Page 11 of All My Broken Pieces

My body is frozen as I try desperately to remember what my brothers taught me during one of the few times we all got along.

“Go for the low blow.” Spencer chuckles, squaring off against our brother.

Cooper stands his ground, beckoning Spencer to take his best shot. “Yeah, it doesn’t matter if it’s the ‘coward’s way out’, Arri. You’ve just gotta distract them long enough to get away.”

“Yup yup, a swift kick to the balls will do that.” Spencer smirks as he flies forward, knocking Cooper to the ground.

I can hear their laughter echo in my head, their words giving me the strength I need to get out of this, to get away fromhim.

Shifting so I can try to knee him, I let out a frustrated noise when I can’t move. The bags of groceries slip from my hold as I uselessly push my palms against his chest. “Get off of me.” I demand, my voice cracking as my attempts to free myself do nothing.

Undeterred by my continued demands, the man reaches between us, sliding his zipper down. I grit my teeth as I hear the metal sliding, the sound bringing me closer and closer to his gross dick. Closing my eyes, I brace myself for what’s about to happen, for what I can’t fight against.

Just when I’m about to give up all hope, the man is suddenly gone.

I blink my eyes open, looking around in shock. My gaze lands on the man kneeling a few feet from me, his hand twisted back so far I’m surprised it hasn’t snapped. He whimpers andcries, pleading to be released. My eyes shift and I gasp at the person beside him.

Dressed in all black like some vigilante, the stranger stands above my assailant. The little light shining from a nearby street lamp reflects off his head. His eyes are shadowed, but from the set of his jaw I can see the animosity rolling off of him.

He glares down at the asshole at his feet. “You like picking on helpless girls, do you?” He seethes, twisting the man’s wrist further. The other man shrieks, trying uselessly to free himself.

Shifting his gaze toward me, the mysterious man calls, “You okay, princess?”

A wave of shame hits me at how weak I must seem right now. My earlier frustration growing once more that I required saving, that I had to rely on someone to swoop in. Swallowing down the emotions, I make a mental vow to never let myself be this helpless again.

With my new set determination, I jerk my head, willing the shake of my body to calm down.

The vigilante’s eyes soften before he returns his furious gaze back to the sniveling man at his feet. “I should put you in the ground for this.” He snarls, bending to a crouch next to him.

I catch sight of something reflective in his hand and find my feet moving of their own volition. A desire to make my attacker pay nearly as strong as the frustration at my own helplessness. I can feel the anticipation growing with each step.

Coming to a stop beside him, I lay my shaky hand on the mystery man’s shoulder, pulling his attention to me. “Ca-can I?” I ask, cursing myself for the tremble of my lips and stutter of my words.

He studies me for a moment before inclining his head and passing over the blade.

My fingers close around the handle and I feel a settling deep in my soul, as if this moment is years in the making. Hiddenthoughts and fantasies of letting out some of the burning need for violence bubbling up.

Without a word, I snap my wrist forward and stab my would-be rapist in the heart. Or what I had hoped would be his heart. I must have missed as he doesn’t crumple into a bloody heap as I expected, but rather howls and tries to pull away.

A soft chuckle sounds beside me. “Nice try, wanna go again?”

My jaw sets as a renewed determination takes over. I roll back my shoulders with a jerk of my head.

I can do this.

He grips the handle and rips it from the man’s chest, blood trickling from the wound. Taking the offered blade once more, I run my gaze over the man’s body, trying to figure out where to strike next.

It’s so different doing this than I imagined, than any media has portrayed. I always thought I would instinctually know what to do, but it’s become apparent I was wrong.

“The throat is always a good bet.” The deep voice breaks through my thoughts, pulling me back to the present. My eyes zero in on my assailant’s throat, watching his Adam’s apple bob as he repeatedly swallows. “If you stab right through, sometimes you’ll be able to see the blade poke out the other side. It’s a pretty brutal way to go.”

Brutal.

I like the sound of that.

Moving my arm out to get as much momentum as I can, I slam my hand against the man’s throat, the blade sinking into his flesh. Peeking around his head, I smile as I see the end poking out the other side of his neck.

My mystery savior turned murder sensei whistles beside me, drawing my attention to him once more. I turn and find his face covered in a wide grin. “That was pretty badass, princess.”He chuckles, releasing his hold on the dying man. Extending his hand to me, his grin widens when I tentatively shake it. “Name’s Andrew.”

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