"Lord, Riley, you smell incredible. It's driving my wolf crazy." My gaze lowers and I notice a very unmistakable and exceptionally large bulge pressing against the zipper of his jeans. That poor zipper. His cheeks flame a pink blush unable to be hidden by his warm rich espresso complexion. It was utterly adorable, and I couldn't help but giggle. Which of course had to come out as a high pitch tinkle noise. Gods, how embarrassing. However, my wolf was strutting her stuff, feeling proud that she made her mate hard for us.
The moment ends all too soon when my name is muttered mid conversation across the room. In a heated mid conversation, I might add. Seriously guys. What the fuck? Axel gives me a pitying look that just made my blood boil. I don't need pity or judgements or anything else from anyone, especially from these guys. This is the moment I decide it’s time to bail out. I flip the covers off my legs and rip out the IV, which of course causes Axel to grunt and have a mini heart attack, but I am not giving this a second thought. I grab my shoes and am heading for that damn door.
Cree is standing before me just as I am about to turn the handle. “And where do you think you’re going?” he growls. I swear that’s one of the only two tones the man knows, growls and grunts.
“Home,” I sneer. Seriously, who does he think he is, my mother? I narrow my eyes at the big guy, cocking my head to the side and can’t help but chuckle at the image of him in a flower apron and pearls.
His back stiffens and his shoulders tense, belying the calm and collectedness of his voice, “I don’t think so, Riley. Not until we get over there and find all your stashes, dump every drop of alcohol, and make sure you have a decent couch that one of us will sleep on every night.”
My mouth drops open at his statement but before I could voice my opinion he continues. “There are a few other conditions as well. You will not be working alone at the bar. I will be present for every shift, standing at your side the whole time. You will be escorted everywhere you need to go, every minute of every day until you are past this trying to kill yourself bullshit. Am I clear?”
I blink at him stupidly. Then turn and look Axel and Reed in the eyes as well. Slowly and calmly I turn back to Cree. I take a step closer into his personal space, maintaining eye contact the whole time. I bring my knee up hard right into his dick, making sure to catch both balls as well. He doubles over, hitting the floor. I bend down to whisper in his ear, “Fuck. You.” Head held high I walk out the door. I fucking dare one of the guys to follow me right now, dipshits.
I make it back to my apartment without one of the guys following directly on my heels, but I know I haven’t heard the last of this. They will be back and most likely ... tonight. Wonderful, just fucking wonderful. I roll my eyes as I let out an audible sigh. I find my bottle of whiskey and head down the hall to my bedroom. I drop onto the bed and realize too late I forgot a glass. Fuck it, I tip the bottle back and take a long pull. I turn my head, eyeing my bathroom door. A long bubble bath is calling my name. I debate work tonight, Cree already stated that my shifts will be like a prison sentence and I am not in the mood to deal with his male PMS tonight. Fuck it, I text Cree.
Since you want to stand behind the bar my whole shift tonight, I decided you can go ahead and just work the shift yourself. I am taking a couple of personal days. I’ll be in on Friday night.
I pass out in the tub and when I wake a few hours later to the freezing water and wrinkly finger. I find I have one reply.
This isn’t over. C.
I roll my eyes at his show of alpha douche behavior. Whatever.
Friday came and went still I haven’t been to work or even outside of my apartment. It’s been nine days since I saw the guys, however it hasn’t stopped them from reaching out with hundreds of text messages and voicesmails a day. Doesn’t stop me from continuing to ignore them though, the love of a power button. But I know I need to dig deeper and find the strength to take back my life.
Today that changes, today I decide for me, today I’m moving on. I go through the motions of showering and dressing for work. Jeans and an old band t-shirt cover the attire for tonight.
Getting ready to walk out the door, I stand holding the cocktail bottle of mixed pills. I’m debating what I want to take before leaving, needing to have enough time for it to start working efficiently before having to deal with all the shit of the night. This morning when I decided I was ready to head back to work, I took benzodiazepines to help me get some needed rest before having to deal with the asshats. Sleep isn’t what I’m going for right now though, what I need now is a high that will make me smile at all the fake ass men who make passes at me all night. Something that makes me forget all the grabby hands that squeeze my ass and the perverts that grind their bodies and dicks against my body. Thoughts of Alastair flood my system for a moment before I throw a cocktail of I-don't-know-what pills down my throat chased by a triple shot of vodka. I shake my head clear of the memories, stuffing the cocktail bottle of pills in my pocket and shuffling out of my apartment, locking the door behind me. Here we go.
Chapter Six
Riley
Reed’s corner booth was oddly full this evening. Cree, Axel, and two other guys I don’t recognize are joining him. All of them following my every movement this evening. Every time I catch one of their gazes, I make a show of rolling my eyes, making sure they grasp the message of my full irritation. Cree did not hold true to his threat of standing by my side every second of the evening. Guess he took my message to his dick seriously. “Such a good boy,” I quip under my breath as I head toward their table.
Cree gives me a suspicious smirk. Yeah, I went there with the dog comment. I paste the most innocent smile on my face as I near their table and ask, “Can I get you gentlemen anything to drink?”
Smirk still firmly in place, Cree requests, “Six glasses and a bottle of scotch.” I raise a brow at him. His brows furrow and his eyes glow a golden hue as he takes a deep dive inspection of my eyes. Well shit, yeah, I know what you see. I also don’t give a fuck. My body, my life, my choice. Growling, he demands, “Make that five glasses.”
The night seems to drag on forever. Tonight's crowd is a rowdy one. The testosterone level is off the charts. Between the fighting and the being groped by grabby, slimy hands, I am ready for this night to fucking end.
The guys never leave their table; their continued stares are doing things to me, things I don’t even want to analyze. Every nerve ending in my body is alive with the feel of their eyes on me. Tingles crawl up and down my spine when my back is to them and my core is burning. As shifters I know they are fully aware of the effect they are having on my body. Standing at the bar with my back to them I can feel when one of them approaches the bar, getting nearer. It’s like an invisible but physical force pressing in on me. My breathing comes in shallow pants as I try and fail to find my center. Fuck, I need to get out of here.
“Switch, I’m taking the trash out,” I grumble to Switch, our bouncer. Switch is an ex-military sniper. He’s been working here longer than I’ve been alive, I’m sure. He's a good guy, always makes sure females here are looked after. He also knows when I need my space and when not to fuck with me.
I head toward the back door as I hear him holler, “See ya in a few!” I know he’s checking the time, if I’m not back in three minutes, he’ll come looking for me. As the door clicks closed behind me, I’m shoved into the brick wall beside me. Jagged edges cutting into my arm and thigh as I catch myself from bouncing off.
“What the fuck?” I exclaim, balling my fists preparing to turn and strike.
Meaty hands turn me, so my front is shoved into the wall, the rough brick digging into my chest. A knee is forced between my legs and one hand wraps around my throat as I try to claw my way free while his other hand slides down my side meeting the waistband of my jeans. “You walk around teasing us all night dressed like this. I think it’s time to put out too.” The smell of alcohol on his breath is choking my senses, but I’m quite sure this is one of tonight’s grop
ers.
His hand around my throat tightens as I struggle for breath, my lungs burning. I throw my head back as I push against the wall with my hands, praying to whomever is listening I catch his nose. Failing, I only serve to piss him off. He releases my throat, fists my hair in both hands and slams my head into the wall.
“Bitch, behave,” he grumbles. Warm liquid trickles down the side of my face. Dizziness immediately assaults me and the next thing I know I’m on my back in the middle of the alley. Something sharp is digging into my back between my shoulder blades and the exposed skin of my lower back is being scored by bits of gravel and glass. He’s hovering over me working the buttons of my jeans free in an attempt to pull them down. As he lifts my hips, maneuvering the jeans over them, something sharp digs its way further, more deeply into my back forcing a grunt from me. I can feel the moment the skin breaks. I want to scream but my head is swimming, causing black spots to flicker at the edges of my vision. I can hear his breathing increase as he inhales at the apex of my thighs, pulling my thong aside.
He quickly slides my thong down and reaches into his pants. Pulling his cock free he fists it a few times as he slides a finger through my folds. Panic floods me and my breathing becomes ragged as flashes of Alastair on top of me play in my throbbing head. I try to push myself back across the alley, but he grabs my legs and pins me to the ground. Bits of glass and rock cutting into my bare thighs and ass as he pulls me closer. I try to scream but all sounds are clogged in my throat and nothing escapes. Tears are running down my cheeks as I beg my wolf to come forward and dismember this fuck who’s going to fucking rape us but she’s so terrified in this moment, curled up in a ball and hiding in the far corner of my soul. I can’t really blame her; all she sees is Alastair trying to force her to bond with him.
Oh, Gods not again, please not again, I beg the heavens as my head starts to clear. I throw a weak as fuck punch at the groper’s face, neck, shoulders, anywhere I can reach him, but he just laughs at me and pins my arms to the ground slamming my right elbow into a rock. Fuck, that fucking hurt. He presses his pelvis down onto mine and I want to vomit. I can feel his cock rubbing against my lower abdomen and I gag. He twists my arms out to the side and under my lower back, pressing my chest up. I finally manage a scream as my elbow is wrenched in the process. Gods, please don’t let this happen. The tears are flowing faster, he fists both of my wrists in his right hand then pulls my shirt to the side tearing it open with his left hand and follows that by pulling at the cup of my bra, freeing my breasts. He bites down on my left nipple hard enough to break skin, leaving behind teeth marks. I scream again and he lands a punch to my right cheek bone and eye in an attempt to shut me up. I cry out in pain and scream louder. He grabs a fist full of my torn shirt and shoves it into my mouth cutting my bottom lip on my teeth.
“You taste like honey, darlin,” he slurs. “Fuck, I can’t wait anymore to pound your sweet little pussy. Now I don’t want to hurt you anymore, but I will if you keep screaming. Play nice and I’ll be nice.” I squeeze my eyes shut as he lifts his hips to line himself up, knowing what’s about to come, but nothing comes ... he’s gone. His weight is gone, his hands are gone, his smell is gone. Slowly I open my eyes and see the light of the alley, the dumpster to my right, trash to my left, but no groper. He’s gone.
My breathing hitches as I try to force air past the lump in my throat. I’m freezing, yet I’m coated in a sheen of sweat as my body begins to tremble with fear and the adrenaline dump that leaves my system useless. My mind goes blank and I start to pull at my shirt, trying to close it over my exposed breasts but it's torn all to hell. My pants are still around my ankles; I try to pull them higher up my raw bare legs but I’m still sitting in the alley. Trying and failing to stand on trembling legs, I burst into sobs as the trembling turns into full body convulsing. Flashes of Alastair continue to assault my mind.
I hear footsteps approaching from further down the alley and my trepidation transforms into a full-blown panic attack. I manage to push myself across the alley cutting my legs and ass more, glass digs into my palms, blood trickling from the multitude of lacerations that now litter my limbs and back. Once my back hits the brick wall between the dumpster and a pillar, I stop trying to drive my body further away from the encroaching dark figure. I pull my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around them, hiding as much of my body from view as possible. I bury my face in my knees and sob.
The footsteps stop in front me. They belong to a pair of black motorcycle boots, but they aren’t Cree sized. They are maybe a size or two smaller. Staring at the boots I see a pair of knees as the legs attached fold in half. The legs are wearing a pair of Wranglers faded denim jeans. My eyes travel up a little more to see a plain white t-shirt spotted with red blotches that I am sure were not there earlier. I can see faint outlines of tattoos under the shirt that peek out from the arms into full on sleeve tattoos running down each arm and up the neck. Which leads my eyes to his full lips and a 5 o’clock shadow, to his nose that looks recently punched as it has a nasal strip bandage across it and is slightly swollen. His brown eyes flecked with gold meet mine and a flash of understanding runs through them. He knows pain and loss like I do. I can feel a pull of trust and I lose it all over again. I fall to the side toward the dumpster and in a move too quick to see, he catches me in his arms, pulling me gently on his lap and just holds me while I break.
I break from the loss of my parents, Jimmy, and my sister. From the betrayal of Alastair and Matt and now this newest attack. All the pain and hurt which has been building up over the years that I’ve hidden behind a wall of carefully constructed hardened steel came tumbling free in this moment. A moment cradled in the arms of a perfect stranger.
Chapter Seven
Enzo
As I hold a trembling, sobbing Riley in my arms the rest of the guys exit the building. I nod my head at Cree, tilting it toward the dead asshole at the other end of the alley. Axel runs back inside the bar and appears a minute later with a blanket in tow. He goes to drape it around Riley’s slender shoulders but the instant it touches her she jolts back to awareness and tries to fight the hold. I try to soothe her with gentle strokes on the back of her head and quiet murmurs in her ear. “Shh, it’s alright, it’s only Axel with a blanket to cover you. You’re safe now, Riley, I promise no one is going to hurt you.” My hand comes away covered in sticky, crimson liquid. Her blood. Which only serves to fuel the rage inside me more. Breathing deep, I rein in my anger so I don’t scare her more.
She clutches my shirt in her tiny fists, still shaking and sobbing. Her breathing is so shallow I worry she’s not getting enough oxygen. I continue the quiet soothing murmurs while stroking from her head down her spine. I can feel the tiny bits of gravel and glass embedded in her back. My teeth are grinding together with the rage from my wolf. He wants to bring that fucking asshole back to life just to tear him apart again.
I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting in this alley next to the dumpster just holding Riley while she sobs into my chest. Every movement no matter how minute serves to cause her panic to rise. So, I stay just holding her and offering every comfort I can, waiting for her to either pass out or come back to us. Her sobbing slows into a broken cry and her breathing starts to even out. Soon enough she falls into a restless sleep stage, iron fisting my shirt and curled into a tight little ball.
Sliding an arm under her boney knees I gently lift her higher up my chest, mindful of the million scrapes and cuts littering her body, and stand. Axel adjusts the blanket around her body ensuring she is completely covered and offering a sense of modesty. We walk out of the alley toward the back-parking lot to Axel’s 2019 Lamborghini Urus, ever the practical one. I sit in the passenger's seat with Riley still in my lap clinging to me as though her life depends on it. I look down at her face, she is so angelic, like a pixie in my arms. What the hell am I doing? I am not the safety line type, the white knight, or even the one to give a damn about another human being. I’m the tatto
oed bad boy your mama warned you to stay away from.
When I headed up to the bar for a drink I knew Riley felt me approaching and when she left to take the trash out back I shifted seats to get a better view of the door. I glanced away from the door for a second and saw Switch checking his watch then looking back at the door Riley left through. Knowing about his three-minute rule and that at this point it had been five, he was clearly getting worried. He was preparing to head out after her when I volunteered to go instead, compelled by my wolf to go to her. What I found; I wasn’t at all prepared for. I didn’t have time to think, time to rein in my wolf before he lost control, flashes of the past playing in our mind. Besides, shit I wasn’t going to let him rape her, but fucking hell, I didn’t have to kill him ... for her. We kill. Protect mine. Protect mate. My wolf chimes in, interrupting my internal flashback, extremely content with his actions. Me, I’m fucking pissed as hell.
Gods, my head is so fucked up right now. I don’t know this girl, but I can’t lie, having her in my arms feels right. It feels like my arms were made just to hold and protect this girl. But my hands are that of a killer, a fighter, not a lover. How could she ever want someone like me? I sat with Cree, Reed, Axel, and Wilder all evening as the first three kept their eyes glued to this girl the whole time. I listened as they recounted the previous week, how Riley overdosed on some kind of pills and then drank herself to the point of blacking out. How they all feel the mate bond to her, but there is something in her past that has caused her to deny her wolf. She doesn’t feel the pull of the mate bond like the guys, but she does feel the attraction, that was clear as day this evening. The flush in her cheeks every time she caught them looking at her, the sway in her hips as she walked around from table to table, and heat in her eyes as she stood above Cree looking down at him. Sure, there was irritation, and rightfully so, but there was lust there as well. The girl is going to be trouble and that is one thing I do not need right now. I have got enough trouble in my life. So, it’s settled, I will fight this pull I feel, I will deny the mate bond I know is trying to develop and walk away. Besides, she doesn’t need my brand of trouble either.
Beautifully Shattered: Shadowcrest Pack Series Book One Page 4
