Page 97 of The Devil’s Feather

“Have we?” Rafael raised a fist, and the blonde man flinched. “I was reasonable this time. I will not be in the future if you start this fuckshit again.”

I rushed into his arms. He kissed me roughly on the top of the head and herded me out of the shed. Deandra followed, and Benson took up the rearguard. The moment Rafael stepped through the door, the crowd cheered. He paused, clearly surprised by the gathering. Cops pushed through the search party, yelling orders.

“Rafael Nazim is a dangerous criminal who beats up women,” Molly shouted behind us as the police moved in. “I had to have reconstructive surgery because of him. He assaulted my boyfriend in public earlier this month. You should be arresting him, not me! Rabid animals should be put down.”

The police didn’t even have their guns drawn; they just herded her outside. Like they’d known all about this.

Rafael stopped dead. “Really, Molly? You terrorized my innocent girlfriend to get back at me for a PTSD reaction I could not control. One that you knowingly triggered. Truly fucking evil.”

Molly laughed like a Sailor Moon villain, complete with a hand in front of the mouth. Ever since a high school classmate tried to get me to date him by telling me I looked like Sailor Jupiter, I’d clung to the association with the tall brunette who beat up boys. And I was ready to fill this shithead with regret.

Come on, Jupiter Power, Make Up. Lemme electrocute her in the name of love!

The wind picked up, and a waft of lavender perfume hit me in the face; strong enough that Molly must have purposefully bathed in it. God, Rafael must have been triggered the entire time. Why wasn’t she in cuffs yet?

She tossed her long blonde hair. “When you find a cancerous tumor, you don’t just cut away the surface. All your kind are a blight to be removed.”

Rage blistered through me, hot and choking, as gasps and shouts rippled through the crowd. Even Chadlington Techbronius III took a step back.

“My kind? What, redheads? The only cancer here is your racist ass,” Rafael scoffed. Good, he didn’t take the bait. “This is why I could never bring myself to fuck you, Molly.”

Benson cackled. “Now there’s the Rafael Nazim we all know and hate.”

Molly’s head came up, nostrils flaring. “You still slicing yourself up, you fucking psychopath?”

This was getting way too personal. Rafael’s hands clenched into fists. His lips thinned, and a low growl rumbled in his chest. The tech bro stared at him, throat bobbing. No doubt recalling what it felt like to have his trachea slowly crushed by that muscular forearm. He laid a hand on Molly’s shoulder.

She shrugged him off and moved closer to Rafael. “You want to hit me so bad, I bet it makes you hard.”

Rafael took a deep breath and turned away, relaxing his hands. He did it! He de-escalated! Even if it was only due to sheer exhaustion, he’d kept his word. God, I was so proud of him.

I stepped between him and the jeering Molly. “At this point, I want to hit you too, you evil cunt.”

She shoved me. My fist flew of its own accord. I didn’t mean to. I couldn’t stop myself. Decked her right in the nose with a pop!

Molly screamed.

Rafael laughed.

Hands grabbed me, yanking me backward. Cops swarmed us both. What the fuck did I just do? My hand ached. My knee ached worse. Rafael caged me in his arms, backing away.

Stabbing at me with a finger, Molly screeched, “I will ruin your libe, you funcking bitch! I’mb gonna sue you straight to hell!”

“Try it.” Deandra’s voice sliced through hers like a knife. “You got at least twenty witnesses who videoed you putting your hands on her first. The cops saw it too. Clear self-defense.” To me, she mouthed, ‘Fuck yes!’

Tears of overwhelm stung my eyes, and I cradled my now-throbbing hand to my chest like it would protect me.

Rafael laughed. “Shame you paid all that money for a new nose, just to run your mouth and have it readjusted to look like mine.”

“You’re just jealous she got to hit mbe!” Molly spat.

“Bitch, Elaine just saved your life,” he snarled. “Too bad you never fucking learn from getting your shit rocked.”

I heard it all, but barely processed anything. My body shook uncontrollably, caught in the undertow of adrenaline dump. My knuckles throbbed. Rafael lifted me into his arms, carrying me through a stunned crowd over to the medics. They parted like the Red Sea.

“Sorry I said ‘bitch’ again,” Rafael muttered to me. He set me down. “My tongue is a bullwhip, and my aim is not always true.”

I sniffled, handing him my backpack full of supplies and his phone. “Better your tongue landing a rogue shot than your fists. I’m just happy to hear your voice.”