked.
“Do you get all tingly when he walks into the room?” Ivy asked with a small smile.
“Does your vagina sing when you spot him?” Mrs Cliff asked.
“Mrs Cliff,” I snapped.
“It’s like Deanna hasn’t even left,” Mattie said, shaking his head.
“So?” Julian asked.
I forced myself not to lower my head as I spoke, even though I wanted to crawl in some sort of hole with my embarrassment. “All of those and more.”
“Hoo-boy,” Julian cackled.
“Don’t worry,” Ivy said. “All our men do that for us.”
The talking, sharing was perplexing. It was awkward in more ways than one, but when we all burst out laughing, it was special. Call me crazy, but I liked girl talk.
It was then we all turned in our seats to the front door as we heard tires squealing out the front. I stood, my hand going to my neck as the front door flung open. Through it first was a scared-looking Josh. Next came a boy I’d never seen before and after that was Stoke; he carried a crying Nary in his arms.
“Nary,” I gasped and ran to her.
Stoke sat her down on the couch. I quickly placed myself next to her and brought her head to my chest as she shook and sobbed.
“What happened?” I demanded with my jaw clenched. I wanted and wished to hurt the person responsible for my daughter being distraught.
“She was attacked at school,” Stoke growled.
“O-Oscar?” I asked.
“No, some fuckin’ little shit who is about to get more than the beating this kid gave him,” Stoke explained and pointed to the boy I hadn’t seen before. Stoke then bent, kissed Nary’s forehead and whispered, “Everything will be good, girl.”
I felt Nary nod against my chest. Stoke pulled back a little and gave me a swift kiss on the lips. “I may be late for dinner. I got some shit to deal with. Saxon, get to the car,” her ordered the boy, and straight away that child listened.
I nodded to Stoke, my mind reeling. Turning to Clary, I gestured for her to take Nary. Once I moved out of the way, Clary sat down next to my daughter and cradled her. I walked Stoke to the front door, and out on the porch, I turned to him, took a step closer, gripped his tee, and then asked, “Did he…”
His hands went to my arms. “No, it was fuckin’ close, love, but no. She’s gonna have bruises tomorrow though.”
“Where is he?” I snapped.
“In the car with Dive, Blue and Billy.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m taking him home and gonna have a nice chat to his ‘rents.”
“Before…before you do that, make him pay.”
Stoke’s eyes widened and then he smiled. “I’d love to do that for you, love, but he’s in a heap of pain already from Saxon. He found them and beat the shit outta him. I’ll just make sure he never does it again.”
“Okay, handsome.”
“Fuckin’ love that,” he growled and then said, “I’m heading to Saxon’s place after that. He’s got a shit dad. I wanna talk to him.” He smiled and I knew Saxon’s dad wasn’t going to like that talk. “If things don’t go well, I need you to make up that single bed in Josh’s room. He’ll be sleeping here tonight.”
With a nod, I said, “Of course. Be safe, Declan.”
“I will, and also tonight, I’m sleeping in your bed.”
“Okay,” I agreed straight away and he smiled big.
“Get back to your girl. She’s gonna need you.”
“Okay, handsome.” Kissing him quickly, I stepped back. He called for Saxon to follow him and they hopped into a pick-up. Before he took off, I sent a wave his way. He shook his head smilin’ and gave me a chin lift.
I turned around and went to my girl.
Chapter Eleven
Nary
One Hour Earlier
I was walking from the cafeteria to my locker before the bell rang to grab my PE clothes. Once I’d collected my things, I arrived early to PE. I headed into the changing rooms to get into my kit, hoping I’d have time to get to a new level on Angry Birds on my phone.
My head was full of other thoughts, which was why I didn’t hear the door behind me open just after I walked in. I didn’t hear anything.
But I felt something. Shoved hard in the back, I fell to the floor on my knees. I cried out in pain, and move to my bottom to see who had done it. Looking up, I saw Malcolm leering down at me. His eyes full of hatred.
“W-what are you doing in here?”
“I’m sick of your shit, lesbo. You think you’re so much better than me—”
“I don’t,” I cried out. “I never have.”
“Bullshit,” he screamed down at me. “I’ve seen them.”
“Who?”
“Those men who drop you off and pick you up. You’re a little slut after all, yet you can’t even give it to me.”
I didn’t see it coming. His booted foot connected with my ribs. I collapsed to my side and screamed in pain.
“Well, I think it’s my turn,” he sneered, and then bent over, gripped my ankle and dragged me over the cold tiled floor. I kicked at him with my other leg, but he ignored it and I couldn’t aim for the most vital part because he was turned away from me. With my hands, I tried to keep my skirt down, but as he dragged me, it kept riding up.
I wished I’d had the chance to get changed into my PE clothes, the shorts and tee. He dragged me deeper into the changing rooms. I screamed, yelled and swore for help.
Where was everyone?
Tears blurred my vision; still, I knew never to give up.
I wouldn’t¸ couldn’t let it happen.
He flung my leg to the ground and stepped back. Looking down at me, he laughed. “You look pathetic. For once, you don’t look like the cool, calm, Nary May. The girl with a fit figure, long hair and perfect green eyes. Now you look like you come from the streets. Which I suppose is appropriate seems you hooker yourself out to all those guys,” he jeered.
I scrambled up to my bottom and crab walked backward away from him, saying over and over, “Leave me alone. Leave me alone.”
He followed my attempts of escape and smiled smugly down at me. “Enough of these games,” he said with a punch to my face. My head whipped sideways and I cried out in agony. While I was still dazed from the blow, he got to his knees, and with forceful hands, he pushed my legs apart.
“No, no, no,” I screamed, sitting up to push at his chest as he tried to lay down on top of me. I shoved, punched and yelled.
That was when I saw it.
Out the corner of my eye, a shadow at the end of the lockers.
It wasn’t there for long, soon disappearing.
“Help, please,” I begged to whomever that shadow belonged to.
“Shut up, slut,” Malcolm hissed and hit me in the stomach, hard enough to leave me gasping for breath. I fell back to the tiled floor, my hands going to my stomach, my back arching as I fought for air.
> I couldn’t do anything, other than cry and plead.
I wanted to die.
Malcolm had gripped my panties and roughly jerked at them, my body moved with the vicious moves.
That when I heard a tear and a thump.
Then everything went deathly silent.
Until it all came rushing back in. I scrambled my sore body up to my elbows to see Saxon on top of Malcolm, punching him over and over, to any undefended place on his body. Malcolm’s hands were up over his face, protecting himself. Still, when Saxon hit Malcolm in the side, his hands fell away and Saxon went to town. His lips split in seconds. He had a cut above his eyebrow next.
I knew I should have stopped him. I didn’t want Saxon in trouble for helping me.
But I didn’t.
I couldn’t.
Instead, I sat frozen as I watched Saxon deliver more pain to Malcolm than I had ever seen.
A flurry of noises and voices hit me next. I looked up in time to see a livid Stoke barrelling toward us.
Stoke
I was sitting in my black pick-up out in the school carpark with a brother named Dive, because he liked to dive onto women’s pussies, just shooting the shit when Dive uttered, “What the fuck?” and shot out of the car.
I was on my feet beside the car in seconds, and what I saw sent ice through my veins. Josh was running like Hell was on his heels toward us. Both Dive and I started forward just as fast.
My hands landed on his shoulders as I barked, “What the fuck, kid?”
He puffed and panted out, “Nary…in…trouble…changing rooms.”
Without looking at Dive—I knew he would follow—we all headed into the school. The halls were bustling with people. I could feel eyes on us as we pushed past so many students, with Josh leading the way. “Call Blue and Billy. They’re on backup today,” I said over my shoulder.
I knew without a doubt, he would do as I asked. I was ready to kick some arse and I’d need backup, not only to hold me back if Nary was hurt, but to keep the other vultures at bay.
As we rounded a corner, I could see the sign to the changing rooms. I grabbed Josh by the shoulder and ordered, “Stay out here.” I looked to Dive; he gave me a chin lift, understanding what I was asking. He was to keep Josh outta the room no matter what they heard. A bell chimed throughout the school.
“Nary has PE. A heap of other students are heading this way for it too,” Josh said as he rubbed his chest. He’d run like a fuckin’ champion.
“How long ‘til backup?”
“‘Bout five,” Dive answered.
“‘Til then, keep anyone who comes by out,” I ordered and then started for the door. Just before I entered, I pulled my gun from the back of my jeans and slid the door open quietly.
After the door closed behind me, I heard it.
Grunted moans filled with pain.
Forgetting the stealth and wanting to catch whatever the fuck was going down, I ran toward the sounds. My booted feet slapped hard against the tiled floor.
Coming around a corner, I stopped dead.
Nary was sitting in a corner, her hands behind her, obviously supporting her weight. She stared on with a look of terror, yet awe in front of her. Some guy was sitting on another, laying punch after punch into the dude on the ground.
Before it led to death and Nary witnessing it, I stalked over, grabbed the kid off the other and hauled him up to stand next to me. He went to go for the kid on the ground again, but with a hand across his chest, I brought him back against me and growled, “Enough.”
“Stoke,” Nary uttered on a sob.
“Tell me what the fuck is goin’ on so we can get outta here,” I barked.
“Let go of me, man,” the guy I got pinned by the chest growled.
“You cool?” I asked
“Yeah,”
Removing my arm, I took a step back and ordered, “Talk.”
I was expecting the words to come from Nary, but they didn’t. The dude who was beating the shit outta the other guy did. “I saw Nary leave the cafeteria early and when I spotted the dickhead, Malcolm, on her tail, I knew he was up to something. So I followed. When he went into the girls’ changing room after Nary, I knew it wasn’t gonna be good. I found Josh as fast as I could and told him to get you guys. I hurried back here…but, I wasn’t fast enough.” With that, he landed a kick into the Malcolm’s side. “He’d already laid his hands on her and kicked her. Fuck…” He whirled away from Malcolm, though I could see he didn’t want to. He wanted to finish the job he started. “He was gonna rape her, man.”
“What?” I hissed. “Nary, this true, girl?”
She said nothing, but after a beat, she nodded.
Kneeling down next to the quiet Malcolm, I got real close. He averted his eyes from mine, so I grabbed his jaw hard and turned his face to mine. “Do you know who I am?” I snarled in his face.
He studied me for a moment and then hissed, “No.”
Smiling without humour, I said, “You just fucked-up big time. Have you heard of Hawks Motorcycle club?” The guy’s eyes widened. Yeah, he’d heard of us. “I’m a member and I’m dating her mum. Meaning she’s part of Hawks, and when people fuck with a Hawks’ person, we fuck back…big time.”
The guy’s face was bathed in blood. I wished I had been the one to deliver it, but from the wet patch on the front of his pants, I got satisfaction enough from scaring him.
“Stoke?” Blue called from the front.
Standing, I answered with, “Back here.” And then looked to the guy who delivered payback for Nary. “Your name?”
“Saxon Black.”
I eyed him for a bit and then asked, “He give you that black eye?”
“No,” he hissed with a raised upper lip.
“Who?”
But before he answered, Blue came around the corner and whistled low. “What do we have here?”
I pointed a finger to the fucker on the ground. “Take him outta here the best way no one will see. He touched my woman’s girl, even though Saxon here dealt enough payback against him, I wanna make sure he never does it again.”
“There’s a side door that way. It leads out to the courtyard,” Saxon explained. “Just don’t go that way,” he pointed in a different direction. “The PE teacher will be there or she could be headin’ in here soon to see what the delay is.”
“Right,” Blue said. With a look of disgust aimed at Malcolm, he strode over and yanked him up and over his shoulder.
“Saxon, as soon as Blue is out, go tell the others at the door we’re ready to roll.”
He said nothing. With watchful eyes, he waited until Blue disappeared around the corner. He took one glance at Nary and said, “Sorry I was late.” And then left to do as I said.
I approached Nary with caution. Worried, she’d freak out with a male so close after what she’d just went through. However, I shouldn’t have worried. As soon as I crouched down next to her, she flung herself into my arms, wrapping her arms around my neck tightly and cried into my neck. I picked her up and started for the side door. “Let’s get you home to your mum, yeah?” I felt her nod against my neck. “Everythin’ will be fine, Nary. You got that, right?”
“Yes, Stoke,” she whispered.
We reached my truck. Josh was sitting in the back with the door open waiting for his sister. As soon as I deposited her in there, he took her hand in his. I closed the door and wished I could beat the little shit again for what he did to make Nary hunch into herself.
Hopping in the driver seat, I looked to Saxon beside me and gave him a chin life. “We’re dropping off Nary and Josh first. Then we go see the fucker’s ‘rents. But now, I wanna know who gave you that black eye?” I started the car and looked to the vehicle behind me. Billy, Blue and Dive were in there with the little shit. I smiled at the thought of the crap they’d be scaring him with.
Turning my attention back to a silent Saxon, who was sitting there glaring out the windscreen, I said, “Kid, just fuckin’ tel
l me.”
“It ain’t any of your Goddamn business,” he snapped.
“Look at me,” I hissed. Once I had his eyes, I explained, “You helped out Hawks today. We repay that favour, and by my guessin’, this shit happens to you a lot, and I also reckon it’s a family issue. But it’s one I can help put a stop to.”
He snorted. “I doubt it.”
“Give me a try,” I said and manoeuvred the car out of the carpark.
“My father,” he uttered, his upper lip rose. It was just what I had thought.
After we dropped off Josh and Nary, and after my woman gave me a fuckin’ hard-on from the way she talked, wantin’ to deliver pain to the guy who harmed her daughter. I got back in the pick-up with Saxon and followed Blue’s vehicle to Malcolm’s house. Of-fuckin’-course it had to be in the middle of fuckin’ toffy area.
We pulled up out the front. I told Saxon to wait in the car. I climbed out, walked around my truck and waited on the walkway as Blue and Dive got a sore lookin’ Malcolm outta the car.
“He fuckin’ pissed himself again. You are cleaning my goddamn car, Stoke,” Blue complained.
“Who made him piss himself?” I asked as we headed up the walkway to his triple-story brick home.
“Billy,” Dive supplied.
“Serious?” I asked, bloody surprised it had been the youngest member.
“Yep,” Blue smiled. It was obvious he was proud. “Told this arsehole that if he fought what was gonna go down, that he was turning up to his house in the middle of the night, find him asleep in his bed where he would first cut out his tongue so he couldn’t scream, and then he’d rape him with his hunting knife.”
I whistled. “That’d do the trick.”
“Beautiful moment, if it wasn’t for the piss now staining my fuckin’ seat.”
We walked onto the porch and I rang the bell. “Then Billy has to clean it, not me. He’s the one who made him piss himself.”
“Y-you will all pay for this,” Malcolm said.
We looked at each other and burst out laughing. I highly doubted we would because I was pretty sure I knew who his father was.
