“It’s easy to see how you got my cousin to embrace the title ofboyfriend.”
The hand on my wrist releases and slides up to my face, fingertips brushing my cheek. I jerk away, trying to dodge his touch. Both my hands clamp around the one at my throat, but Jacob doesn’t budge—his grip only tightens.
“But you fight him. You like pissing him off, don’t you? Do you know what would make him completely insane?”
If I beat you up instead of him?
“If I fuck you.” Jacob breaks a hollow smile, unlined by any emotion around his eyes. “Ace will lose his shit. So what do you say, gorgeous? I promise, you’re going to love every second of it. I’ll be especially generous with you. I mean, look at you... You’re a fucking dream. He shouldn’t get to have you.”
I’m listening to his lewd bullshit, biding my time until my head stops spinning. It’s not the taser in my bag, but his drunken hubris that gives me the edge.
“First of all, you wouldn’t know how to satisfy my needs even if you had two dicks and an extra one sticking out of your forehead.”
“It’s that mouth of yours that does it for him, isn’t it? Have you shown him what else it’s good for?” He skims my lips. “Will you show me?”
I shove his hand away.
“Second of all, you’re a coward. Your beef is not with your cousin, but he’s the only one you can take your anger out on, without getting yourself killed. Isn’t that right?”
Jacob freezes, caught off guard.
My head is steady enough for me to finally act. I use his distraction to slip a hand into my bag, pull out the taser, and drive it into his ribs, switching it on.
He convulses, groaning, stumbling back. I follow right after, tasing him over and over again until he’s on the ground. A hard kick to his stomach knocks another groan out of him, which testifies to a job well done, even in my dizzy state.
Pulling my card from the bag, I open my room and rush inside.
I grab my bat from behind the door and bolt outside, only to find Link standing over Jacob, looking at me like he’s seen a unicorn with the horn sticking out of its ass.
“Hey, Link! What are you doing here?” I ask, flashing him abright, friendly smile as I swing the bat and hit Jacob’s thigh. My vision blurs with the rapid movement, and I widen my stance to hide my unsteadiness.
“Crazy bitch!” Jacob cries out.
Link glances at him, before settling his bewildered eyes on me, mouth slightly open, like the words won’t come out. Then he only utters, “Saving you?”
I stare at him.
He stares right back.
I guess I have to say what we’re both thinking.
“Oh! Well, that’s awkward.” I swing the bat, hitting Jacob’s thigh a second time. “Thank you, I guess. How did you know I... needed saving?”
“I saw his car nearby,” Link says, while I rest the bat over my shoulder. “You done with him?”
I take in the body squirming at my feet.
“I don’t know. I think he deserves to have his hand broken. The same one he dared to put on my throat. My brother would’ve chopped both your hands and shoved them up your ass, fucker!”
I squat down beside Jacob, who’s already shooting Link a ‘please get me out of here’ look. Sliding the bat off my shoulder, for a second, I honestly wonder if I’ll need it to keep myself from tipping forward—my head is pounding that hard.
“Now, will you be a good boy and stay away from me so I won’t have to break your hand?” He nods frantically. But that’s not enough for me. “Words, Jacob.”
“I’ll stay away from you,” he blurts out, pulling himself up a bit, but I stop his attempt with my bat in front of his face.
“See how we understand each other in a civil manner?”
Link lets out a weird choking sound that’s half laugh, half cough.
