Page 64 of Bound By Ink

I rub my face against the pillow, trying to remove the tape. Derren pushes harder, forcing his way in. He yanks on my hair, and the tape comes away, sticking to the pillow. With everything I have in me, I scream for help. Derren’s body pins mine as his hands cover my mouth.

There’s a knock at the door. A voice yells from the other side, “Delivery.”

They all freeze, and I take the opportunity to bite down on the hand over my mouth as he rips it away. I scream for help again at the top of my lungs. Derren throws his fist into my cheek. I’m dazed and try to shake it off as he grips my face.

“Delivery,” the voice shouts again through the door.

“Fuck, answer it and get them to fuck off,” Derren spits at one of his friends before leaning in. “I swear to God. I will fucking kill you if you make another sound.” He nods to his friend, and the door creaks open.

Killian

Chapter 35

I knock on the door. This feels so fucking weird, but I smile, waiting for him to answer. I knock again, wondering if he’s sleeping in. When there’s no answer, I try the door. It clicks open.

“Scott?” I shout from the doorway. There’s no answer, so I shout louder. I feel a little odd about just walking in now after everything, but then a dishevelled Steven appears at the top of the stairs in his boxer shorts.

“Fuck, dude, what’s with all the yelling?”

“Where’s Scott?”

“The fuck should I know?”

He turns and stalks back to his room. I step inside and head up to Scott’s room. As I walk inside, he’s not there. His phone is on the side, which rings alarm bells. He wouldn’t go anywhere without his phone. I pick it up and type in his passcode; it’s been the same forever. When his phone opens, I stare at the message.

Fucking Derren.

I slip his phone into my pocket and storm down the stairs. My blood boils. I climb into the car, slamming the door and screeching away from the curb. I’m seeing red,driving erratically, heading to Derren’s apartment. I don’t know why or what I’m gonna do when I get there, but I can’t think straight right now.

I pull up outside and press the first button on the apartment building’s door, and a woman answers.

“Hello?”

Keeping my voice calm and void of emotion, I say, “Hi, sorry to bother you, but I’m trying to find my friend, Derren. I can’t remember what number he lives at.” I picked Scott up one night, so I know he lives in this building, but I never knew which apartment was his.

She sighs and tells me the number. Before she can hang up, I rush out, “Thank you, can you buzz me in?”

She doesn’t reply, but the buzzer sounds, and I push inside. I stride up the stairs two at a time. When I reach his floor, there’s commotion coming from inside Derren’s apartment. I take a breath to calm my racing heart, half expecting to find them together, rage filling every fibre of my being. I don’t think we can come back from this if he chooses him again, but deep down, I know this is something more sinister. I reach his door, press my ear to it, and hold my finger over the peephole, and I knock on the door.

“Delivery,” I yell. That’s when I hear it.

“Help.” I freeze.

“Delivery,” I shout a little louder this time, restraining the panic from spilling into my voice. I take a step back, keeping my finger over the peephole. I clench my fist and lift my leg, and the door slowly opens. The chain rattles, and a face peers through the crack. He cries out when he sees me.

I kick the door, and it yanks against the chain. I step back and lift my leg higher, booting it again. Shouts from inside echo around the stairwell. As the wood splinters in the frame, the door flings open, and I push my way into the room.

Derren’s eyes widen when he jumps off Scott, whom he has pinned to the bed. I take in Scott’s position, his friend holding him, his jeans and boxers pulled down. His face red and bruised, tears streaming across his cheeks, his eyes terrified. Derren jumps back, his dick swinging from the front of his unzipped jeans. And I see red.

I storm inside, and I pull back and throw my fist at Derren. His eyes widen as I connect with his face. The crunch echoes around the room. Blood pours from his nose as he grabs for it, his eyes streaming, and he drops to the floor. I dive on top of him, grabbing his hair in my fist and ripping his head up. I crash my fist into him again, and a weight hits my back. I reach around, ripping at the back of his friend’s head, and throw him over my shoulder. He lands with a thud, the wind leaving him as his back crashes to the floor.

I punch Derren again. His face is bloody, and his lip and cheek are split open. His nose has exploded across his face, his eyes roll back, and his head lolls to the side. His friend is groaning in front of me, and I stand.

Fury spread across my face as I turn on the other guy. His hands raise, and I reach over and roll Scott over. His shaky hand reaches mine as I pull him straight into my arms. With him safely behind me, we walk backwards. I don’t take my eyes off the three bastards in the room. I keep Scott close as we step back.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, my glasses.” His voice shaky. There’s rustling as he scrambles to right himself. I stare around the apartment, and I find them. After rushing over and grabbing them, I hand them to him. Multiple bruises are visible all over him. He straightens his glasses on his face. I back through the door, turn, and tug him quickly down the stairs, pulling him through the building door and onto the pavement towards the car.