Page 46 of Fury

“I’d rather do it myself than give them back the opportunity!” Her voice was a snarl.

“You’re scared. I am too. I am.” My pelvis pressed into hers. “Baby, come on. We’ll get through this. We will. Stay with me here. Just a little longer. Please.”

Her muscles eased one by one, and she finally curled herself into me. I let out a heavy breath, holding onto her tight, sliding her gun down my jeans with the other.

I pulled and pushed on the knob of the bathroom door to the left of us but it was locked. I yanked on my wallet chain, grabbed the mini knife I had hanging there and jammed it into the lock, jimmying the old piece of shit. The door opened, and I pushed Rena in there. “You stay here while I go into the store.”

“I should go in. You’re a little memorable.”

“And you’re either gonna pull a weapon on the cashier or collapse. You stay here.” She lowered herself onto the dirty tiled floor of the bathroom, her head in her hands, the door ajar.

I hid my bike behind a row of tall recycling bins.

I couldn’t get back on the road with Serena like this. I had to calm her down. See to my cuts, get her food. Something. Maybe we should get on a fucking bus?

Keep your shit in check.

A woman in her early twenties with shiny black hair, wearing jeans and a tie-dyed blouse stood in the doorway of the bathroom, her body rigid. Large dark eyes swallowing us in.

Fuck.

“Hey. My girlfriend’s sick,” I muttered, crouching by Serena, my hand on her head, ready to pounce. If I had to kill someone else, I fucking would.

Serena slumped over onto the floor.

“Oh my God! Is she okay?” The girl squatted down next to me.

I scooped Serena up in my arms. “Baby!”

Nothing.

Dark Eyes reached out and touched her face.

“I got her. Don’t touch her! Don’t you touch her!” ripped out of my throat.

The girl let out a gasp. “Oh my God, the bruises on her face—”

“It wasn’t me.”

The girl jumped to her feet, stepping back. “I should believe you? What, are you drug addicts or something?”

“No, dammit. I got her away from her ex. He’s been beating on her, doing shit...” I hoisted Serena up in my arms and leaned her against the wall. “He’s after us now.”

Serena’s head wobbled up, and her arm slid around my neck.

“Are you okay?” the girl asked her.

“Please. Please, help us,” Serena said, her voice small. “Help him.”

Footsteps crunched on gravel. The girl glanced at me, and I put my hand over Serena’s mouth. Dark Eyes pulled the door closed behind us, but a hand planted on the door stopping her. A ringed, tattooed hand.

“Hey, excuse me?” said Dark Eyes standing in the slit of the doorway, her tone full of vinegar.

“Sorry, uh, thought this was free.”

“Obviously not. Think you can wait?”

“You alone in there?”

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