Page 77 of Turn

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The son of a bitch tried to get away.

He ran for his car and tripped on a rock, performing a belly flop on the pavement and it would have been fucking comical if I hadn’t been on the verge of murdering him.

When I reached the park and saw Cassie on the ground, desperately crawling away from this motherfucker, my only panicked thought was to get to her. I scooped her up off the ground and felt her immediately cling to me like a lifeline while she said my name. She was emotional and glassy-eyed and she smelled like vomit but I didn’t see any physical injuries.

But the bastard who’d been chasing her was about to be introduced to a whole new world of physical injury. Cassie was still holding onto me but I had to set her down because I saw he was trying to make a break for it.

The fucker was still scrambling to pick himself back up after his fall when I grabbed him and hauled him to his feet. He struggled and flailed around as I slammed him against the hood of his car but it was easy because he didn’t know shit about how to fight. No, all he knew how to do was attack women in the darkness. It probably made him feel like a fucking man.

I yanked him upright because I wanted to look into his eyes and let him know that he had every reason to be terrified.

“I remember you,” I growled. “And you need to fucking understand that no matter where you go I’ll be able to find you.” I leaned into his face, practically able to smell the sick fear as I held him in place. “You will NEVER come near her again. If I hear that you’ve even breathed in Cassie’s direction I will take you apart piece by fucking agonizing piece and asshole, you’d better believe I know exactly how to do it. And in case you’re wondering, there’s no expiration date on this promise. Not ever.”

It felt incomplete, not making him bleed the way I wanted to. In the not too distant past I wouldn’t have hesitated. Only the fear of leaving the boys alone while I served a prison sentence made me pause. Yet I still meant what I said. He’d find out real fucking quickly if he bothered Cassie again.

“I’m s-sorry,” he stuttered. “Was just helping her-“

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

“And give me my damn phone back!” Cassie was right there now, swaying a little bit on her feet but standing her ground as she glowered at him.

The guy started fishing around in the pockets of his designer slacks and I noticed with some satisfaction that there was a nice wet patch in the crotch. He’d pissed himself, the worthless little shit had pissed himself.

His hands were trembling when he pulled the pink sparkly phone from his pocket and I snatched it out of his hand. Then I released him because if I didn’t do that now then I might keep punching until he couldn’t stand up.

“Now get the fuck out of here before I decide you need a few bones broken to remember my words.”

The creep practically dove into his luxury sedan and peeled out.

I turned to Cassie and held her phone out but she was shaking now, shaking and crying. She sat right down on the ground and that’s when I noticed her shirt. It was all bunched up, exposing her belly. A feeling of sick grief washed over me and I sank down to the ground at her side.

“Did he hurt you?” I asked, barely able to deal with the possibility of her answer. “If he hurt you I’ll go find him right now and make sure he won’t be walking around tomorrow.”

She shook her head and drew her knees to her chest. “No, I got out of there before he could…”

Her face crumpled and she lowered her head with a sob and my heart just about broke.

Then Cassie wiped her tears with the back of her hand and glared angrily at where the silver car had been parked. “He drugged me or something, Curtis. I don’t know with what. He bought me a drink and when I came back from the restroom he kept urging me to drink it, saying it hardly had any alcohol and that it tasted sweet.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I’m so fucking stupid.”

“No, you’re not stupid. He’s just evil.” I cleared my throat. “Who is he, Cassie? I recognize him as being the guy who showed up at Scratch. But who is he to you?”

She looked at me. “I’m almost too ashamed to tell you.”

I touched her arm. “Don’t be. You can tell me anything. I’ll never think less of you.”

She leaned against me. “Okay, I’ll tell you. But I’m still kind of out of it right now.”

“Are you dizzy?”

“Not a much as I was.”

“Do you feel like you’re going to pass out?”

“No, not anymore. I’m just real shaky. I puked outside the bar and then again over there so maybe I got most of whatever it was out of my system.”

My brain was in overdrive. It was likely he did slip a drug into her drink. She didn’t believe she’d ingested much and what she had swallowed had mostly been puked up.

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