Page 21 of Ryder

No answer.

Silence.

And the door’s bell didn’t ring again, indicating the person had left.

Maybe they didn’t hear me over the music, although I’d kept it a reasonable level. Resting the broom against one of the stations, I slowly turned around, goose bumps prickling my skin with the oddest sensation of unease. I wasn’t even fully facing the person before his hands were around my throat, my eyes popping wide in fear as he backed me against the nearest wall.

Looking into the face of a complete stranger, one who was intent on doing me harm, was the scariest thing I’d ever encountered.

Terror raced through every cell.

My lungs seized.

My heart raced.

My vision tunneled.

My body went on lockdown, all of my senses heightened in fear.

I had no idea who the man was or what he wanted. Well, I could guess what he wanted, but I hoped he was just there to rob the place. Maybe he was a drug addict looking for his next fix. Or maybe he was looking to do something a bit more sinister.

He was tall and lanky, but there was no doubt he was strong, his grip on my throat rendering me powerless. My fingers scratched at his hands but it only served to anger him more than he already was, so I dropped them to my sides, hoping and praying he’d let me go soon.

Looking at him was painful, and would no doubt give me nightmares for years to come, but I wanted to be able to describe him in case I made it out of there alive. Eyes the color of coal peered back at me while I struggled to breathe. His shoulder-length hair was light brown, but there were streaks of gray running through it. Scars riddled his face, one in particular standing out amongst the others—a long-since healed, jagged mutilation ran from the corner of his mouth all the way up to his hairline.

“You sure are a pretty one, aren’t ya?” he asked, leaning closer and inhaling the air around me. His breath smelled like garlic and smoke, one whiff of it enough to make me wanna pass out. “I think maybe I’ll take ya for a test drive as well.” I wanted to shout, ‘As well as what?’ but obviously I couldn’t.

Cocking his head ever so slightly, a menacing grin spread across his mouth, warning me something bad was about to happen. When his free hand shot out and seized my breast, I found my strength to struggle once more. If he was going to rape me, then I’d give him the fight of his life. Tightening his grip around my neck, he kicked my legs apart before lowering his hand to cup me between my thighs.

“You’re gonna like what I do to you, bitch. So much you’re gonna go runnin’ back to your boyfriend to tell him what a real man feels like inside your cunt.” Spittle hit my cheek as he tried to unbutton my jeans. I rocked my hips from side to side to try and escape his touch, but he was just too strong. “After I’ve had my fill of you, I’m gonna sample your little sister. Don’t think that fighter is gonna stop me,” he blurted, laughing when he saw the pure horror light up my face.

All of a sudden I didn’t care what he did to me, as long as he didn’t touch Kena. How did he even know about her, or me for that matter?

As he unzipped my jeans, the bell over the door sounded once more. It was then I mentally berated myself for not calling Ryder to see if he was going to meet me there to follow me home. I’d been so stubborn about him being my shadow that I’d inadvertently put myself in danger.

“We have to go,” another stranger shouted. I couldn’t see who it was because the man throttling me blocked my view of the front door.

“We have time,” my attacker said, pulling the waistband away from my jeans, his fingers fumbling with the material of my panties. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine I was somewhere else, but it didn’t work. I felt every callus on his fingers, smelled his breath as it hit my face and heard his breathing increase as he scraped his rough hand over my shivered skin.

“No we don’t,” the other guy warned, a touch of panic in his voice as he stood guard, openly allowing his friend to assault me. “We gotta get outta here before he shows up. You know he’s coming.”

Is he talking about Ryder?

Pulling his hand free from my jeans, thankfully not touching my most private of areas, he smirked before releasing me. My hands instantly shielded my neck, flinching at the already forming bruises.

Taking a step back, he spat, “Fuckin’ Knights. They took out our prez, and now we’ll stop at nothing until we wipe out every last one of ’em.”

Without another word, the evil bastard spun around and walked out of the salon as calm as could be. His partner in crime had already disappeared before I could get a good look at him, but I figured none of it mattered. All that was important was making sure that Kena was safe.

After my initial shock finally wore off, I grabbed my phone from the counter and texted my sister. No response. I sent her another message. Then another, and another. Still nothing. Before leaving the salon, I made sure the coast was clear, locking up before racing toward my car. I dialed Jagger’s number, but it only went to voice mail after a few rings. Leaving him a rushed message to call me back right away, I hung up and tried to call Ryder, but he wasn’t answering either.

What the hell?

Why isn’t anyone answering their phones?

Thankfully we lived close, but that didn’t stop me from speeding home so fast I swore I broke every traffic law. I barely put the car in Park and shut off the engine before I was racing toward the front of our house, keys in hand and fumbling with the lock before practically kicking open the door.

“Kena!” I shouted, running from room to room searching for her. But she wasn’t home. I tried texting her again, but again she didn’t respond. I called Jagger but still nothing.

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