Page 103 of Overexposed

Oh good. One of Seven’s rabid fangirls. “Tell you what, Looney Toons, you get some help for your defects and I’ll get back to you on that. Now put the goddamn knife down.” This was insane. Somehow she’d managed to hold on to it through everything, like it was glued to her hand. Crazier shit had happened in Hollywood, I guessed.

Every bedroom had a security panel near the bed. All we had to do was hit the panic button. But that panel was on theotherside of the bed from where we were.

I really should have triggered the security before I got up here.Idiot.

Stella’s attacker was dressed like one of our cleaners, but I couldn’t place her face to save my life. Her hair was done like Snow’s, like if she were the Dollar Store version of Snow or something. Black box-dye could never replicate my girl’s inky tresses.

Now would be a great time for Seven to stroll in—or Gem. Fuck, I’d even take Jerry if he moved his ass. The wild-eyed look on the woman’s face kept me on my toes. Twice more, she tried to get past me, both times with a feint, and both times, I blocked her.

Yeah, we were not getting anywhere this way.

“Snow, babe,” I said, holding the rabid chick’s gaze. Granted, she wasn’t foaming at the mouth or anything but she might as well have been. She also wasn’t firing on all cylinders. “I need you to get out of here and head to your room or mine or even Gem’s. Just get there and close the damn door, lock yourself in, and hit the alarm.”

“She’s not going anywhere!” Oh look, Looney Toons found her voice again. “Neither are you. Seven needs to befree. Youtwo can be a lovers’ murder-suicide pact. He might be upset for a little while but then he’ll be free, and I’ll be here to take care of him.”

“Houston,” I intoned, “we have a problem. Actually, we have several.” I wanted her to focus on me, despite how ridiculous it was to try and reason with a wannabe murderer. I kept one hand outstretched to her and moved it whenever her gaze started to wander to Stella.

With my other hand, I motioned Stella to the door. She’d have to go over the bed and that was fine. I’d tackle Lady Straightjacket here before she could get to Stella. And once Stella was out of the line of fire, so to speak, I could hopefully talk the crazy lady down—or at very least disarm her so she couldn’t do any more damage.

We just needed an opening.

“Problem number one,” I continued in a conversational tone, like she wasn’t threatening my naked girlfriend with a bloody knife. “Seven and I have been friends for years. I hate to break this to you, but we’ve never let a woman come between us unless we were the ones making her come.”

Confusion creased the knife-wielding bitch’s face. She really thought Stella wascheatingwith me, and it’d never crossed her mind that it was all fully consensual.

“Problem number two,” I said, “one of the first things we’re taught is to never stick our dicks in crazy. So you’d be shit out of luck, even if you succeeded in killing us.”

I swore I could see the loading sign playing out over her head. Stella moved, hurtling herself over the bed as the psychotic lady snapped her gaze forward. She let out another of those banshee shrieks. It was enough to make my ears bleed but I launched forward to block her from reaching Stella nonetheless.

She managed to slice down my left forearm, but I caught her and her knife arm again. This time, I didn’t let go. She wasnotgetting near Snow.

Twisting, I held her hand away from me and bashed it against the footboard of Seven’s bed. The knife finally clattered away from her loosened grip. Now I just needed to secure her. Somewhere else in the house, the alarm went off, likely triggered by Stella.

I didn’t get long to enjoy the victory as the woman raked her fingers down my face. It didn’t quite draw blood, but fuck, it hurt to get nailed in the eyes. I jerked my head back, and she tried to take advantage of my distraction to surge past me.

Stella was out of sight, but I couldn’t risk this woman getting anywhere near her. Lashing out an arm, I caught her around her waist and shoved, sending her flying backward.

There was a heavy thump as she hit the wall, and she crumpled to the floor in a heap once again. I shook my head to try to clear the stars and scrubbed at my watery eyes thanks to her claws.

“Oh my god,” Stella exclaimed, and I snapped my head over to look at her. She was in the doorway, wearing a T-shirt and wielding a baseball bat with violence and determination etched over her gorgeous face.

What a picture.

I looked back at our assailant—she wasn’t moving. If anything, she lay awkwardly against the side of the dresser and there was blood leaking from a crease along her scalp.

“Fuck,” I swore and double checked where the knife landed before I approached the woman.

“Ollie, be careful…” Stella was ready to back me up and she came right in after me, but I waved her off.

Mad Maxine wasn’t moving. I crouched down and gingerly checked for a pulse. She had to have one; she’d been screaming a minute ago. The blood kept trickling downward steadily.

The sinking feeling of dread hit me a few seconds later. A shout echoed up from downstairs and the alarm cut off a moment before the sound of feet pounding on the stairs reached us.

The men who burst in had black suits and guns drawn—private security. “Mr. Griffiths? Miss Charles? Are you both okay?”

We’d made sure that security knew Stella belonged here. “She attacked us,” Stella blurted out, and all at once, she was explaining, spilling the whole story without even pausing for a breath as she recounted the whole saga from the moment she woke up.

Her hand found mine, and I dragged her close for a hug. I didn’t give a damn if security saw it—or got a good look at Snow’s gorgeous legs.

---