Page 58 of His Reward
“Tie his wrists behind his back.”
June trembles, her fingers curled tight around the thin strip of plastic, her eyes shiny with tears.
“Tyler—”
“Do it!”He points the gun menacingly at her.She whimpers and recoils from it.
“Do as he says, sweetheart,” I say calmly.
I don’t like the way that bastard’s shaky, inexperienced finger keeps getting closer to the trigger.Chances are high he’ll shoot her by accident or in a panic if he thinks he’s losing control of the situation.
June woodenly moves behind me and sinks to her knees.I grab her hand and gently squeeze it in silent reassurance before she coils the hard plastic around my wrists.I don’t take my gaze off Tyler.
His face is shiny with sweat, his heavy breathing whistling through his nostrils.His arms shake as he struggles to keep the gun trained on me because he keeps shifting his weight on his feet.
The zip-tie’s teeth clicks loudly in the silence as June secures it around my wrists.She stands, and I’m proud of her smart thinking to leave some room for me to work my hands free.
However, Tyler peers behind me to check, and he orders her to pull it tighter.She reluctantly obeys, only stopping when Tyler is satisfied at the hard plastic digging into my skin.He grins.
“Alright.Let the show begin.”
My heart drums, my breathing deep with fury.I’m going to kill himplays on repeat in my head, each iteration louder than the next.It’s a fact, like saying the sun is hot or that oxygen is necessary for survival.As soon as that fucker puts down the gun, I’m going to fucking kill him.
“If you walk away now, you’ll have plenty of time to escape before the cops show up,” I say.“But if you lay a finger on June, I’m going to make you suffer.”
A fearful look passes over his face before he hides it behind another stupid grin.I can’t wait to punch his face.
“Big words from a tough guy who’s all tied up,” he taunts.“You can’t do shit to me.”
He grabs June with his free hand and pulls her to his front.When he tries to press a kiss to June’s cheek, she cries out and twists her face away.
Then everything happens fast, a series of events that would look dramatic if time were slowed down.At last, Tyler puts down the gun on the dresser so he could embrace June fully from behind.
“No!”she shouts, struggling to escape his hold.
Tyler lifts her as I rock forward onto my feet and stand, the chair sliding free from my back and thumping onto the carpet.To my surprise, June uses one of the moves I taught her on Sunday, slamming her feet backwards at Tyler’s crotch.
He lets out a pained swear and drops her immediately, hunching over as he makes a retching sound.Just about every guy has gotten a hit to the nuts, and it’s a special kind of agony.I don’t give him time to recover.I charge and body-slam him against the wall.
He cries out, flailing a hand at the gun on the dresser as he goes down.I bend forward and whack my wrists just below my tailbone, breaking the zip-ties.Then I’m on top of him, my fury unleashed in punches to his face and sides.
Every strike sends a dull pain up my knuckles, but vindictive satisfaction through my veins.This bastard harassed June through texts, made her feel unsafe in her own home, plotted to violate her while I was forced to watch, and even made plans to kidnap her so he could continue violating her.
He would’ve succeeded in hurting June if she hadn’t invited me in to her apartment that Sunday, or if I’d rejected her invitation like I almost did.
Make him pay.
Make him suffer.
Make sure he never hurts her again.
“Stop!Please!Stop!”he cries out, bucking and kicking under me.He tries to shield his face with his hands.I shove them aside and grab his throat, tightening my grip.
“Would you have stopped if she begged you?”
His eyes are wide with terror because we both know the answer.He wouldn’t have stopped.I won’t either.He grabs my wrists, choking and spluttering for the oxygen that I’m denying him.
As the fight and tension gradually leaves Tyler’s body, I notice June out of the corner of my eye.I turn my head to look at her fully.She’s standing beside the overturned chair, a small can of pepper spray clutched in her hand, that stricken look on her face again.
