Page 83 of Saving Her

“I told them you liked it, bitch,” Otis sneers. “You fucking loved it. We all knew.”

My eyes burn. My throat, too.

He told them. He repeated the lies from earlier.

“You should get out of here.” Luca indicates the door with a wave of his hand. “Go on.”

“It’s not true.” I shake my head, my hands trembling, my heart tapping out an erratic beat. “You can’t believe him.”

“Of course we don’t fucking believe him.” Luca steps into me, backing me toward the door. “We know it’s not true.”

The cringe on Sebastian’s face says otherwise. His expression is the definition of judgment.

“I’m not leaving.” I stand my ground, not retreating despite his approach. “Let me watch.”

“No.” Sebastian’s denial is adamant. “Go back to Tobias. He shouldn’t be left alone.”

“He’s asleep. And I have a right to be here.” I speak to Luca. “Please.”

He remains close. So close his warmth soothes the icy chill inside me.

“Please,” I beg.

Tortured heartbeats pass until Otis begins to chuckle.

“See? She’s a needy little bitch, isn’t she?”

Luca turns, his fist connecting with the guard’s stomach. Otis hunches, his laughter continuing as he gasps and coughs.

“She stays,” Luca commands to no one in particular. “She has a right to watch him suffer.”

My stomach twists at his support. Flips and tangles alongside the tumultuous mix of my emotions.

“Fine.” Cole crosses his feet at the ankles. “But keep out of the way.”

“But she likes to be in the thick of it,” Otis slurs. “Don’t you, pretty Penny? You’re all about the thickness.”

My fingers twitch, demanding action. I struggle not to let him affect me as I walk to the bench seat and sit rigid a foot away from Cole.

“Get out of here, china doll.” Sebastian walks to the door, blocking Keira from moving inside. “You don’t want to see this.”

The woman hesitates, glancing at me before nodding. “I’ll be in the kitchen. I’ll let you know if Tobias wakes up.”

The enclosed space remains quiet as she leaves, the dim lighting making the atmosphere all the more sinister.

I cling to the seat beneath me, my palms sweating.

“You’ve got an audience now,” Luca snarls. “Be careful to watch your manners in front of the lady.”

“She’s no lady. That right there is a filthy whore.”

Luca cocks his fist and lands another punishing blow, this time to the guy’s face, thethunkof impact loud in the small room. “You’re not all that bright, are you? I suggest you make this easier on yourself and start talking.”

Otis spits a glob of blood in my direction, the remnants lingering on his lower lip. “I can tell you all you like about Luther’s pretty Penny. That bitch took everything he gave her and never lost a bounce in her step. She even—”

Luca lands another blow, and another, and another, as if attempting to beat away my shame with vicious force.

“Shut him down.” Sebastian clenches his fists. “Make him fucking stop or I will.”

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