Page 13 of Tiebreaker

I need to get home.

I take one shaking step and then another. It wasn't even an hour ago that I stepped out onto that red carpet, feeling like for once, good luck had come my way.

For once I was going to get to experience something that wasn't just pain and stress and hardship. I'm so fucking stupid. I'm such an idiot.

Why didn’t I say anything to him? Why didn't I tell him to stop. I don't even know if I blame him. It’s not even his fault. I don't think he knew. I don't think he knew that… I was set up. He was so gentle with me… after fucking me so hard that I feel like I can’t walk straight now, but…

My heart clenches in my chest. And that panicky exposed feeling swells up inside of me again. I was set up. Mariah set me up. Promised me to Jenna, that I would do a good job, dothejob.

And the job was fucking. My head starts to swim. I’m feeling faint and I need to get home so I can hide under the blankets, Toby's purring weight on my chest. I want his comfort. The soft warmth of his furry body.

After I've showered. My skin crawls, but it's not from Kai’s touch. It's from Mariah and her betrayal. I knew she was a shitty boss. I didn't know she was a-

“Heyyyyy girly girl. Hey girly.” Their voices ricochet up the alley. I lift my head. Three guys stand at the end of it, watching me.

Their eyes are dark smudges in the shadows. My breath stutters in my throat. After what I've been through tonight, I know exactly why they're here.

They're staring at me like they want to devour me. One of them steps forward and laughs.

“Are you working,” he asks. My foggy brain is confused.

“What?” I ask, out of habit, trained from a life time of having to people please and respond to other people.

“Do you want to work,” he asks, with a laugh. He glances over his shoulder at his two friends.

“She's all right, what do you think?” The cold callous judgment of me in that split second makes me turn and run. I take off down the alley, shaky in my shoes and my trembling legs.

“Hey wait,bitch!”

“Wait up!” One of them snarls and footsteps echo behind me. My lungs burn as I run faster, adrenaline making me bolt harder than I've ever run before I get to the mouth of that alley nearly skidding over myself and falling.

And that's when my shoe catches on a grate. Time slows down, and my arms pinwheel through the air as I fall forward. The ground rushes up to greet me. The pavement slams into me, rattling my teeth. White stars explode in my vision, red misting at the edge of it.

“Why you gotta run like that baby?” He's panting as he reaches me, his arm stretching down to grab me.

A blur intercepts us. I look up as a fourth man, a new guy, grabs the other one by the wrist and twists it up and behind my attacker’s back.

The guy reaching for me screams, breaking it off with a grunt.

“Fuck off, Vince,” he says. “I saw her first. She's just a little reluctant.”

‘Vince’ looks back at me and raises an eyebrow, before twisting around and punching the guy across the face without waiting a blink. I inhale in shock.

“If that's the case, it doesn't matter. You know that this side of the alley is ours,” he jerks his head back towards where I'd come from. Punched Man staggers back, wiping at the corner of his mouth and coming away with blood.

“Fuck you,” he says weakly.

“More like I'll fuck you up,” Vince says, “now get going. You know the boss doesn't like it when you guys hover on the edge of our territory.”

The other man tries not to fall to the ground, and moving slowly, he retreats, tail between his legs.

I stare up at Vince's back, my unexpected rescuer. He's tall enough to be threatening and his shoulders are broad. Even in the cool of this evening, he's wearing a tank top, faded denim hanging around his hips, threatening to fall down.

Once the alley is empty, he turns and bends down, offering me a hand up. His nails are blunt cut and they dig into my wrist as he pulls me to my feet. I bite back a wincing cry.

“You all right?” He asks.

No, I want to say, no, I'm not alright, nothing about the last two hours of my life is alright. Nothing about my life is alright. Instead tears well up in my eyes and I just stare at him, wordless. He sighs and shakes his head, glancing over to the side and making a motion with his hand.

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