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His hand slapped over my mouth, cutting off any noise I would have made as he shoved me against the wall. My heart hammered in my chest, the room spinning around me as I struggled to get free.
He smirked again, the twisted look of triumph making me want to claw it off his face as he forced me to stay still. “That’s more like it. Now let’s see what you’ve got to offer.”
His hand drifted, sliding under the slit in the side of my dress and I shuddered. I needed to get free and call for help, or at least run!
Before I could do anything though, the door opened and the man stiffened, yelling. “The bathroom is occupied.”
I struggled harder against his hand, not able to see who came in but needing them to understand that this was not consensual.
I didn’t have to worry, because in my next heartbeat, the creep was ripped away. Relief tore through me and I dropped, inching back until I was partway under the sink. When the urge to run or hide somewhat died down, I finally took in the situation.
William stood with his back to me, every inch of his frame tensed as he pinned the slime to the wall. His grip was iron, unyielding and steady as he snarled.
“You should’ve left when you were told.”
His voice throbbed with something dangerous, and I shivered. Not once in all the years I’d known him had I heard that tone. It promised blood and pain to anyone who tried to cross him.
If I hadn’t known William as long as I had, I would run screaming.
The creep fought against his hold in much the same way I’d struggled earlier, his previous bravado disappearing in a blink as he sputtered. “Hey man, no need to get angry-.”
William punched him, cutting off anything else he would have said. The crack rang through the bathroom and I winced, watching as blood rolled down the creep’s face from his nose. He looked straight out of a horror movie with how his eyes were bulged wide, and my stomach rolled with unease.
He looked at me, the glint from before still there as I tried to huddle further under the sink. “Just set me down man, she ain’t worth a beating. I’ll go and-.”
William knocked his arm back and let it fly, another crunch sounding as he snarled.
“You said you’d leave her alone last time, and then what do I see? You following her into the lady’s room.”
He shuddered, still trying to break free of William’s grip. “I didn’t know-.”
Another punch and I looked away, the blood turning my stomach as William shouted. “Bullshit, you knew she wasn’t comfortable with you, and that should have been enough!”
Distantly I heard alarmed shouts and running footsteps coming toward us. I barely had time to blink before the door opened again and Alice came racing in, her eyes sweeping the bathroom before landing on me.
She only glanced at her brother once before making her way over, concern and anger painting her expression as she gently pulled me out from under the sink.
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” She asked, and I nodded, then shook my head. The room was still spinning a bit, and the longer I was stuck in here with him the worse it was getting.
Her eyes softened and she led me out of the bathroom, calling over her shoulder as she did. “We’re going to be back at the booth whenever you finish with him.”
William grunted wordlessly, his eyes flicking over me with clear concern. When our gazes locked, some of the blind fury eased, and he nodded toward the main bar. “Go on, I’ll be with you two in a bit.”
I didn’t fight Alice as she led me out, the door shutting just as William turned burning eyes on the creep again.
Letting myself be pressed into a booth, I distantly heard the bartender asking if everything was alright, but I couldn’t make out anything past that. Alice was probably explaining, but none of the words were penetrating the buzzing in my head.
What would have happened if William hadn’t noticed him following me?
My stomach dropped, adrenaline nearly sending my heart out of my chest as flashes of how this could have gone hit. Only someone naïve wouldn’t know what he would have done, and I fought the urge to curl into a ball and hide at the thought.
Tears burned my eyes and I sucked in a breath, Alice’s hand rubbing soothing circles over my back as I tried to steady myself.
It wasn’t until bigger, calloused hands settled over mine that I focused on the present. Through the fog, I saw Will crouched in front of me, his face set in a stony mask of anger and worry as he asked.
“Did he hurt you?”
Alice grumbled from the side that she’d already asked that, but I just shook my head, finally managing to speak past the fear choking me. “No, he didn’t manage to do anything yet. He just-.” The words died, and I gestured to the slit up my dress.
