Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 141428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Holy crap.
What was going on?
She kicked back with her feet, trying to escape. Grasping hold of his hand that was over her mouth, she tried to pull it away.
“Gonna teach you to reject me, you little bitch,” the guy said as he started to drag her down the alleyway. She made herself go limp, trying to make his job harder for him.
Her mind raced. Panic threatened to take hold, but she fought it back. It wasn’t the first time that Devi had been in a situation like this.
Well, not exactly like this.
But she knew that if he got her away from the bar that she would find it harder to escape. And that she might not make it out of this alive.
So she had to act now.
Flying into action suddenly, she grabbed his hand with both of hers and dug her sharp nails in, dragging them through the skin. At the same time, she shoved her legs forward into the air and slammed them back into where she hoped his shins were.
He let out a scream of pain and thankfully, dropped his hand. Devi was ready for that. She let out an ear-piercing screech.
“Help! Outside! Help!”
She didn’t know whether anyone would hear her. If they were all busy talking, if the music was up loud, if she was just fucking unlucky . . . then she was going to die.
Another screech left her lips and to her shock, she saw someone running toward them. It took her a moment to get her eyes to focus. And then she realized who it was.
Devi started to sob.
Safe. She was safe.
As Hayes ran toward them, the asshole dropped her with a yell, taking off. Devi collapsed to the ground as Mac ran out of the bar, followed by Silla.
Hayes stopped briefly next to her.
“I’m f-fine. I’m g-good.”
“Stay with Mac. I fucking mean it.”
And then he was gone.
Shit.
She just realized that she’d made a mistake. She should have tried to keep him here, with her. Chasing after that guy was only going to lead to trouble and she didn’t want Hayes to get into trouble.
Not on her behalf.
She really wasn’t worth it.
Getting to her feet, she attempted to follow. But Mac grabbed hold of her, wrapping his arm around her just as her legs started to give way.
“Whoa, Devi. Where do you think you’re going?”
“Hayes. He’s gone after that guy.”
Mac turned her toward the bar. “Course he has. That fucker deserves to die.”
“B-but Hayes will get into t-trouble.” Shit. She was stuttering. That was something she hadn’t done in years.
It had taken her a long time to train herself not to stutter. She hadn’t stuttered as a kid. It was something that had appeared after her mom died. Actually, it had started happening when that asshole teacher started bullying her.
Devi took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. The stuttering wasn’t back for good. It was just a reaction to what had happened.
Or maybe to Hayes running off into trouble and her having no idea how to help him. Or stop him.
Sirens sounded in the distance.
“Don’t panic, Jack and Lenny went after him,” Mac reassured her. “I’ve called the cops too.”
Wonderful. That explained the sirens.
Silla appeared on her other side, looking pale and worried as they walked into the bar.
Mac set her down at a table and barked out orders. Suddenly, she had a whiskey sitting in front of her on the table and a guy called One-Tooth was on one side, holding her hand and patting her back while Silla sat in front of her, talking non-stop.
The door opened and she jumped with a gasp, turning to see the Police Chief stepping into the room. Jerry wasn’t a bad guy, not that she knew him that well.
But he wasn’t really a fan of hers. Well, of her family.
And she couldn’t blame him. Her father had spent a number of nights in jail, sobering up or for being drunk and disorderly.
And then there was her brother . . .
Some of Jerry’s detectives and cops, though, were pure assholes.
Mac rushed over to him, talking with his hands moving through the air. Mac always grew more animated when he was upset.
Jerry glanced over at her, then nodded and spoke into his walkie-talkie.
She shuddered as he strode toward her. He was a fit man in his early fifties. He had a nice wife, good kids, his family was the opposite of hers.
Picture perfect.
Devi couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to live in a family like that. To never have to worry that your father was going to come home drunk and angry. Or end up naked and sleeping in the town square.
That had actually happened once.
“Ms. Dawson,” he said as he got closer.
She winced. She’d known him for several years, even if it wasn’t the best relationship, she’d thought he might have called her by her first name.