“You’re dead, bitch,” he said with a smile.
Right as he aimed the gun at my forehead, there was a crash behind him. The meathead spun around, grunted, and took off back toward the living room.
I wasn’t waiting around for that asshole to come back to kill me. I got up, grabbed my backpack, and headed to the window and the fire escape.
Grunts, curses and another crash of something drew my attention. I knew I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t help myself. I dropped my backpack, tiptoed down the hall and peeked around the corner. The floor lamp by the sofa was toppled over and its glass shade was broken. The only light was coming through the curtains.
A battle was going on my living room. The original meathead and another huge guy. I couldn’t see this new guy’s face, but he landed an exceptionally hard punch to the side of the meathead’s temple.
Meathead crumpled forward and fell onto his hands and knees, but there was a gun his hand.
“Gun,” I shouted. I had to warn my would-be savoir from being shot. However, the meathead turned his head and saw me in the hallway.
He grinned and aimed the gun at me. “You’re dead, bitch.”
I sucked in a breath, for certain I was going to die. An instant later, the meathead went face down on the floor with a bullet in the back of his head.
A scream tore from my throat as I spun around and raced to the bedroom. I slammed the door and locked it, but stumbled as I moved backward—tripping over my own feet.
When I reached the window, I tried frantically to open it. Too late. The bedroom door crashed open and there were two—two!— men looming in the doorway.
“Regi.”
At first, it didn’t register that they were calling my name. Then arms wrapped around my middle and I started to fight with everything I had.
“Damn it, Regi—it’s me!”
The deep, raspy voice finally pierced my brain and I paused to look up at the face I saw last night. “Krew?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” His voice gentled. Krew released me, and he cupped my cheeks. “Come on, we need to get out of here.”
I was so stunned and confused that I didn’t realize that I was shaking my head no. “Wh-what are you doing here?” I gasped. “Are you the meathead’s partner? Are you Grater… Him…” I stabbed the air repeatedly in the direction of the hallway.
“I have no idea who that was, or anybody named Grater. We’re here to rescue you,” Krew said with urgency. “We’ll explain later.”
“What? What do you mean we?” I shook off Krew’s hand and took a step back. “That doesn’t make any sense. What do you mean rescue me?” I squeezed myself into a corner of the room—Brilliant move, Regi. Now you’re trapped.
I stood there, shaking and refusing to look at the man I once cared about.
“Exactly what it means.” The sharp, penetrating voice had my eyes darting to the door, and every molecule of air in my lungs evaporated. The last person I expected to see was standing there.
Decker Moss. “Hello, Regina.”
Then I saw black.
Regina’s Diary
August 24th, 2013
Dear Diary,
This is bad, Diary. I can’t explain how horrible I feel. My insides feel like they are being ripped out through my crotch and butt. My face hurts from the bruises and so does my ribs.
I can’t even go to the bathroom without it hurting, without crying in pain. The bleeding finally stopped, but the agony I’m going through hasn’t. I can’t tell anybody what happened. Maya is the only one I can trust. She is sworn to secrecy.
This was supposed to be the best summer before my senior year—now everything has gone wrong—Dear God, I swear I can still feel him inside me. Make the misery go away.
I can still smell his sweat on me, and his nasty breath in my face. I jump at every little noise I hear, for fear he’s coming after me. I cry, knowing I can’t ever look Krew in the face again and not see his brother. I can’t ever tell Decker, or he’d go to jail for murder.
