Page 73 of Fight for You
His hand caught me by the throat, and he took a step backward toward the wooded area that led to the road. I bit my fingernails into his beefy forearms. Vision fuzzy at the edges, I gasped, begging for air. As he took another step backward, a slithery tongue ran thick saliva over my mouth. At the edge of the tree line, I threw my knee up, missing his privates by a long shot.
A vicious chuckle escaped his mouth, and then he slapped me.
Slam. The strike was enough to rock the world around me, and I landed on my knees. Would’ve been out cold, if not for the thin sheet of snow stabbing its way through my thick cotton pajama pants.
The toes of my Nikes and my knees scuffed into the icy-slush dirt while he pulled me. A vice grip tightened around my throat.
Tall trees cast us into darkness. From my peripheral, I glimpsed the side of the house. No lights. No one awoke.
Toward the entrance of the trees, a vehicle parked along the road. Headlights on. Trash littered near the front of the vehicle as if Rocket’s opportunistic behind had waited all this time.
Rocket forcefully pushed the back of my head to the ground, his hands exploring wherever he pleased. “Can’t wait.”
He climbed on top of me as I threw my hands up, legs trapped between his. Bright light flashed in my face. Was I already dead?No. The sound of Rocket undoing his belt reached my ears. I felt the slimy, cheap cigarette-tinged trail of his tongue on my cheek. Well, this would be a first. Raped in the snow—even if it was an inch or two deep.
Rocket’s head snapped to the side. A fine red mist swooshed into the air.Blood.
His solid weight fell directly on top of me, and a scream ripped from my throat.
Chest heaving, I turned my head to see Jamie throw the rifle to someone who caught it with both hands, and he trudged over. Jamie shoved Rocket’s shoulder until he flopped into the snowy dirt, then lifted me into his arms, peppering me with kisses. Each kiss zinged from my hair to the top of my curled-under toes. “I’m sorry, JorJor. I’m so sorry.”
28
BIG BEAR
Jamie
Chocolate ice cream and a chocolate-brown,curly-haired teddy bear saved me a couple of hours ago. Man, I loved chocolate. While I prepared for the hit, Enzo had stood in the line of a popular ice cream parlor on Pico. Said the place had a million TikTok views. The viral ice cream—which should’ve melted by the time I got into the car—became an alibi when the cops pulled us over. Enzo had bought the cooler with dry ice for that very reason. To keep our ice cream cold, as if we had just purchased it. The lady even asked how much we liked it. Should’ve gotten her badge number and reported her for wasting my time. I had to get to my girl.
A few miles away from the cabin, a sick feeling twisted my gut. “Enzo, floor it,” I ordered.
“I’m good. The ground is icy.”
“Drive. Faster.”
“Okay.” His eyes rolled away, and he took the thirty-mile-per-hour winding roads like a pro. “You’re Mr. Protocol. All of asudden, you wanna get there dead. You got the champagne. I’m sure she’ll wake up and celebrate?—”
“She’s in danger.”
“Your parents?—”
“Focus on the road.” Less than sixty seconds out—with the way the trees flashed in my periphery—I undid my botched Velcro work on Carly’s teddy bear, not caring that I’d pulled enough stuffing out of it that it was now unrecognizable.
Forty-five seconds out, I started to screw my rifle together. “That next turn on your right.”
Enzo twisted the wheel until the tires argued.
Fifteen seconds away, I had the fossil of my .408 CheyTac. No handle or cheek rest. I stared through the Nightforce scope.
“Jamie.” A gravelly tone entered Enzo’s voice.
Still working a round into the chamber, my eyes snapped to a scene that made my blood run cold.
He stopped the F250 just as a man forced himself on top of a girl.
Mygirl.
Don’t get angry.I opened the door.
