Page 68 of He Saved Me

“You think you know what pain is?” he bellows slapping her across the face blood flew out of her mouth. “Nah, not yet. But you will.”

“Please! Stop.Pleasestop.” Shorty’s broken voice tears a hole in my heart as she begs Frankie to stop. Tears runs down her face like a river.

Frankie slaps duct tape over Tia’s mouth then walks over to Shorty and stands behind her.

He pulls her hair over her shoulder and kisses her neck while his eyes stay on me along with a sick, twisted grin on his lips.

I’m going to kill him.

“Let’s play a game,” he calmly says which doesn’t sit well with me. I move uncomfortably and I wait to see what he plans next. Suddenly, Frankie grabs a baseball bat from the guy standing beside Tia.

No.

“What are you doing?” Ash frantically looks between Frankie and Shorty.

“Bro, don’t you think you’re taking it too far,” one of Frankie’s guy says.

“You think so?” Frankie looks between him and Shorty, shakes his head. “Nah, I’m not.” Then he points the gun at the guy and shoots him right between his eyes.

“Fuck!” Ash and I say at the same time.

He swings the bat into Shorty’s stomach, and she gasps for air. Tia screams through the tape over her mouth and swings back and forth.

“Strike one!” Frankie yells and laughs.

“Stop!” I yell, pulling against my restraints, trying to get to Shorty.

“You fucker!” Ash yells.

Shorty coughs as if she’s trying to catch her breath while blood mixed with saliva drools down the side of her mouth. Endless tears fall from her angelic face. Frankie swings the bat back and forth like he's warming up for his next strike.

“Shorty.” Her name comes out broken. “Look at me.” She turns to face me. My heart is being torn out of my chest from watching her get beaten. And there’s not a damn thing I can do to stop her from being hurt or worse, killed.

“Just keep your eyes on me, ok, baby?” I croak, holding back a sob.

“Strike two!” Frankie swings the bat to her stomach a second time. Shorty lets out a horrific cry that will forever be etched in my memory.

“You motherfucker! I’m going to kill you!” My voice bellows through the warehouse.

Tia cries and struggles to keep her breath.

I cry like a baby because not only did I find Shorty, but I also lost her. I will never forgive myself. I don’t deserve her forgiveness.

Frankie raises the bat again when I cry out, “Please stop this. Don’t do this. I’m begging you.”

He hands the bat back to his guy and release Shorty from the chains. She drops to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

She doesn’t move.

“Shorty,” I whisper. “Baby, get up. Look at me,” I cry.

He kicks Shorty in her side.

“STOP, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!” I roar until my voice is hoarse. I manage to get on my feet but then I’m tackled to the ground. I keep fighting as Ash fights against the guy holding onto him. We thrash around the floor until one of the guys lands a swift kick to my gut.

Fuck.

I roll until I’m on my back and try to catch my breath, but I’m yanked up by my collar and back onto my knees, giving me a perfect view of Shorty. She’s laying on the ground on her side with her face in my direction, but her eyes are closed. Her body is twisted in an unusual angle and a pool of blood grows around her frail, broken body.

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