Page 62 of Wrecked
“When I git you home, I’ll teach you some manners,” he growled in the young woman’s face. She wore a wrinkled cotton shirt two sizes too large for her and baggy jeans only because she was skin and bones, not as a fashion statement. She was barefoot and her brown hair fell past her shoulders. Freckles and swollen red eyes stood out against her pale skin.
He yanked the girl to come with him and dragged her around the corner out of sight.
Leclair called out, “Hold up.”
Hallene jogged to reach the corner as Leclair swung around to the side of the building.
The woman was maybe nineteen or twenty and crying. She dug in her heels, trying to pull away, clearly panicked at what the man threatened to do with her when there were no witnesses.
She whined, “I was not flirtin’, Daddy. I was just bein’ nice. Please, don’t hit me. I didn’t do nothin’ wrong.”
“You lyin’ whore. You ain’t no better than your sorry mama.” He dragged her around the front of the tow truck.
Her terrified cries wrenched Hallene’s heart. She’d like to kick this guy’s ass into next year, but she held back, staying out of Leclair’s way. What would he do?
“Stop!” Leclair shouted with force, still moving toward the pair.
Wiry hair the color of mud stuck out from the man’s faded red ball cap. He had a stocky build and thick biceps. His massive hand had a tight grip on the girl’s thin arm that would bruise for sure.
At Leclair ordering him to stop, the man turned his rage on someone new. “Make the mistake of takin’ another fuckin’ step this way and—”
Leclair closed the distance in one long stride, grabbed the guy’s head, and slammed it down on the hood of his truck.
“What the fu—”
Leclair gripped the man’s neck in a powerful hold and shoved his head down again.
The girl pulled free and backed up with her hand over her mouth. Angry red handprints already showed on her arm.
Holding the tow truck driver’s head in place against the hood, Leclair lowered his face even with the jerk.
The man garbled out, “That’s assault, you son of–”
“Don’tmake me slam your head again,” Leclair warned in a gritty voice that gave Hallene chills. “I have your tag number. In five minutes, I’ll know all there is to learn about your worthless hide.”
“You a ... cop?” For the first time, the loudmouth sounded worried.
“Oh, no,” Leclair chuckled with dark humor. “I’m way worse than a cop. I’m the one who shows up in the middle of the night and teaches monsters to change their ways or lose their right to play in this world.” Leclair sounded feral with rage.
Loudmouth jerk started asking, “Who the—”
“Shut. Up. This is your only warning.” Leclair took his time, giving every word power. “Lift a hand to hurt that child again and word will get back to me. You’ll be watched from here on. Call the cops and convince them this happened if you want. There’s no security camera on this side of the building, and even if you make the mistake of forcing her to tell the cops what happened, they can’t find me. That willalsobring me to visit you. I don’t exist. Don’t be stupid and make this mistake again. If you do and I come for you the second time, you won’t have any hands to lift against another vulnerable woman when I leave. You’ll be at the mercy of everyone, including her.”
For a man with skin that dark from the sun, he lost two shades. His eyes bulged. “I ... uh ... won’t.” He sounded close to crying.
“I’m going to let you up. If you try to jump me, she’ll have to call an ambulance ... or watch you bleed out. That will be her choice.”
“I won’t,” came out in a weak and pleading voice.
Bullies were not so powerful when a bigger threat came along.
Leclair released his neck and stepped back.
Putting his hands on the hood, the guy groaned and lifted his head. He’d have a mega headache from his encounter with Leclair.
Hallene had no sympathy for him and quietly cheered Leclair for instilling fear in a man no one else in local law enforcement could intimidate. Not even the police could protect a woman at times even with a restraining order. Monsters ignored paper, often severely damaging or killing the women who dared to file a complaint.
Sure, the law had been broken once the monster came after her, but the female paid the ultimate price.
