Knox holds out his hand,helping me descend the narrow staircase in boots that were surely created as a death sentence. Taking a seat in a chair adjacent to where Jason sits, I fold my arms across my chest, waiting for him to make the first move.
Knox leans back against the stage, watching Jason like a hawk stalking its prey, getting ready to swoop in and attack the moment his guard is down.
“The fuck are you doing here, Candace? Did you fucking follow me?” He steadies his expression.
I hold his stare, unmoving, unwilling to break this façade I’m wearing as a mask, as a girl no longer affected by her abuser. He stands and saunters over to me, placing one hand on the back of my chair, the other hangs loosely around my throat. I can see Knox's hands ball into fists from the corner of my eye, and I give him a look that tells him not to react.Not yet. Jason leans forward, bringing his face only inches from my own.
“You think this is cute?” He gazes down the length of my body. I stiffen as his grip tightens a little more like a noose aroundmy throat. “You want to prance around looking like a fucking whore? I know you won’t spread your legs for anyone but me, but you love to be a fucking tease now, don’t you?”
My words come out through gritted teeth.
“Let go of me.” His features darken, and my heart begins thumping rapidly in my chest.
“You have about ten seconds to remove your hand from her throat, before I remove your hand from your body.” Knox chimes in from a few feet away. His voice is stern, like his words are not a warning, but a promise he’ll fulfill with one bold move. His body has visibly tensed, and I know it’s taking everything in him to not react.
Jason’s unpredictable, and judging by his dilated pupils, he's done several lines of blow tonight, just as I had suspected, making him even more of a danger to myself and others around us. He ignores Knox completely and continues to bore into me. I should watch what I say, tread carefully as this vile man looms over me, but I don't.
“Do you not feel any guilt?”
A wicked smile stretches across his face. “Guilt? For what? For having a good time with the guys and blowing off some steam? Get your head out of your ass, Candace. You and your condescending cunt don’t belong here. Although if you stick around, one of these bitches could teach you a thing or two.”
“Fuck you,” the words fly out of my lips like spitting poison. Jason grabs me by the chin, holding my face in his hand, squeezing me so tight I cry out at the pain, begging him to let go. I lash out my arms, swinging and clawing, trying to make contact so that he will release me. But he just laughs.
“Fucking pathetic.” He shoves my face back so hard that my body loses balance, and I fall from my chair to the floor. In a matter of seconds, Knox is by my side, making sure I’m okay before turning his focus to the problem at hand. Jason laughs atmy suffering, and his friends follow suit. I feel humiliated, completely mortified, but also enraged. “Mouthy bitch.” He spits on me, and a sob breaks loose from deep in my chest. What did I think was going to happen?
Everything happens so quickly. One minute, I’m sobbing on the floor under the scrutiny of a man who was supposed to love me, and the next, that man’s face is smashed into the tiles, gasping for air beneath the weight of Knox’s body. He has Jason pinned to the ground on his stomach with his arms strained behind his back. Jason continues to run his mouth, struggling to get out of his grip, cussing him out and threatening to kill him, though Knox doesn’t seem phased in the slightest.
“That will be the last time you ever lay a hand on her,” Knox says, and a chill travels down my spine at the steadiness of his voice. “All of you,” he glances to Jason’s friends, “get the fuck out.” They look to one another and then down at Jason.
“Catch you later, man.” His buddy nods, clearly smarter than my ex-boyfriend. Jason seethes, squirming and thrashing his body, trying to get out from under Knox’s hold.
“Hey, you alright, Sweetness?” He looks me over, really inspecting me this time, checking my body for bruises and marks. The darkness swirling within his eyes is almost inhuman. I’ve never seen such a dark shade of blue.
“I’-I’m okay.”
He reaches out his hand for me to take while continuing to kneel against Jason’s back, keeping him pinned down, crushed into the floor.Chivalry, even when kicking ass.Here come those fanny flutters again. I take his hand and rise to my feet, adjusting myself. When I lock eyes with Knox again, I can see that he’s grinning from ear to ear.
“Beautiful as ever.” Heat rises to my cheeks, and for a split second, I forget where we are and that my ex-boyfriend is being smooshed by this stranger who gets me hot and bothered.
“Get the fuck off of me, you piece of shit!” Jason shouts. We both look at the pathetic sack of flesh.
Knox leans down and speaks to him, steady but intentional. It sets my nerves on fire.
“I’m going to get off of you now, and you're going to calmly get to your feet. No fuss, no dramatic outbursts, understood?”
Jason doesn't answer. Knox presses his knee deeper into Jason’s back until he shouts an almost inaudible “Yes, FUCK! Just get off!” Knox stands up, releasing his restrained wrists and takes two long strides towards me, never turning his back on Jason. He pulls my body behind him, shielding me from whatever may happen next. Jason looks to him, and then to me and begins to laugh. His laugh is manic as blood runs down the side of his mouth.
“You think she’s something special?” His laughter gets louder. “I’ll tell you what, you slip me a fifty and you can take her around back and lick the dust off her cunt.” Knox doesn’t even hesitate. He swings, striking Jason in the center of his face. I hear acrack.And blood spurts in every direction.
“You son of a bitch–” He lunges for Knox, in an attempt to take down this man made of steel.
Knox maneuvers his hands, twisting Jason’s body at an awkward angle, placing him in a headlock, unable to move or escape from Knox’s grasp. He leans down, lowering his voice and speaks to Jason with ease.
“Did I not just say no dramatic outbursts?”
“I’m going to fucking kill you,” he grits through his teeth, and I can see the embarrassment and rage written across his face.
I stand there in awe of what is happening before me, and panic starts to set in. I didn’t think of what this would result in after leaving here tonight. When I’m back home, alone, withhim. He’s really going to kill me.
