Filled

With one movement I lean back, raise my foot, and kick the flimsy door so hard it comes off its hinges and bangs to the ground.

In front of me is what nightmares are made of. Bambi is on the ground with her eyes half closed, and the big bouncer from last night is on top of her with his hands around her throat. He looks at me, his eyes widen, and I’m like a bull seeing red.

I lower my shoulder and run straight toward him, knocking him back so hard he hits the wall on the far side of the apartment. The contact rattles my whole body, but I don’t feel a thing. It’s probably the adrenaline mixed with the rage, but I see Bambi out of the corner of my eye, coughing as she rolls to her side, and I’m so goddamn thankful she’s okay.

I hear Bouncer groan as he struggles to get to his feet. Oh fuck, no, he’s not making it out of this room using his legs. I climb over all the mess in the room and stomp on his knee. There’s a loud crunch before he screams, and I punch him in the mouth to shut him up. A few more hits and he’s nearly out cold, but I grab his face and lean in close.

“Your biggest mistake was putting your hands on my girl.” I hold his wrist up and with one twist, it snaps back and he cries out again.

“Angus.” I hear her whispered voice from behind me, and I turn around to see Bambi is a mess as she watches me with wide eyes.

“Do you want to kick him in the balls?” I ask, and she takes a second to think it over.

She nods and then changes her mind and shakes her head. “I don’t want to hurt my foot.”

I stand up and do it for her, because fuck this asshole. He whimpers quietly and then I see he’s passed out from the pain. That’s too bad, but he’ll probably be feeling that for a few days no matter what.

“How—?” She looks around like she’s not sure where to begin or what question to ask first.

“Grab a bag. We need to be out of here when he wakes up.” I glance into a bedroom next to me and motion for her to come.

“I don’t even know you.” There are tears in her eyes as she looks at the unconscious bouncer.

I try to think of a way for her to trust me and pull out my cell phone. “Here, you can take this. It’s not locked and the favorites in there are my parents and my brother. You can call them and tell them you’re coming with me, or call anyone you want, and I’ll take you to a safe place. But we can’t be here in case he told people where he was going.”

I hold out the phone, and she stares at it like she’s never seen one before. Then she rubs her neck and decides to take it.

“I’ll just hold it for now.” She tucks it close and I nod as I go into her room.

“Is this yours?”

She nods. I see a black bag on the floor, and I scoop it up. “Do you have anything of value you want to take?”

She looks around the room and sighs, then shakes her head. “There’s nothing of value left. If there was, he would have sold it already.”

I wonder if she means the guy passed out on the floor, and god, I hope not. She grabs some clothes, and I hold the bag out for her as she fills it quickly. Once she’s finished, I zip it up and throw it over my shoulder. “Let’s go.”

I grab her coat by the door and help her put it on. Then I take her hand without thinking, and we walk out of the building. My car is out front, and thankfully nobody has messed with it in the time it took me to get her out of there. It’s then I notice the all-black car at the end of the block and realize that’s probably Bouncer’s ride.

“Is there someplace safe I can take you?” I ask as I help her into the passenger seat and buckle her up. She’s still a little too shaken to do it herself.

“N-no,” she stumbles, and now I’m worried about her going into shock.

“Don’t worry, okay? I’ve got a place.” I snap the buckle, and for a moment I just stand there and we look at one another. “I’m going to keep you safe.”

She takes a deep breath, and the words must give her strength, because she nods, and I see the trust there. The connection we had last night is still just as strong, and although I want to hug her, I don’t. I close the passenger door and get in the driver’s side.