Beauty in the Broken

There’s only one thing I can do. The only thing I’ll ever do. Every single time.

Bring her back.

Lina

Phil opens the door to his townhouse and lets me enter first. It wasn’t that hard to escape. Brink trusted me. I’ve never tried to run during his employ. I said I needed tampons and used the backdoor of the pharmacy to escape. I ran for a while, until a woman stopped and asked if I needed a lift. She dropped me at the gym, and I convinced Phil to give me shelter for the night. Not the best move, as Damian will definitely question everyone I know, which means everyone at the gym, but it’ll give me time and a place to sleep until tomorrow. I don’t have another alternative except for Reyno, and as I know Damian, he’ll check there first.

“Sorry about the mess,” Phil says. “I didn’t expect company.”

I dump my bags on the sofa and hug myself. “Don’t stay for my sake. Do whatever you were planning on doing. I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow.”

He leans an arm on the wall, caging me in from the side. “There’s always been a spark between us.”

I back away. “There’s no spark. Never was. Never will be.”

He winks. “You don’t need to play hard to get with me. I’m all over you, babes.”

“I don’t play that way.”

“Fine.” He shrugs. “Want something to munch?”

“I thought you were going out for drinks with your friends.”

“With you here? Plans have changed.”

An uneasy feeling slithers up my spine.

He walks to the kitchen and pours two glasses of wine. “Wanna talk about it?”

I take the glass he offers. “No.”

He downs his wine and slams the glass down on the counter, smacking his lips. “I could never put the two of you together. I mean, you and Damian, you’re like opposites.”

I take a gulp of the wine. It’s sour. “I said I don’t want to talk about it. I’m really tired.” And sore. I need painkillers. “Do you mind if I just rest for a while?”

He walks down the short hallway and braces a shoulder on the doorframe. “In here.”

I follow and try to peer around him, but his body takes up half of the hallway. His chest bulges as he crosses his arms. “You look like you can do with a massage.”

“I’m good.”

I step around him and stop. The bed is unmade, and clothes are scattered everywhere. A baseball cap hangs on the bedpost.

“This is your room.”

He gives me a crooked smile. “The other room is a study. I only have one bed.”

“I can take the sofa.”

He steps forward, backing me up against the wall. I hiss as my ass hits the bricks. Wine sloshes over the edge of the glass.

“Cut the chase, Lina. Admit it. That’s why you’re here. Why else would you look me up at the gym?”

Panic floods my system. My ears start to ring. “I looked you up because I need a place for the night. Nothing more.”

He slams his palms next to my face. His breath is hot on my mouth, smelling of wine. “A girl like you must know what you do to men in your tight gym pants and exercise bras.”

I push on his chest, spilling wine on his T-shirt. “Get off.”

He grabs my jaw and brings his lips to mine. “If you want to play rough, I’m all in.”

“You’re crazy.”

“You’re so innocent and untouchable. That’s why Damian wants you, isn’t it? He’s one of those bad guys who likes good girls, and you’re one of those good girls who likes pain.” He motions at my scars. “I can be bad, babes, as bad as you want me.”

I shove him, hard. The glass drops to the carpet. “Get off me.”

“Not a chance. Not now that I finally have you alone.”

He crushes his lips to mine. It’s a thin, wet, sickening kiss. He fumbles with the buttons of my blouse, pressing me to the wall with his weight. I ache where Damian caned and fucked me, but it’s nothing compared to the revulsion that fills me. I feel sick. When he gives me breathing space, I bite down hard. He lets go with a yelp, tearing my blouse in the process.

Licking his bleeding lip, he stares at me incredulously. “You bitch.”

I slap him, hard.

He grabs my wrist and tries to turn me. If he twists my arm behind my back, I’m as good as raped. I claw at his face, winning another fraction of distance, enough to lift a knee. He grunts as the blow hits him between the legs. Letting me go, he cups his crotch and whines in agony. I don’t hesitate. I run for the door. I yank it open just as he recovers enough to straighten. Leaving behind my clothes and handbag, I run for the corner where the only streetlamp burns, yelling at the top of my lungs.