Page 109 of Worth Every Risk

One of the boys shoves him, harder this time, and the other grabs him by the shoulders when he’s doubled over and brings his knee up into his chest.

“Hey,” I yell. “Stop that.”

The boys look at me, and the twins release Charlie, who stands upright, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth.Is he bleeding?

“Well, look who it is,” one of them says, grinning at me, and my skin crawls at the sleaze in his tone.Why is he speaking to me like that?

Charlie’s staring at me like he wishes the ground would swallow me up.

“Saved by a girl, eh, Charlie?” the other says.

“By a slut, more like,” the first one adds.

Shock bolts through me.What the fuck? Whatever I was expecting when I raced down here to protect Charlie, it wasn’t a slut-shaming. Something jabs in the back of my mind, like a fragment of memory I can’t hold onto.

Charlie’s fingers clench around his tennis racket.

“Yeah,” the same twin continues, nodding at me. “Saw you with your hand down Mr Hawkston’s trousers in Covent Garden.”

Oh, fuck.

It slots into place. The weight of doom that’s been in my gut since we saw those kids in Covent Garden. The face, theeyes, of that boy in the street…

“You know she’s fucking your dad, right?” He starts to laugh as Charlie’s cheeks blanch and his eyes widen in a question I don’t want to answer.

I glance over my shoulder. Lucie’s tottering down the bank towards me.

Shit.

“Yeah. Hand right down his fucking trousers,” says the other, joining in with a disgusting grin that makes the contents of my stomach curdle, and I press a hand to my belly.Am I going to throw up?

Charlie still isn’t speaking. He’s staring at me, then at the two Charlton boys, like there is no safe place for him.

One of them jolts him, pushing his shoulder and Charlie stumbles a few steps to the side with no resistance, as if their words about me and his dad have leeched all the strength right out of him.

“Touch him again, and I’ll call the police,” I say, stepping right up to them. All three of them are bigger than me, and my heart is racing so fast it might explode.

One of the twins snorts a laugh, then deliberately looks me up and down. “Got to hand it to him though,” he says, tossing a wink over his shoulder at Charlie. “He’s a lucky bastard, your dad. I’d do her.” He turns back to me. “If you’re switching things up for a younger model, I’m game.”

“Does he pay you extra?” says the other.

Heat floods my body, but I try my best to ignore it, looking directly at Charlie when I say, “We’re leaving. Now.”

One of the twins takes a step towards me, and I steel myself, planting my feet on the ground. “Don’t come any closer.” He halts at my words and cocks his head in amusement. “What you’re doing here is not acceptable. Harassing another boy. Leave him alone.”

The twins are smirking, but my speech seems to be the final straw for Charlie. He slams his racket onto the ground and marches up the grassy bank towards Lucie.

The twins’ mocking gaze runs over me. It’s so invasive that each sweep of their eyes is like a grabbing touch I haven’t consented to. I bend to pick up the racket, feeling vulnerable in this position. They’re laughing, muttering words I can’t discern. My body is on fire. I’m angry and humiliated and the pit of doom in my belly is growing ever larger by the second, swelling with the sensation that I’ve fucked up on multiple counts.

“You’re fit as fuck, you know that?” calls one of the twins.

I need to get away. My heart is pounding. Out of the corner of my eye, I swear I see one of them coming towards me. If he fucking touches me, I’ll scream.

I run to catch up with Charlie, leaving the twins back by the tennis courts. I can still hear them laughing, but I’m focused only on Charlie. He doesn’t acknowledge me, but his scowl is enough to communicate that he’s aware I’m right beside him.

“Are they the boys who beat you up?” Charlie says nothing, so I try again. “Charlie? Was it them?”

He keeps walking, and I hurry my steps to keep up, then suddenly he stops and turns to me. Lucie’s still a few paces away, her little worried face evidence that she knows whatever’s going on isn’t good. I want to pick her up and reassure her, but Charlie feels like the most pressing issue right now.

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