“Why are you doing this?” I question, looking around the room for some kind of out. “I haven’t done anything to you, yet you won’t leave me the hell alone.”
“You think you’re innocent in all this?” he yells. “My whole life has been fucked up because of you and your golden fucking pussy. If only you just gave it up to start with, none of this shit would have happened.”
“You tried to rape me in a broom closet,” I yell back at him as the blood pulsing through my body begins to feel like lead. My arms grow heavy and then my legs. “You had everything going for you at the start of senior year. You fucked it all up yourself.”
Josh’s hand flashes out with a speed I didn’t know was humanly possible before it slaps hard and fast across my face, instantly stinging the skin beneath it. “It was you and that fucking boyfriend of yours,” he yells back at me, going red in the face. “If it wasn’t for him, I would still be playing football. I lost my fucking scholarship. I lost my school. My friends. I lost my parent’s respect.”
“That had nothing to do with us. It was all you,” I tell him. "Whether or not me and Nate were together, I still would have turned you down and I still would have told the world what you did to me. You would have lost it all with or without Nate. You only have yourself and your fucked-up actions to blame. And now you’ve gone and done this,” I add. “You think me or Nate are going to let you get away with it? You think you have nothing now? Just wait until we’re done with you.”
Josh smirks down at me as though I’m some misbehaved child having a tantrum. “It’s funny. You were just collateral. I even kind of liked you at the start. A bit whiney but I bet you would have gone off in the sack. I would have probably left you alone after that, but your fucking boyfriend had to step in. Nate Fucking Ryder. He gets whatever the fuck he wants. Doesn’t even have to try. The school. The car. Popularity. The girls. Every fucking bastard out there is either scared shitless of him or wants to be his best fucking friend. That was supposed to be me. I was the fucking quarterback. Not him. Well, guess what? It’s all fucking over. I’m going to destroy him.”
I scoff as my mind starts to grow foggy. All I want is to close my eyes and make it stop, but passing out with Josh Henderson before me is not an option. I have to keep him talking. “Nate doesn’t get destroyed,” I inform him. “He destroys people. You should know, you’re a prime example.”
“A year ago, I would have agreed with you, but Nate has a weakness now, and I have you to thank for that.”
I suck in a shallow breath and try to focus on what he says as it starts to dawn on me. This past year. All the times he’s shown up at Broken Hill parties. It wasn’t to get at me. It was to use me against Nate.
All this time, it’s been Nate he was after. Not me. How could we not see this?
“What are you going to do?” I demand.
“Well, it’s one simple fix. Two birds, one stone, really,” he beams, proud of whatever plan he’s concocted. “In order to destroy Nate, I’m going to destroy you.”
“You’re going to rape me?” I scoff, absolutely terrified, but I won’t dare show him.
“Ha,” he laughs. “I’m not remotely interested in getting between your legs. You’re trash now. Used up and worn out,” he spits in disgust. “You used to be innocent. A virgin. I would have popped that fucking cherry. I was going to pop it, but that’s another thing Nate took away from me.”
“I never would have given it to you.”
“Yes,” he laughs. “You would have.”
“You’re fucking delusional.”
“And you’re a fucking whore,” he yells, losing his calm demeanor once again. “Do you have any idea what that fucking bastard did to me? He took everything away. I paid for what I did to you over and over again. And now, just when I think I’ve gotten rid of the fucker, he shows back up.”
“He didn’t do anything to you that you didn’t deserve.”
“Bullshit,” he yells. “Over the past year, I’ve been beaten by him and his friends seven fucking times. The last one, I lost the ability to play ball. Do you have any idea what that’s like?” My mind starts to swirl through the fog. Seven times? No, that’s not right.
I don’t have time to think about it further as Josh continues. “Do you know after my transfer, he told the school about my sealed record? Had me thrown off that football team too? I lost my scholarship because of him. Then just when I thought I was going to get past it and got myself into college out of state where no one knew who the fuck I was, he fucked that up for me tool.”
This is news to me, but I’m not about to tell him that. “You think you deserved a fresh start?” I scoff as my whole body grows lethargic. My head starts to spin as whatever drug he gave me takes effect. I don’t know how much longer I can hold this drug off. Hell, half the stuff he’s saying isn’t even making sense anymore.
“I’m stuck here in Broken Fucking Hill with a bunch of assholes who think they know what the fuck went down. I can’t get away from this shit, so now, if he’s forcing me to stay here, then things are going to change. The shoe is on the other foot and every damn thing he’s done to me is going to get thrown back in his face.”
My eyes begin to close and Josh steps forward. “I guess it’s show time.”
He reaches for me and I try to fight off his hands, but I don’t have much control. My body aches and everywhere he touches just makes it worse. “Stop,” I tell him.
He stands me up and I have to lean my body weight against him as my knees threaten to fall out from under me. Josh studies my body for a second before reaching for my clothes. He tears my shirt across my stomach, leaving it exposed before popping the buttons around my chest, making sure to tear the button straight off the fabric. “Much better,” he declares.
“Whaaa?” I demand as I start to lose control of my speech.
“I told you,” he grins. "We’re going to party with my friends. Can’t you hear it? Everybody is waiting to meet you.”
My stomach sinks as he grabs me and tosses me over his shoulder as though my dead weight is nothing for him to manage. He rests his hand on my ass and makes a point of squeezing it. “No,” I yell out, unable to get much more than that.
Josh turns and walks to the door before heading down the hallway to a set of stairs. The house is dark and I find that I can’t focus on anything. Doorways seem to duplicate and my head continues to spin.
I want Nate. I want to go home.
Where is he?
Josh walks down the stairs and the flashing lights make me want to throw up. I squeeze my eyes closed, wishing this was just a bad dream.
My eyes pop back open when Josh comes to a stop outside a room. He grabs me and pulls me back over his shoulder, letting me fall to my feet.
I instantly crumble down to the ground, unable to hold my weight. Josh’s booming laugh is heard over the sound of the music. “Pathetic,” he tells me, and for once, I agree. I feel completely pathetic. I should be able to defend myself, yet here I am, putty in his hands to do whatever he pleases. I can’t even call for help.
Josh reaches down and hauls me to my feet. All I want to do is cry, yet I can’t even do that.
I have absolutely no control over my body, all I can do is watch as he opens the door and ushers me inside a room full of boys. Maybe fifteen of them at least.
The room is filled with smoke and I don’t have what it takes to work out what the smoke is from. Cigarettes maybe? Though, something tells me it’s much harder than that.
There are beer bottles everywhere and the second I’m pushed through the door, their eyes fall on me like vultures.
Josh grins like he’s bringing them a well deserved gift. “She’s all ready to go, boys,” he tells the room, making them all lick their lips and rub their hands together in anticipation. “Show my friend here a good time.”
He pushes me forward and I fall into the arms of someone I’ve never met. He holds me up and I watch as Josh turns to leave. He
stops in the doorway and looks back at me before indicating up. My eyes follow the movement and take in a camera. “Just like old times, hey?”
Just like that, the door closes behind him and I’m left in the clutches of fifteen boys I’ve never met before, all reaching out to touch me.
My mind is screaming to get away but my body isn’t responding.
My head spins. I need to sit down. I see a seat and I go to it, but all that makes me do is fall. Someone catches me. More hands on my body.
I feel lips against my neck.
A chuckle behind me.
I need water. I need to close my eyes. I need to lay down.
I need Nate.
Chapter 22
Nate
I pull up at the frat house just as Jesse’s Range Rover pulls in behind me. Just looking at the place it’s clear they don’t take care of it. There are empty bottles scattered all over the yard, the grass is dead in patches, probably from where guys piss all over it. There’s graffiti up the side of the house and not to mention, there’s a foul fucking smell coming from somewhere.
I fly out of my car and Jesse comes up beside me, just as I knew he would. Behind us, Maxen, Puck, and Tyson flank us, and for the first time, Jackson is right there too. The guys from the football team show up and storm up the path in our wake.
No one asks me about them, just accept it for what it is. We usually don’t allow people in on this shit. We handle business ourselves, but today is different. Today we could be facing down thirty guys. I know we’re fucking good, but we’re still human.
My girl is somewhere inside that house, I can feel it. She’d be terrified for what could happen. She could be locked in a room while some bastard touches her. She could be hurt. She could be crying. She could be screaming out for help, wondering why the hell no one is coming for her.
All I know is that not a damn thing is coming in between me and her. I’m getting her out of there if it’s the last thing I do. Then as soon as I know she’s safe. Josh Fucking Henderson is going down.
We fly up to the door and I can hardly think anymore. I’m not someone you want to mess with right now because I can guarantee, anyone who stands in my way is going down.
I bring my foot up and slam it into the door, splintering the wood before the door flies off its hinges. Without giving them another second of warning, we barge our way through the door.
Bodies are littering the house and it doesn’t take them long to notice the threat. They jump into action, most of them too drunk or high to put up a good fight. People come at us straight away, but I dodge and weave, letting the boys handle it.
I have one goal in mind and as soon as that goal is completed, I’ll be more than happy to put these fuckers in their place, but for now, sweet revenge will have to wait.
The boys stay right up behind me as I make my way deeper into the house. I realize it’s the football team who have taken on the majority of the douchebags in the house and realize it’s probably for the best. I don’t know what’s hiding behind each door but I do know that I want them at my back just in case.
As we pass a staircase, Tyson and Puck dart up it, covering the top level and doing a quick sweep, assuming that the bedrooms would most likely be empty during this time of the day.
I continue making my way around the bottom level. Maxen kicks in a bathroom door as Jesse calls out Tora’s name. Though the music is loud and I doubt she’d be able to hear a thing.
The bathroom is empty and is an absolute mess, so we move on. We pass an open living space which has two couples fucking. One on the couch and one spread wide over a pool table, not one bit of shame when they watch us pass.
Some of the football players catch up to us as we make our way to the end, coming to the very last door on the ground floor of the house.
As I bring my foot up, I distantly notice Tyson and Puck racing back down the stairs, neither of them with my girl in their arms.
I don’t hesitate for a second. My shoe slams into the locked door and the wood caves like a fucking bitch. The door comes straight off the hinges, splintering into tiny pieces from the force.
The first thing I notice is the bodies crammed into the room, each of them covered by a thick layer of smoke which rushes out the door and into the hallway. The music in here is just as loud and I wouldn’t be surprised if no one hears the door breaking down
The room is crowded with boys, each of them with their attention on something in the center of the room, but what really gets me is the way that half the guys here have their dicks in their hands.
My stomach drops as my eyes scan across the room. Something tells me this is it. She’s in here somewhere. One girl in a room full of guys.
I barge my way in with my boys at my back. They instantly start grabbing guys and laying into them. Fists fly and it doesn’t take long for these fuckers to go down. It’s a fucking riot. The crowd begins to thin and my world is crushed when I finally lay my eyes on her.
Tora stands in the middle of the room in ripped underwear, in fact, standing is not the word to use. She’s being held up by two guys, each of them grinding into her from the sides. Her clothes lay around the room, all in ripped pieces of material.
Her eyes are closed and her head is lolled to the side. A tear stains her cheek and I yell out to her. “Tora.”
She doesn’t respond, but her eyelids flutter, giving me the tiniest bit of hope.
Hands are all over her. On her stomach. Cupping between her legs. Her breasts. Her neck. Hickey’s mark her skin. It’s clear that she’s been drugged and I pray to god that whatever has been forced into her system will make her forget the details of what’s gone on here.
The guys watch her with a strange familiarity as though this isn’t something new. This is something that happens all the time. There’s none of that rushed excitement that comes from the first time. This is routine. They’ve done this to girls before. The questions is; how many?
Fury pulses through me and in the blink of an eye, I launch forward. I push bodies out of my way, desperate to get to her. I clock someone in the jaw and hear the familiar sound of a bone breaking, and fuck, it feels good.
The guys are so taken by Tora, that half of them don’t even notice us coming, not until I get to the center and sucker punch the guy on her right. He doubles over and falls to the floor.
Tora falls into the other guy who scrambles to hold her up while I bring my foot back and slam it into the ribs of the guy on the floor.
Next up. The guy on her left.
I grab his shoulders as Tora lolls to the side in his arm. I slam my forehead right into his face, instantly breaking his nose as a rush of blood comes spurting out of it. He releases her and goes down.
Tora crumbles towards the ground.
I reach out and catch her, instantly scooping her into my arms as the sound of sirens begins wailing throughout the house. Relief pours through me, knowing she’s safe in my arms and no more harm can come her way, but her eyes haven’t opened, she’s breathing erratic, tears are still staining her cheeks, and I haven’t gotten her out of here. Not to mention, Josh still hasn’t paid for this.
It’s not over yet. Not even close.
I turn to make my way out of the back room and have to weave my way through flying fists, fallen bodies, and splattering blood.
As I make my way towards the door, I notice a fucking camera, sitting atop the door frame and that awful day in high school is once again at the forefront of my mind.
That sick fucking bastard. He’s been sitting back watching her get abused. Humiliated. He would have sat back and watched her get raped. Over and over again.
I bet the fucker isn’t even here. He’s probably watching from some dark room, getting himself off. I look straight into the camera, promising him that I’m coming for him before I reach up and grab the stupid thing, tearing it off the wall and away from the cords connected to it.
I swear if this is live streamed… fuck. I don’t even know
what I’ll do.
I get out of the room just as the cops start forcing their way into the house. I slip out a side door, knowing they’ll probably detain me at the door, not letting me out until they know what’s going on, but that’s not what Tora needs. She needs to be out in the fresh air. She needs to get help.
“Nate,” she cries.
I look down at her as I hurry around the side of the house. Her eyes are still closed and my heart breaks as I realize she’s calling out for me, needing me, wondering where I am. Does she know I got her out? Does she recognize the feel of my arms around her body?
“I’m here, baby. You’re safe,” I tell her. “I’m going to get you help.”
More tears stream down her face and I wonder if she’s in any pain. She doesn’t look physically hurt.
I break out into the front yard to see the place swarmed by cop cars. They notice me immediately and three big guys come hurtling towards me, probably wanting to restrain me, assuming I’m sneaking off with some poor defenseless girl to have my wicked way with her.
“Help,” I call out. They slow their pace instantly, reconsidering the scene before them. “She needs help. An ambulance. They gave her something.”
I get out into the center of the yard and the cops surround me, instructing me to lay her down. I do just that and instantly pull my shirt over my head, covering her body from their eyes. I drop down beside her, hating how she isn’t moving. “Come on, Tora, Open your eyes.”
A big fat guy comes up to me, looking like the guy in charge. “Son, what did she take?”
I glare up at him. “She didn’t take anything. She was plucked off the street an hour ago and brought here,” I growl, looking back down at her and scanning her body for any injuries. I take in the thin trail of blood that goes from the vein in her elbow and pools in a dried mess at her wrist. “Fuck. She was injected.”
Broken Hill Havoc: The Broken Hill High Series (Book 5) Page 19