“Ryder.” I shook him, my heart pounding hard. “R-Ryder. Please?—”
Knowing I needed to get the hell out of there, I stood and turned to run back to my room to get my phone so I could call for help, but I came face to face with a big man dressed in all black, his face completely covered, sunglasses over his eyes.
He reached out for me, and I sprang into action. My knee came up and caught him in the groin. He let out a grunt of pain and doubled over.
I took that opportunity to hit him in the face as hard as I could before shoving him. He hit the floor with a soft groan, giving me enough time to run to the bedroom, where I closed the door and locked it, grabbed my phone, and dialed Anson.
“Hey, baby, I’m headed back in a few minutes?—”
“Ani. Ani!” I cried into the phone frantically as I heard footsteps approaching.
“LeeLee? What’s wrong?” His tone immediately changed.
“There’s someone here. Someone is in here! Ryder. Ryder is hurt! Please! Please!”
There was pounding on the door, and I scrambled to the bathroom, where I shut the door and locked it.
“Stay with me,” Anson said breathlessly. “I’m coming, baby.”
“I-I’m in the bathroom. I’ve locked the door,” I choked out, sliding to my ass against the wall as I watched the door. I could hear the loud banging on the bedroom door and knew it was going to come down. Whoever this was didn’t give a shit who heard him.
“H-He’s coming,” I rasped, hearing the door splinter and break before heavy footsteps sounded out. “He-He’s here.”
I could see his shadow beneath the door.
“Ani… I-I love you. T-Tell Evan and Klaus…I love them. Please. Tell them. Tell Ellis. Take care of h-her, please…”
“No. No. You fight, baby,” Anson shouted. “Fight him. Remember what we taught you? Get a weapon. Anything. Everything is a weapon.”
I nodded, and with shaky hands, I grabbed the blow dryer. There wasn’t much else in there to use.
“What do you have, baby? Talk to me,” Anson said as I heard the ding in the car, signaling he’d reached it and would be on his way to me. All I had to do was hold this guy off. Ani would handle him.
“A-A blow dryer,” I choked out. “There’s nothing else.”
“OK. Use it. Choke him if you have to. I’m coming, LeeLee. Fuck,” he rasped.
I cried out as whoever was on the other side of the door tried the handle before realizing it was locked. The pounding started, and I curled into myself.
“Rosalie. You need to get up and prepare to fight,” Anson said thickly. “Get up, baby. You have to do this.”
“I’m scared. I’m scared,” I whimpered, my face flooded with tears. “Ani, please… hurry.”
“I’m hurrying. FUCK! Baby, hang up with me and call downstairs. Tell them you need help. Tell them to call the cops?—”
“I-I can’t. I can’t hang up. I need you,” I cried softly. “Ani…”
“Fuck, LeeLee,” he said thickly, a soft sob coming from him as the pounding grew louder and more intense. “Just… fight. I’m coming. I’m coming.”
The door began to splinter, and I struggled to my feet. I placed the phone on speaker and put it on the sink.
Ani was right. I had to fight.
I moved to the other side of the door and got a good grip on the blow dryer, my hands shaking. Anson swore again onthe phone. I could hear him trying to hold it together. It was breaking my heart.
A moment later, the door crashed to the floor. The man had obviously been kicking it.
He stepped inside the room, and I let the blow dryer swing. It caught him on the side of the head, sending him stumbling sideways. I hit him again, and he fell against the wall.
