Reveal Me, Sir (Doms of Decadence 9)

She wasn’t raised to run when the going got tough. Friends were hard to come by. Loyal friends, next to impossible.

Sophie was her friend. Her family now. And no one touched what was hers.

She dropped her phone next to the door, knowing she couldn’t carry it and use the bat. She heaved her bat over her shoulder as she stepped through the broken door.

Piece of shit wood. Much like the rest of this apartment block. It had probably only taken one swift kick for Jerry to make his way through it. Of course, he was built like a rhino and had the personality to match.

She stepped inside as another of Sophie’s screams hit her, making her stomach drop. Fear had her heart racing, her palms sweating, but she continued into the apartment. No one else was coming to their aid. Around these parts people kept their shit to themselves. She was pretty certain she could be getting her ass kicked in broad daylight in the middle of the street and people would just walk around her.

As she entered the living room, she saw Jerry, his back to her as he dragged Sophie by her foot out of the bathroom. His muscles bunched as he easily pulled her petite friend across the floor.

Sophie cried out, trying to scramble for something to hold onto, to slow him down. But not much would stop him. How the hell had he found her?

“Hey, asshole!” she called out as he paused and reached down to grab Sophie.

She tensed, nerves threatening to make her expel the contents of her stomach. But she knew what came next if she didn’t stop him. Sophie would get the shit kicked out of her, and end up in hospital where some well-meaning person would call the cops. They’d make all the right noises and do nothing.

Yeah, well, it wasn’t going down that way this time. Because Sophie wasn’t alone anymore.

She rested on the balls of her feet as he turned.

“Get out of here, bitch,” he rumbled. He spat as he talked, and she shuddered. God, she half-expected him to walk around with his knuckles dragging on the ground and drool dripping from the side of his mouth. He might have been attractive. Once. Now he was a fucking mess. His skin was covered in sores from whatever drug he was hooked on, his eyes glazed, his brain slower than a sloth after a midday snooze.

“You gonna come fight someone more your own size?”

She wasn’t. She wasn’t anywhere close to his size. But she had a damn better shot at surviving his rage than petite Sophie did.

“Ria!” Sophie cried out from where she lay on the floor. “Don’t!”

She glanced down at her friend, rage filling her as she took in the bruise covering the side of Sophie’s face and the way she held her arm. Probably broken.

She shifted her hold on the bat. “Come on, asshole. Come get me.”

“Bitch!” he roared.

“That’s me! I’m the bitch who helped Sophie escape you. She’ll never be your punching bag again.”

Jerry let out a roar and ran towards her. It felt like the whole building shuddered with each thud of his feet. Ria’s heart raced, her mouth going dry. As he grew closer, she swung the bat. But he simply grabbed it out of her hand, ripping it away from her.

“Run, Sophie!” she screamed, ducking as he swung a punch.

Unfortunately, as she straightened, he managed to grab her, flinging her against the wall. She landed with a heavy thud, her head slamming back.

Ouch.

Before she could recover, he had his body pressed against hers, her wrists held firmly in his hands. He squeezed, pressing them against the wall above her head. She was at his mercy. Vulnerable. His breathing came in hot, hard pants. His body was sweaty, his odor questionable and there was absolutely no mistaking that he was fully aroused.

It was all she could do not to hurl.

“Caught you, bitch.”

“You know that’s not actually my name, right?”

Fuck. Fuck.

She was in so much trouble.

“Bitch likes to fight. Jerry likes that too.”