Collaring Cinderella

“Where?” I snarled, ready to grab him once again.

“Calm down,” he begged. “She was getting on the bus, the one a.m. one. But it just left… It left ten minutes ago.”

“What destination?” I asked him roughly.

“I can give you the route of the bus if you want to go after her.”

“Yes,” I barked. “You will. You will do that right the fuck now.”

“This girl,” he went on nervously. “Is she… is she dangerous?”

“No,” I shook my head. “The only one in danger is everyone else if I don’t find her.”

That lit a fire under his ass, and he left to find the papers. I sat down on the sidewalk, my head in my hands as I cursed out loud. I needed to get my hands on her, but most of all, I needed to know she was alright. Not knowing where she was made me feel sick to my gut, and I hated it. She could be anywhere, with anyone. Fuck, I’d really messed up. I should have never let her out of my sight. I’d never repeat that mistake again.

Something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye, and I raised my head to look at it better.

There was a scuffle going on in a side alley a little way off. I couldn’t really see what was going on, but I saw several guys laughing and cheering at something out of my sight.

With a sigh, I got up, and headed directly there.

At least I’d get to let off some steam if I caught them doing anything bad. I needed to fucking hurt someone.

I heard a girlish scream, and my footsteps sped up.

If they were hurting someone in that alley, I was going to fuck them up.“L OOK AT HER,” ONE OF them laughed out loud. “Look how fucking scared she is.”

I was shivering, my arms wrapped around my body as if I could protect it from whatever they were planning on doing to me. I was terrified, my breaths coming out in desperate little gasps, my legs barely holding me up. I’d never experienced real fear like that, fear that reached all the way into my bones and made me whimper in front of the gang of guys who’d forced me into a corner.

“Please,” I managed to get out, “please d-don’t h-hurt me.”

“Hurt you?” The biggest guy laughed at me, approaching me menacingly and making me take a step back.

But my back hit a wall and I knew I was utterly trapped, with absolutely nobody to help me. I wasn’t going to get out of this unscathed, and I knew it as well as they did. There were four guys in total, tall, broad-shouldered and covered in tattoos and piercings. I was terrified, not because of their appearance, but because only minutes later, one of them had grabbed me by the arm and dragged me into the alley, tossing me into it like I was a piece of meat. I was shaking so badly I thought I’d pass out any second, but I couldn’t let my body do it because I knew I’d get hurt the second I lost consciousness.

“We are going to do so much more than hurt you,” he went on, approaching me slowly like a predator.

I let out a little sob. This wasn’t like it had been with Rafe, and now, after sleeping with him, I knew how much they could hurt me. All the dirty, nasty things they could do to me if nobody came to my rescue. And I was so scared, knowing I’d never be able to stop them myself. One little girl against four huge, meaty bad men… I didn’t stand a chance in hell.

“Please,” I begged one last time. “Just don’t do this. I’ll leave, I won’t tell anyone what happened.”

“Nothing’s happened yet ,” one of them piped up. “But it’s about to, darling, and there’s no way you can fucking escape it.”

“I’ll scream,” I threatened, but my eyes filled with fear as I saw a guy in the back toy with a knife, the blade glinting in the moonlight.

The tallest one was suddenly so very close, and his hand reached out, fingers ready to wrap themselves around my throat. I felt the first tears fall, and the guys laughed at my helplessness but, too far gone to stop my sobs, I shut my eyes as tightly as I possibly could and prayed in my head to get them away from me, for someone, anyone, to notice what was going on and come save me.

“Get. The fuck. Away. From. Her.”

My eyes flew open and my heart soared as I watched someone approaching. A figure I would know anywhere, anytime, the broad shoulders encased in the jacket he’d been wearing at the party, but his mask off now, revealing every inch of his handsome face.