“No, Tutti Frutti, I’ll be the one doing all the fucking. Now, what’s gonna get that dirty mouth of yours screaming? Hmm, let’s see.” His piggy eyes rove all over me, before he leans over and licks mycheek.
“Get the fuck off me!” I scream, twisting my head away from his rancid breath. He laughscruelly.
“You’re a fighter. Good, it makes it much more fun this way. I’ll enjoy teaching you a lesson. I’ve been fucking waiting months. Those pricks fobbing me off with five fucking grand when they haveallthis money. Now I’ve got the MET on my tail and every policeman in the UK looking for me. Fucking shame they didn’t think to monitor this place, ain’t it? Didn’t think I’d have the bollocks to come here, did they?Pricks.”
“This houseisbeing monitored, the police will be on their way here and so will my boyfriends. They’ll kill you,” I say. As far as I know, the police aren’t monitoring this house, but I’m not about to tell himthat.
Smithy stiffens fractionally, digesting what I’ve said. “I reckon if that was the case then they would’ve turned up by now. Nice try,Tutti.”
We look at one another and an understanding passes between us. He’s going to hurt me and I’m going to fight. I guess only time will tell who’s going towin.
“Shall we get started then?” he asks, releasing one of my arms so he can grope my breast. The moment his hand paws at me, an anger like nothing I’ve experienced before erupts and I scream with rage, punching him as hard as I can on thecheek.
Next, two things happen in quicksuccession.
Smithy tips his head back, roaring in anger, and then a boot, seemingly coming from nowhere, connects with his jaw and I am free. I scoot backwards on my arse, panting with a mixture of anger, fear and loathing. Hudson is standing over Smithy, who is sprawled on the floor. He turns to me briefly, a host of emotions passing across his face as he makes a quick assessment. He asks me if I’m okay even if he doesn’t say a word. I nod my headsharply.
“GET THE FUCK UP AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN, YOU PRICK!” Hudson roars, his attention back on Smithy now he knows I amokay.
“You sure you want to pick a fight with me, pretty boy? I’m just taking what’s owed. This whore is mine,” Smithy sneers,standing.
Hudson launches himself at Smithy and they fall to the ground in a mass of arms and legs, knocking the side table over in the process. They pound one another, hitting, kicking, scratching, biting. I watch in fascinated horror as Hudson’s fire and fury explodes over Smithy. Not for one moment does he let up. He doesn’t give Smithy an inch. Bones crack, blood splatters and still Hudson fights. At one point he has Smithy pinned beneath him and is pummelling his face with punches, but Smithy is a fighter and he isn’t relenting either. With one swoop of his arm Smithy punches Hudson on the side of his head. The sound of bone against bone rings like a thundercrack through the room. I watch in slow motion as Hudson falls like a heavy weight to the floor, outcold.
Everythingstills.
Timestops.
The only person moving is me as I collapse on my knees next toHudson.
He looksdead.
Is hedead?
I don’t recognise my own voice as I scream hisname.
Smithy gets up, bloodied and swollen. He swipes the back of his hand against his mouth. “Now, where were we?” he says, a blood red smile spreading over his mangledface.
I ignore him, shaking Hudson’s shoulders. “Hudson, wake up. Please, wake up,” Icry.
“Please wake up,” Smithy mimics me with a cruellaugh.
I look up at him, hate narrowing my eyes. “Fuck you,” Isnarl.
“Look at you. That anger is just precious. Now what are you going to do? If he’s not dead, then he’s out for the count and I have free rein to do what the hell I want. You, bitch, are going to pay me back for the trouble you’ve caused. If I’m going to go down, then I’m taking you with me,” Smithy says, making a grab for me. I dodge out of his way, rushing upwards. I need to get help for Hudson and I can’t do that here in this room. I make a run for the bedroom door, but Smithy is too fast and grabs me on myarm.
“Not so fast, TuttiFrutti.”
Swinging around I bring my arm up and punch him as hard as I can, then knee him in the balls. He screeches, letting go ofme.
I dash for the door, but he is on me, ramming into my back so that I stumble forward against the chest of drawers. The force winds me, but I ignore the burning pain in my chest and struggle against his hold. He has my arms pinned to my side with one meaty arm and I’m unable to wriggle out of hishold.
“I am going to fucking enjoy this,” he says, biting on my ear lobe. His hand slides down my back, groping my arse, before he unzips his trousers. I kick backwards against his shin, but my bare feet do nothing to dislodge him. Through the material of my trousers I can feel the state of hisarousal.
“GET OFF ME, YOU BASTARD!” I holler. I don’t want him to know how scared I am. I need to think, I need to calm down. On the dressing table in front of me are my bottles of perfume, a lamp and mirror. The lamp base is made of heavy marble. If I can reach it, I can use it as a weapon to get free. But struggling like this, there is no way he will let me go. Maybe if I stop fighting he’ll ease up his hold. I will my body to relax, to stop lashing out and feign defeat. It seems to have the desiredeffect.
“That’s it, Tutti Frutti, enjoy yourself,” he growls into my ear. I want to bite back with a smart remark, but I don’t. Instead, I relax further and press myself back against him. It makes me sick to feel his excitement, but this is my onlychance.
“See, I knew you were your mother’s daughter, she used to enjoy it in the end. I never believed hertears.”