Page 25 of For the Boys
The cab pulled away from the curb, and without warning, Parker grabbed her face, forcing her to meet his eyes, before he leaned in and crashed his mouth to hers. Berkley struggled to break free, but he was much stronger than she was, and he had a firm grip on her jaw.
“Get off of me!” she yelled when he moved his mouth to her neck, and she shoved at his chest. “What the hell are you doing?”
“C’mon, baby, I thought you wanted it.” His hands were everywhere, like slimy tentacles moving across her body, and she squirmed underneath him.
“No, I don’t!” He gripped arms and pinned them above her head. The cold of the window bit into her hands and wrists as he tried to force her to lay back across the seat. Panic rising, she squirmed, trying to kick out at him.
“Nobody says no to me, you whore,” Parker growled. His hand dove for her zipper.
Suddenly, the car screeched to a halt. Parker flew forward off of Berkley. The cab driver, finally realizing what was going on, turned around in his seat, brandishing a baseball bat. Berkley scrambled back against the door.
“Out of my cab,” the driver told Parker, pointing the bat at Parker’s face. Parker raised his hands in the air. “Now! Before I call the police.”
“Bitch,” Parker spat at Berkley as he backed out of the car, slamming the door so hard the whole vehicle rocked back and forth.
Berkley and the cab driver sat in silence for several long moments.
“Miss,” he said gently, “are you okay?”
Berkeley turned her wide-eyed gaze to the man. “I think so.”
“Do you want me to take you home now?”
“No,” Berkley said. “Let me make a phone call first.”
With shaking hands, she dug her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Lexie’s number.
“Berk,” Lexie said by way of answering. “I’m kinda in the middle of something here.”
Berkley could hear Mitch laughing in the background. “I…something happened.”
“What? Are you okay?”
“I don’t know,” Berkley said, tears stinging her eyes. She took a deep breath. “Lex, I know you’re with Mitch, but I can’t be alone right now.”
“He’ll be gone when you get here,” Lexie said. “Whatever it is, Berk, it’s gonna be okay.”
“I know,” Berkley said automatically, though she didn’t quite believe it. “I’ll see you soon.”
After hanging up, she gave the cab driver the new address, and he stared at her as if gauging her mental state.
“I’m fine,” she told him, her voice faltering. “I’m fine.”
Minutes later, they pulled up to Lexie’s building, and Berkley found her and Mitch waiting on the sidewalk.
“You can go,” Lexie told Mitch.
Mitch ignored her. “Berkley,” he said, walking up to help her out of the cab. She was shaking so badly she was honestly grateful for the hand. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about this here. Can we just go upstairs?”
“Of course,” Lexie said. “Mitch, you can leave.”
“No!” Berkley said, more vehemently than she intended. “I want him here. I…” She broke off as the tears she had been fighting since the cab driver kicked Parker out on the side of the road finally flowed free.
“Oh, honey,” Mitch said, wrapping his arm around Berkley.
Lexie joined him, and wordlessly they walked inside and into the elevator, the silence broken only by Berkley’s sniffling as they rode up to Lexie’s apartment.
