by Amiee Louise
***
I look down at my smart watch and kiss the end of her nose.
“Look, I should go, Luke and Jack should be here by now. But I’ll catch up with you in a little while and we can go back to my place and you can let me worship you a little more.”
The smile she gives me in return almost puts me on my arse.
“I’ll look forward to it, handsome.”
In that moment, I know wholeheartedly that I’m in love with this beautiful, brave woman. I get up from the chair and wrap her in my arms. I kiss her as if it’s the last kiss we will ever share and I allow myself to get caught up in the moment, as her warmth is pressed up against me.
“You might want to leave it a few minutes before you leave.”
I reluctantly pull away from her, leaving her with a wink. I open the door, striding down the corridor and down the stairs with the biggest grin on my face. As I turn the corner, near the back entrance of Neon Nights, I’m stopped in my tracks by Carter fucking Leonard. Jesus Christ, I can’t get away from this prick.
“You just can’t stay away can you, Hart. People will talk!” he mocks in a blatantly attempt to goad me.
I stalk towards him and I can’t seem to restrain myself.
"If you lay your filthy fucking hands on her again, I swear to God I will rip your mother fucking throat out, Leonard, and that's a promise."
He smirks cockily and I slam him against the wall, feeling every ounce of control slowly draining from my pores.
"Do you think this is funny?" I say low and menacingly, loosening my grip on him. "That jealous streak will be the death of you, Hart; I just hope she's fucking worth it."
I feel every ounce of resolve slowly slipping away from me, but I desperately try and cling to it like a life raft, a safety net.
"Give me one good fucking reason why I shouldn't just bury you right now," I say through gritted teeth.
"Because deep down you know she's full of shit, she was gagging for it, practically offering her snatch to me on a silver fucking platter, just like old times," he says smugly, and I move closer to him.
"Don’t fucking test me, Carter, I've got friends in high and low places. One word from me and I can make your life very fucking miserable."
He folds his arms and lifts his chin defiantly.
"Then I'll tell the press about your little indiscretion with Lorna Lavelle."
My blood turns to ice. How the fuck did he know? He chuckles.
"Walls have ears, Hart."
My eyes widen. This is bad, very fucking bad. If Raleigh found out about me and Lorna, it would destroy her.
"Here's how it's going to go, Hart, you're going to finish things with Raleigh, break up with her. Make it convincing, break her heart and in exchange, you buy my silence. I won't breathe a word of what I know to anyone, not the press, no one."
He makes a zipping motion across his mouth with his fingers and all I want to is tear him, limb from limb. I won’t allow him to blackmail me, I won’t let him have the upper hand. No one ever gets the upper hand on me, ever.
"And what, you expect me to go along with you fucking blackmailing me? You expect me to forget you raped my girl? You're fucking twisted, Leonard, you’re sick in the head!" I roar, and he continues to stand in front of me smirking like the cat that got the cream. I clench my fists at my sides until my knuckles turn white and I'm trembling with burning rage. "I won't give her up, not for you, not for anyone. If you want to air my dirty laundry in public, go right ahead, just don't fucking test me, because you will lose," I annunciate the last three words.
He folds his arms across his chest and nods.
"If that's the way you want to play. I admire your bravery, or stupidity, whichever way you decide to look at it."
He grins cockily and all I want to do it smash his fucking face in until he's choking on his own teeth. He steps closer to me and even though he's tall, he's no match for my stature. He looks up at me and I cock my eyebrow.
"Tell me, exactly why is it that you continue to protect her, to defend her?" he asks with a wave of his hand.
I move forward, causing him to back up with each step I take.
"Because I love her, I love her with everything I am! I would fucking die for her; I would take a thousand bullets for her; I would sacrifice myself just to protect her. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her. She’s everything to me and I won’t let you take her away from me, EVER!" I admit.
He smiles and shakes his head.
"Brody, Brody, Brody, oh dear, oh dear," he says smugly.
It’s taking everything I have not to rip his fucking head off his shoulders.
“Although, she was begging me to fuck her. She was gagging for my big juicy cock! She was desperate for it, telling me you didn’t satisfy her the way I did! So I just had to satiate her primal needs.”
As he says those words, I grit my teeth and the red mist fucking descends. With his words ringing in my ears, I smash my head into his nose as hard as I can. I only wish I could do it a billion times harder. I hear his nose crunch as my forehead makes contact, he shrieks in pain like the pathetic fucking cretin that he is, and I grab him around his throat. With a surge of adrenaline flowing through every inch of my being, I launch him towards the glowing, green sign of the fire exit.
Raleigh
My heart is hammering in my chest as I lean my head against the cool wood of the office door, which is ajar. My hand is hovering over the door knob and I know I shouldn’t have, but as I was about to leave, I heard raised voices. I stood there for a few moments listening to Brody arguing with Carter and I wanted desperately to make my presence known, especially as I heard him declare his love for me.
"Because I love her, I love her with everything I am! I would fucking die for her; I would take a thousand bullets for her; I would sacrifice myself to protect her. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her. She’s everything to me and I won’t let you take her away from me, EVER!"
I slap my hand over my mouth to quell the sob I can feel caught in my throat and I try desperately to compose myself. He just admitted he loves me, out loud! He might not have said it to my face, but he still said it, it’s out there in the world now. I turn, catching my reflection in the mirror above the desk we just had sex on. I look like a hot mess; I definitely look like I’ve just been thoroughly fucked. Shit. I take a few steps closer to the mirror and start to finger comb my hair. I need to go to the ladies to freshen up. My hair looks considerably neater than before. It’ll do. As I make my way back towards the door, I hear Carter’s words.
“Although, she was begging me to fuck her. She was gagging for my big juicy cock! She was desperate for it, telling me you didn’t satisfy her the way I did! So I just had to satiate her primal needs.”
As I hear him utter those disgusting words, I feel bile rise up in my throat threatening to vacate my guts all over the floor. How can he stand there and say those awful things to my boyfriend? How fucking dare he! I snatch the door open with my hand and I don’t know if it’s the three glasses of champagne I had before I came in here giving me the confidence to stand up to him, but I’m ready to give him a piece of my mind. I step out of the office and I see Brody’s head connect with his nose, spraying blood everywhere. My stomach somersaults seeing my past and present colliding in a spectacular fashion. I stand there frozen to the spot, like a spectator looking from the outside in. As I witness Brody launch Carter out of the fire exit, I know I have to do something to stop him. No, no, no! I can’t let him do this, I just can’t. My feet kick into action and I have to find Sam, he’s the only one who can stop him, he’s the only one big enough to stop him. I’m practically jogging with purpose down the corridor, my feet throbbing and protesting in my heels, as I make my way back into the crowded main vestibule of the club. The music pumping and The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights blasting through the speakers. I’m barely aware of my surroundings, but I manage to spot Sam amongst the sea of people; he’s head and shoulders
above the crowd and I march towards him like a woman on a mission. He’s leaning casually with his back against a mirrored pillar, holding a glass of amber liquid in his hand. He smiles lazily as I approach and when he spots the look of anguish on my face, his brows knit together, and he frowns.
“Sweetheart? Is everything ok?” he rasps, sounding like he’s swallowed a bag of nails.
“I…”
I can’t find the words and I feel the tears threaten to spill down my cheeks. I can’t let Brody get hurt because of me. Sam places his glass on a nearby table and he places both of his hands on my arms. I flinch violently as his hands connect with my arms, his eyebrows raise, and he drops his hands like I’ve just burnt him.
“I need you to talk to me, sweetheart, I can’t help if you don’t talk to me.”
I take a deep breath, willing myself to find the words to explain accurately what the fuck is going on.
“Brody…he…he’s…Carter…you have to stop him.”
I swallow in a rush, unable to coherently string a sentence together.
“Please, Sam, you have to stop him, I’m scared he’s going to get hurt,” I plead, and Sam curses low in his throat.
He races out of there with renewed purpose and I’m unsure of whether to follow him, terrified of what I might witness. My feet are rooted to the spot and I can’t seem to make my legs co-operate all of a sudden. Come on Storm, pull yourself together you silly bitch. I mentally chastise myself and I take a few calming breaths, preparing for what I could potentially witness, as I turn on my heel and head toward the exit.
Brody
“Whose laughing now you twisted cunt?” I say through gritted teeth as I punch him full in the face and watch him crumple to the floor.
He’s babbling something that I don’t give enough of a fuck to listen to, and I bend to pick him up, spotting a shiny red BMW i8 directly opposite us. I slam him face first into the door, then pull him back to do it again. All the while I am as silent as a ghost and I feel so fucking angry that I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stop. Red hot molten rage flows through my veins and I can’t focus on anything else other than the cold hard fact that I want this twat to suffer for what he’s done to my girl. He has to know there are consequences to his fucking actions and even though he’s got away with violating women in the past, I won’t let him get away with it this time. It’s time Carter Leonard paid for his filthy deeds. As I let him fall crying pathetically to the floor. He just sits there slumped against the car, blood dripping from his face. This utterly fucking vicious feeling spurs me on, I feel like I could drink lava and shit fire. I slam my foot into his crotch, and he screams in agony as I feel something give against my foot, I smile at his agony and bend a little to his level.
“You ever fucking lay your hands on her again, I will make you pay, you evil bastard,” I say as I grab him by his hair and yank him to his feet.
I punch him in the gut and as he doubles over, my knee smashes into his face. I’m enjoying this way too much. This absolute piece of shit deserves so much more than this minor beating, I think as I pound my fists into his stupid, smug fucking face. Every modicum of self-control and every measure of anger I feel, comes spilling out like the poison inside me. All I want to do is smash the living shit out of this fucking cockroach. I can’t seem to stop myself, I feel so out of control, as the shutters come down. The nauseating sounds of every blow and the spray of blood seems to encourage me to carry on. As I haul him upright, I look him square in the eye and I smash his head through the passenger window, causing the alarm to sound and glass to spray everywhere. I hear a noise behind me, I spin around with fists flying and the time that ticks by is a total blur, as I register it’s Sam who’s lifted me like I weigh nothing. I’m struggling against him, as he restrains me, but his death grip doesn’t relent. The man is a fucking machine.
“BRODY! It’s fucking done! Just walk away!” he roars as I sag in his hold, suddenly exhausted.
“You good?” Sam’s voice softens and I nod.
He sets me down on unsteady feet and I stagger against the BMW i8 that I launched Carter into. I straighten myself out and my shoulders slump in defeat, as I push the heels of my hands into my eyes. I stand there for a few precious moments, trying to maintain a degree of calm, as I look up and register my surroundings, the pained violet eyes of Raleigh greet me. Fuck.
29
Brody
“Raleigh,” I mutter quietly, taking in the enormity of the situation that has just unfolded.
She stares right through me, as Sam looks from her to me and back again. He tucks his hand into his pocket and hangs his head awkwardly. My problem has always been do now and face the consequences later. I have no doubt in my mind that Carter deserved every single punch I threw at him, I couldn’t help myself. I won’t apologise for my actions because I know deep down I was justified, but the look on her face pierces me to my very core and I’m the one who put that look in her eyes. Fuck my life.
“I’m sorry you had to witness that, babe,” I say finally to break the eerie silence that hangs between us.
She launches herself at me, clinging to me as if her life depends on it. She buries her face into my neck.
“Thank you,” she breathes, and I squeeze her a little tighter than necessary, letting her know that I feel it too.
Sam clears his throat and turns to face me.
“I’ve got a pretty good idea, but are you going to tell me what the fuck that was all about?” he blurts out matter-of-factly.
I puff out my cheeks exasperated, as Raleigh lets go of me and I wrap my arm around her. Unexpectedly, I feel an overwhelming emotion wash over my entire body. I swallow hard and take a few deep calming breaths to quell the onslaught of emotions that are threatening to drown me.
“I had every fucking reason to beat the shit out of him, Sam.”
I raise my voice a few decibels louder than necessary.
I don’t doubt for a second that Sam would have reacted the exact same way, because he’s a lover not a fighter, but when it comes to Peyton and his boys, he’s a warrior who would fight to the death.
“I’ve never felt that out of control before, it’s an alien feeling to me. He dared to lay his fucking hands on someone that belongs to me! He had it coming!” I bark, jabbing my thumbs into my chest aggressively.
Raleigh flinches at my harsh tone and I pull her closer to me, planting a chaste kiss on her forehead.
“Go back inside, kitten, I’ll be back in in a while I just need to talk to Sam about something?” I ask softly, and she nods, kissing me tenderly on the lips as she turns and heads back in the direction of the club.
I squeeze my eyes shut briefly and scrub my hands down my face, unable to hold back any longer.
“Do you know what it’s like to walk in on someone you care deeply about trembling and sobbing in the shower covered in blood because he ex-boyfriend raped her? It destroyed me!”
Sam doesn’t say anything. He has an uncanny knack of knowing the right words to say in certain situations, or when to shut up and not say anything at all.
“I can't fucking pretend anymore that I'm ok with some piece of shit shoving his cock in her by force! I can't stand it, it's all I can do to keep it from consuming me. Consuming us, I see how it affects her, she has nightmares, I see that terrified look in her eyes every time we have sex, it kills me that bit more every time, Sam and I can't, I just can't. I beat him tonight because I couldn't stand to watch him act like he did nothing, like he's the innocent party in all this because he's guilty of so many fucking things. He stood there and goaded me into it, he deserved every punch and so much more. I wanted him to suffer the way he makes her suffer on a daily basis. I would have killed him if it weren’t for you, I have no doubt in my mind. I couldn't stop, I wanted to beat him until he stopped moving, I wanted to wrap my hands around his throat, while I watched the light fade from his eyes. I wanted to rid the world of another sick fucking predator who preys on wome
n. I'd already accepted that I was going to prison for a long time, but it would have been worth it to have my girl feel safe again."
I swallow, feeling more than a little out of control. I take a deep breath and shake my head, as if to rid myself of my previous thought.
"I love her, Sam, so fucking much. Seeing her tonight, seeing the way she froze as soon as she saw him. Seeing that terrified look in her eyes broke something in me.” I shudder at the devastating thought. “I don't ever want to see that look in her eyes ever again, it tore me apart."