I stepped back. "Get the fuck out of here!" I screamed the words as loud as I could.
But he kept coming closer. The slow pace was almost maddening. "They won't hear you," he said. "Derek just called J.D. a fucking pussy."
Which meant he'd planned this. That meant no one was coming to save me, but I was used to that. Long ago, I'd learned how to save myself. I also wasn't unarmed.
"So what do you want?" I asked, moving away from the sinks so I'd have more room.
"I told you to leave," Austin growled. "I made it clear you'd regret it. Now you're corrupting everything. You've ruined it!" The last came out as some kind of crazy scream.
And the look in his eyes? He wasn't trying to scare me this time. No, I was pretty sure he'd snapped. That meant trading words was about the dumbest thing I could do. My only chance was to get the fuck out of this bathroom where someone might have a chance toseewhat was happening.
"Yeah?" I asked. "Well, fuck you, Austin."
And I rushed him. He grabbed for me, but I shoved him to the side, hoping to slip around him. It almost worked, but he caught a fistful of my hair and slung me back, around, and down.
My back hit the tile floor, and he was on me. His fists came first. Stars exploded behind my eyes with the first hit. The second made my ears ring, and I was pretty sure my eyes were watering, but I didn't give up. I kicked. I scratched. Most of all, I tried to curl up in a ball.
And the whole time, I was screaming as loud as I could.
When I tried to slide away, Austin slung me back down, under him again. I lashed out, struggling to punch with myvision filled with tears, but my fist skipped off his cheek. He hit me again for that, and this time I didn't even see it coming.
In desperation, I slung my head forward. My brow crashed into something, making my entire world spin, but Austin cried out in pain. Blinking the tears away, I took the chance to reach into my boot, grabbing the hard metal handle. My fingers were almost on it, then Austin slung me sideways, right into one of the metal pillars between the stalls.
But I didn't let go. The knife slid out of the holster, and while it was still in my boot, it was also between my fingertips. I pushed my hand farther down - and got it.
The split second it took was too much, though. He grabbed my throat and shoved, cracking the back of my head on the tile floor. Needing to get away from him, I lunged again, but something held me back: my shirt.
Austin pulled. Fabric tore. Everything was moving so fast, I couldn't keep up, but I was still holding that knife.
"Die, you fucking bitch," he snarled.
Something wet was trickling down my cheek. Tears? Blood? I didn't know and didn't care. Scrambling backwards on my ass and hands, I needed to get just far enough away to switch hands. I had the knife. I wanted it in my right hand!
He grabbed my leg and pulled, but that was the one second I needed. Passing the knife from my left side to my right, I hit the button and kicked with my free leg.
"Touch me and I will make you stop!" I screamed. "I will kill you if you don't stop!"
He didn't stop.
"I'm going to rape your dead body and let that queer boy find it!" he roared as he lunged.
And I lifted the knife right into his gut.
The first stab made him gasp. His eyes went wide, but that didn't mean he stopped fighting. A fist slammed into my throat.Another punched me in the gut. The air rushed from my lungs, and his hand closed around my neck, but I stabbed again, higher this time.
Stop,I was begging in my mind, unable to make any more words come out.Just stop. I don't want to do this. I don't want to be here. I won't let you kill me!
And I kept stabbing and stabbing, pretty sure I wasn't hitting the right places, but not caring about that. I just needed him to stop!
He wasn't.
Chapter 84
We all heardit at the same time. The moment Derek walked away, there was a sound that was a lot like a scared woman. I looked around. A few of the others did as well, and then my eyes landed on Cody's bag.
"Cody!" I roared, taking off that way.
I wasn't the only one, but my taller size also meant longer legs. The bathroom wasn't far, and I didn't give a shit who else was in there. I hit the door hard, at a run, and bounced off the far wall. Jake rushed in behind me, proving he was damned near keeping up, and the pair of us slid around the fucking bends in this place.
