Page 58 of Steel Rain

“Back at ya!” he winked, knowing I wasanythingbut shiny in the morning. “Have a good night!”

He walked out the door, closing it behind him.

I leaned back in my bed, my arms up, and clasped behind my head. I looked up at the ceiling, the desk light casting long shadows along the wall. Every single one reminded me of Ajax. There was no rhyme or reason for it. But the long shadows made me think of running past the darkened trees in an ancient forest with the moonlight overhead. An exhilarating run. He’d be hard on my heels, weaving through the forest in a primitive game that could only end with one thing – the collision of lustful bodies.

I touched the mark on my neck. Would the bruise stay a bit longer, if I kept pressing on it? And why would I want that? Did I like his mark on me? Why was it comforting me now?

And why did I need that comfort?

The hairs on my arms rose, and I hopped out of bed.

An unsettled feeling roamed up and down my spine. It was a strange feeling. Like I was walking into an ambush, or the world was conspiring against me. And, well, as a woman in the Irish mafia, that was probably true.

Theworldconspires against women in general. But something else was happening. Something more immediate, and sinister. Something as concrete as the wooden headboard. Something my body was begging me to notice before it was too late.

But the moment you acknowledge that feeling, of course, it already IS too late.

First, was a firm knock on the door. Then an insistent pounding.

The door kicked in with a loud clatter, the door frame splintering, sending up chunks of sharp wood flying through the air.

Instinct kicked in. The sense of preservation, to freeze, to fight, then brace for the impact as three men, the first one being Keith, barged into my room.

“It’s time for payback, Princess!”

Keith was always handsome. Some sick part of me acknowledged that even in his disheveled, crazed state, he was the same handsome man I had fallen in love with when I was a stupid teenager. That light hair, green eyes, boyish good looks and square jawline could turn the head of any woman with a pulse.

It was in his soul that the true ugliness lay. The man had a festering sore where a heart should have been. Disgusting, and full of worms.

I dodged his minion – O’Rourke – as he tried to take a punch at me.

He jabbed me in the stomach, and I blocked it with my forearm. Next, Grimes cold-cocked me in the mouth. I felt my lip split right away, knocking hard into my incisor. I tasted copper on my tongue as the warm blood from my teeth coated my mouth.

I spat it to the ground, bringing my fists up again, ready for another bout.

I was going to lose.

Losses happen. In the octagon, they’re just a fact. But in real life, there were higher stakes.

What was at stake? My pride? My physical body? My ability to look myself in the mirror after … after Keith got what he wanted a second time? My life?

I wasn’t sure.

There are several moments in a woman’s existence that will alter the course of her life. Moments of helplessness as people push her in one direction or another, down a path that was unintended and often for the worst.

Keith had already done that, and I would rather die before he did it a second time.

Fuck the other guys. Keith was mine to break.

I lunged forward, my elbow connecting with that pretty, precious nose of his. He yelped as blood sprayed from his nostrils.

I kicked him in the shin, then stomped hard on his foot. I wanted to hit his instep and break his ankle, but no such luck. He grabbed me by the arm, landing a hit to my temple, while one of his buddies hit me on the back of the neck.

I was losing. I was going to lose badly. The only thing under my control washowbadly.

No holds barred … I launched a fist at his groin, then kneed his inner thigh. I turned to his buddy and in a sudden fury, I bent fast at the waist, bringing my forehead down to his face. He stumbled back, his hand flying to his face to survey the damage. His nose was bent. It was an improvement.

O’Rourke got me in the ribs, and I swear I heard an audible crack. I was going to be pissed if it was broken.

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