Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 99540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
I squeal, tears flowing freely down my cheeks.
Suddenly, something pushes the boy off me.
WHACK!
Punches fly left and right, but I don’t know what’s going on. I’m still on my belly, my face covered in dirt and leaves. Then the other boy flies off me too.
I quickly crawl up to my feet and stumble away, barely able to stand. My body is shaking vigorously as I turn cold to the bone, and my muscles freeze from terror. Right in front of me is a tree, split in half by lightning, with a small hollow alcove in its trunk. I hide inside, shivering like a straw.
I can’t look. Can’t watch. Can’t do anything but turn away my eyes from the world, just like I did once before … the night I was ruined forever.
But this time, someone’s out there fighting for me.
Fighting against my demons.
Destroying all who dare cross his path.
Cole.
Chapter 27
Cole
The moment her scream echoed through the woods, I knew it was her.
Monica.
Not one second did I hesitate before I rushed outside. I didn’t care who was in my way. I shoved them aside.
Not even Ariane could stop me, and fuck knows she tried her hardest.
But no filth that spills from her mouth can stop me from going to find my fucking girl.
Something … or someone … made her scream, and it wasn’t me.
Whoever it was, they’re gonna pay.
“Cole! Where are you going?” Ariane calls out after me, but I ignore her.
I’ve only got one mission, and that’s to find Monica.
The sounds came from the woods just beyond the house, my father’s personal pine forest where he goes to clear his guilty conscience. With clenched fists, I run past the trees, following the sound of voices.
Three of them to be exact, coaxing her to stay and do something fun.
Fun? I’ll give them some fucking fun.
Right then, another squeal follows. All my senses perk up.
Rage overcomes me as I storm toward her and find her lying there, on the ground, with two guys on top of her, one of them pulling down his jeans while the other holds her down. And Michael is right there, sipping at his cup while he watches them do it.
Traitor.
Without thinking, I pounce down on the guy who’s on top of her and sucker punch him right in the face. He falls to the ground while I tackle the other one. From the corner of my eye, I spot Monica crawl away.
“Cole!” Michael yells, briefly distracting me.
I’m fighting with two assholes, punching them the second they get off the ground, so I can’t fucking take a second to look. Both of them attack me back with lackluster punches and dead-weight kicks. They’re completely intoxicated and loaded up on drugs too, judging from the smell.
Still, two versus one is hard to take on, and I have trouble winning the fight. Every punch they manage to land hurts like a motherfucker, and I quickly have a bloody nose and mouth. But I don’t stop. I won’t stop. Not until they’re punished … not until she’s safe.
“What the fuck are you doing?” one of them growls at me.
“YOU DARE TO FUCKING TOUCH HER?!” I scream. “You think I’m gonna let you get away with that?” I punch the one who asked me that so hard blood pours from his nose. “WRONG!”
“COLE!” Michael yells. “They were just messing with her.”
I kick the other one in the face so hard it knocks him out flat onto the ground. I spit onto his body for good measure and then punch the other one with the bleeding nose again until he’s on his knees, begging for mercy.
“Okay, okay! I got it!” he says, almost falling down completely. “I’m sorry!”
“SORRY DOESN’T FUCKING CUT IT!” I scream.
Adrenaline rushes through my veins, pushing me to act, almost forcing me to push myself to my limits. To theirs. Because I want nothing more than to kill them right here on the spot.
Maybe I should. They fucking deserve it for what they tried to do to her.
No one, and I mean no one, touches her.
“She’s yours. We got it,” Michael says.
“You fucking know that’s not what this is about,” I hiss, sweat dripping from my face as I point at him. “You and your fucking buddies chased her out here. You knew damn well what the fuck you were doing.”
“They’re drunk and stupid,” he tries to explain.
“I DON’T FUCKING CARE!” I’m fuming to the point of turning red.
“Calm the fuck down, bro,” he says. “Nothing happened.”
“It almost did. Did you hear her screams?” I snarl back. “Fuck you, Michael. Fuck you.” I spit on the ground in front of him. “You’re a fucking disgrace.”
“You’re one to talk,” he retorts. “You fucking teased her to begin with. And I’m not supposed to enjoy it too?”
“What I do is none of your fucking business,” I say, getting all up in his face now.