Page 44 of Beautiful Rush
“I read about your father,” he saidconversationally. “Tough break, huh? Bet you’re—”
Shouts from the parking lot drowned out his words.
“The fuck were you trying to do? Kill her?” he roared.
I would know that voice anywhere. I jumpedthe curb and bolted across the parking lottoward the crowd gathered around my car.Shoving my way through the crowd, I got a visual of Deacon as heslammed the shifty-eyed guy against the side of my car.
“How much did you bet, Eddie?”
“You should have minded your own fucking business.”
In one fluid motion,Deacon had Eddie turned around with hishands behind his back and hischeek pressedagainst my passenger side window.
“Why did you fuck with her car?”
Deacon twisted Eddie’sarm and Eddie let out a strangled cry.
“Don’t make me snap your arm in two.”Deacon’s voice was low and steely and cut right through me, even though his words were aimed at Eddie, not me.
“The guy in the Camaro.He put me up to it…ow,fuuuck.”
“Keep talking, Eddie.”
“It was supposed to be a slow leak in the tire—”
Aslow leak.I probably wouldn’t have noticed.When I drove on it,I would have had a blowout.Driving at high speeds like I did, I would havecrashed, and it would not have been pretty.
I scanned the parking lot, looking for Tyler. He was hurrying across the parking lot with another guy, headed back to his Camaro like the weasel he was.Ileft Deacon to deal with Eddie and sprinted across the lot.
“Youasshole!” I shouted, pummeling his back with my fists. “You couldn’t winon your own merit, so you screwed with my car?”
“Back off,crazy bitch.” He spun around and shoved me away. I fell on my ass and he laughed like it was the funniest thing he’d ever seen. Scrambling to my feet, Ilaunchedmyself at him. I was crazy and I was a bitch.My fist slammed into his face.I was so riled up and hadputso muchforce behind my punch, thathis head snapped back,andblood spurted from his nose.
An arm shot out, blocking me from going for round two with Tyler.The guy’s eyes were narrowed on me. “Weain’tlooking for trouble.”
“I’m not trouble.” I pointed at the offender—Tyler the asshole. “He got someone to mess with my car.”
“Yougot no proof,” the guy said. His eyes were hard, flat as two stones. And that was when I realized thathe was in on it too. I hadn’t gotten a good look from across the parking lot, but he must have been the other guy talking with Eddie and Tyler earlier. He was bigger and meaner-looking than Tyler with ear gages, a gold medallion around his neck, and a bandana around his head.
I should have walked away, and I turned as if I was planning on doing just that. I cried out as a hand yanked me by the hair so hard that tears sprang to my eyes.
“You’regonnapay for this.” Tyler slammed me against his rear bumper and bent me over the trunk of his car. He shoved my head down, my cheek pressed against the metal, his body pinning me to the car. His hold on me was so tight I couldn’t move.
Don’t panic. Don’t lose your shit, Keira.
I tried to keep my wits about me, but my body was flooding with adrenaline, making my skin sweat and my body tremble. Tyler rubbed his erection between my ass cheeks, and I could feel it through my denim shorts. “Someone needs to be taught a lesson.”
“When he’s done, I’ll take my turn,” the other guy said.
A shudder of revulsion raced down my spine. “Fuck. You,” I gritted out.
“That’s the plan.”
A blood-curdling scream echoed across the parking lot and I came to my senses enough to realize the sound was coming from me. I kept screaming at the top of my lungs. Like a lunatic. Like a crazy bitch. Until a hand clamped over my mouth, stifling my screams. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.
“Get your fucking hands off her,” Deacon roared.
He ripped Tyler’s body off me, and I pushed myself onto my elbows, taking deep breaths. Behind me, I heard a bone-crunching punch followed by a howl of pain. My body shivered violently, but I peeled myself off the trunk of Tyler’s car and turned around. Leaning against the car for support, I crossed my arms over my chest and dug my nails into my upper arms to try to stop my body from shaking.
