Page 10 of Regret

Just as she stepped outside, a hand grabbed her elbow from behind.

“Joe, I swear to God…” But when she spun around, it wasn’t Joe. “What the fuck do you want?”

Hunter took his hand off her and placed it in his jeans pocket. “Are you okay?”

“Oh my God.” Scarlet loosened her ponytail, letting her hair fall around her shoulders. “I don’t need you, or any other man for that matter, to act all chivalrous. I can take care of myself.”

“Everything okay over there?” Harvey asked from a few feet away.

“Fine. Thanks, Harvey,” Scarlet answered without taking her eyes off Hunter. “You have a good night.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow night, then.” Harvey locked up and disappeared around the corner.

Hunter was still staring at her, looking smugly amused. “So you’re saying you’re fine, then?” His lips curved slightly at the corners, evidence of the sarcasm that just made her annoyance peak to epically destructive heights.

She narrowed her eyes. “I’m pretty sure there are one or two Barbie dolls left inside looking for a big old brute to blow.” She leaned closer. “Go find yourself one.”

As she spun around and headed in the other direction, she heard him snicker behind her.

What-fucking-ever.

She didn’t have the time or the strength for this exasperating gorilla who seemed to have the natural talent to do nothing but piss her off. Not to mention that she still had that prickle of warning in the back of her skull when it came to him.

Scarlet pulled her helmet over her head and got on her motorcycle. Just as she was about to start the ignition, she saw a shadow on her left, and her heart crept up her throat.

When she turned her head, there was nothing there, yet the ice cold chills running down her spine told her differently. Suddenly the silence and the darkness around her seemed to intensify as all her senses kicked in. Shadows seemed like they were moving, closing in on her, the silence of night taunting her with promises of fear. God, she hated when that happened, when her paranoia took hold of every muscle and every thought. It was a miracle she wasn’t addicted to Xanax yet.

She started the ignition, fear pulsing in her veins, driving her to get the fuck out of there. But before she was able to pull away, two hands grabbed her shoulder and pulled her backward, yanking her off the bike. With a hard thud she fell on the pavement, pain resonating through her back. Every survival instinct she had inside her kicked in when she saw three men surround her.

“He wants you back, Little Red.”

Oh God.

Her stomach dropped and her chest tightened.

Little Red. No, this can’t be happening.

“He’s gone through a hell of a lot of trouble to find your ass.”

Scarlet slowly pushed herself up, trying hard to not concentrate on the pain still lingering in her back. She pulled off her helmet.

“Yeah, well, if only he went through a hell of a lot of trouble to go fuck himself, I’d be real happy right now.” She squinted when she finally managed to straighten.

One of the three men stepped forward and she could see that his eyes were a disgusting mouse color that instantly gave her the creeps. “You can be glad he ain’t here to hear you say that.”

Scarlet bent backward and felt her back muscles snap back into place, giving her some much welcome relief. “Of course he’s not here. He’s too much of a coward so he sends his little dick minions to do his dirty work for him.”

The minute that last word left her mouth she launched forward and punched the guy hard in the face. The sound of bone cracking was evidence enough that Scarlet broke the fucker’s nose.Fuck yeah!

The other two men rushed forward, one of them grabbing her by the arm while the other guy aimed a flat palm at her face.

Seriously? A flat palm? What, did they think she was Sleeping Beauty who couldn’t handle a little fight with three goons?

Scarlet ducked out of the way, and while she was down there, she punched a fist right in his balls. A breath escaped his lungs with a loud swoosh as he curled up, clutching his nuts with both hands.

Immediately she turned to the third guy, who still had a hold on her arm, and tried to kick her knee into his gut. But from out of nowhere a fist collided with her jaw and cheek, sending white hot pain through her skull. The blow was so hard, her vision turned to nothing but tiny white spots while a static noise filled her pounding head.

Scarlet was on the ground within a second, unable to focus or even try to get up. Then there was the most intense, bone shattering pain that shocked through her body when the motherfucker kicked her in the stomach. It felt like her intestines exploded into shards of agony, cutting her open from the inside. Through the static that rung in her ears she could hear herself scream when she felt the crushing pain of the second kick.

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