Page 32 of The Protégé

The house in front of me was hosting a party. Groups of people hung out on the porch and on the lawn. A couple was making out under a tree.

Two men met my eyes, glanced at each other, smiled, tossed a beer can into the trash can, and walked over to me. The guy with the narrow face wore a Bryant University T-shirt, while the bearded guy had on a University of Rhode Island T-shirt.

“Hey, beautiful.” Narrow Face raked a creepy gaze down my body.

“Need help?” Bearded Guy touched my shoulder.

I swatted his hand away. “Keep your hands to yourself.”

“We like feisty girls, don’t we, Brandon?” Narrow Face laughed, stepping closer to me. I could smell the alcohol on them.

“Looks like you’ve got a flat, baby. I can give you aridehome.”

Laughing, Brandon pumped his hips. “All night long!”

Fear twisted in me. Their glassy eyes told me they didn’t have any functioning brain cells left. That meant trouble, and I didn’t have time for trouble.

Stay calm. Keep your distance.

“No thanks. I’ve got it.” I dug into my purse for my phone, wanting to call the police.

Narrow Face yanked my phone away. “Let us help you.”

“Oww!” Brandon held a hand to his head. A rock thudded beside his foot. “What the fuck?” He glanced at the red spot on his hand. “I’m fucking bleeding!”

While Narrow Face was distracted, I grabbed my phone back. He reached for it again, but I backed away. Something smacked into his forehead. Another rock dropped to the ground. Several more rocks pelted him in the face, knocking out a tooth. Then it was Brandon’s turn for the rock attack.

I stepped away from them, not wanting to get in the crossfire. Who was whipping rocks at them? Sirens wailed, and a police car pulled up. Someone had called the cops.

The spiky-haired officer exited his car and approached me, glancing at the two men with hands covering their faces. “You okay, miss?”

“Yeah. I have a flat tire.”

He called in a tow truck for me, got my version of what had happened, and walked over to the drunken guys to speak with them.

A door slammed, and I looked across the street to see Orion heading toward me with a worried expression. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

Immediately the fear I’d felt subsided.

“I got a flat.” I gestured to my car.

“You shouldn’t be driving that thing,” he said in a tone that sounded like a reprimand.

I wasn’t in the mood for this. “That thing is my only mode of transportation.”

He didn’t know about my financial situation. I didn’t have loads of money to toss around like him. His frustration with me from this morning hadn’t faded at all.

I was supposed to work with him on Monday. Was this foreshadowing what I could expect? Daily frustration? Just because he was my boss didn’t mean he could talk down to me. No one had that right.

He walked over to the police officer and glared at the two men. An ambulance arrived, and two EMTs examined the men. Orion spoke to the police officer and pointed up the street. Then a series of police cars rushed past us, heading somewhere. I saw the Channel 5 and Channel 7 News vans following close behind.

What was happening? I could ask my coworker who was on the late shift tonight.

Orion typed something on his phone, nodded to the officer, and walked back to me.

I had so many questions for him, but all I could focus on was the intense gray eyes boring into me. The power he had over me was unbelievable. I was so attracted to this man and didn’t know what to do about it. It was ridiculous that I couldn’t control myself even in this terrifying moment. I was just harassed by twomen, and some freak was whipping rocks at them. But none of that mattered when Orion was present.

What the hell was wrong with me?

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