The corner of my mouth tipped up. “Let’s find out, shall we.”
She fought when I spun her around – which was hot as fuck, but utterly useless. I had her wrists in my hand and back pressed up against the wall in under thirty seconds. That’s when rage really rolled through my veins. Her abdomen wasn’t the only thing marked up.
There was a bruise on her thigh, shoulder, upper right arm, and left breast. That one really pissed me off. Buried deep in the purple and yellow injury were distinct knuckle impressions.
“Who the fuck did this to you!?”
Harper’s bottom lip trembled as unshed tears glimmered in her eyes. “I fell.”
My jaw ticked.
Don’t know why I bothered to ask. Of course she would say shit, because for some fucked up reason she felt the need to protect whoever beat the shit out of her.
Let’s see just how much she wants to protect this fucker.
“Alright, keep your secret if you want, Freckles. But just know, the longer you keep your mouth shut, the more time I have to think about what I’m going to do to this motherfucker.” I bent over to growl in her ear, “And I know a lot of ways to make someone scream.”
She didn’t say a thing as I felt her stiffen under my hold. I took a second to memorize each and every mark on her body before letting her go. Harper crumpled down on the floor and tucked her knees into her chest.
“You make me sick.” I shook my head and walked out. “Get dressed.”
I stormed out with the intention of going into my room to pound the shit out of the punching bag I had hung next to my bed. That thing had saved me more times than I could remember.
When I’d wake up in the middle of the night covered in a coat of sweat, I’d take my anger and frustration out on the bag. My nightmares had gotten worse over the past year. I’d replaced the bag three times and the one I had currently hung up was on its last breath.
That idea went out the window when I heard my name echo down the hall.
“Mason Kessler, you arsehole!”
I groaned and rolled my eyes. Fucking Star, just what I needed. Sighing, I spun around and crossed my arms. Silas was behind his girl, who was wagging her finger in the air while storming my way.
“Where the bloody hell is she?”
Silas shrugged when I eyed him. “Sorry man.”
Yeah, sure. Pussy whipped prick. I’d get him back for this.
“Well?” Star snapped her fingers in my face. “Where is she?”
I cocked a brow down at the tiny platinum blonde. “Where’s who?”
I knew full well who she was talking about. In fact, the person Little Miss Savior was trying to protect was right through the door next to her. Was I about to tell her that? Fuck no.
“You know bloody well who I’m talking about.” She placed her hand on her cocked hip. “I talked to Shelby.”
Of course she did.
“I don’t have time for this.” I waved her off and turned to leave, but Star reached out and grabbed the back of my shirt.
“If you don’t tell me where she is…”
“You’ll what!” I snapped and spun around to face her. “What the fuck are you gonna do?”
Something in the back of my head told me to back off when Star puffed her chest up and glared back at me, but the powder keg was open, and I had no idea how to close it.
“Huh Star? Tell me, cause I’d like to know how the fuck you think you can protect her from me when you had no idea someone was beating the shit out of her?”
It was pure speculation that Star didn’t know, but that assumption was confirmed by the way her mouth tipped down.
