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He shifts enough that I get my leg free and try to knee him again. He slams me back into the wall, knocking the breath from my lungs. I gasp, trying to breathe with his hand smashed against my face. His breath is hot on my neck, putrid with the stench of beer.
His hand slips and I get my teeth into the flesh of one of his fingers. I bite down as hard as I can. He lets go, but before I can move, he hits me across the face.
Pain explodes across my jaw, up the side of my head. I stagger to the side.
“Stupid bitch,” he yells.
Instantly, his hands are on me again, and I’m up against the cold wall. My mouth is on fire and I think I hit my head against the wall, but I’m too disoriented to know for sure. My vision swims, and I hear the sound of fabric ripping.
His hand clamps over my mouth again and he stops, pressing me up against the wall. I hear a squeak, like hinges, and I realize someone is opening the door a crack.
I yell through his hand, but it’s muffled. My shirt is ripped wide open, and I can taste blood. I struggle harder, willing whoever is at the door to open it all the way.
Please. Hear me out here. Please.
“Selene, are you out here?”
I scream again and drive my elbow up, into the underside of his jaw. I don’t hit him hard, but it’s enough to make him loosen his grip on my mouth.
“Help!”
The door flies open and Ronan steps out. His eyes widen and he lunges, throwing a punch that knocks the guy’s head to the side.
The guy recovers almost instantly, answering back with a punch of his own. Ronan ducks out of the way, but another swing connects. Ronan takes the hit across the jaw and barrels into the other guy, landing another punch to his face.
Ronan’s eyes are wild. “I’ll fucking kill you.”
The guy steps back, like he’s not sure he wants to finish this fight. Ronan darts in and the guy blocks. He’s drunk, but he seems to know what he’s doing. Ronan doesn’t let up, coming at him again despite the blood dripping down his chin. He lands a punch to the guy’s gut, then another. The guy grunts and staggers to the side.
Ronan swings again and clocks him alongside the head. The guy seems to hover in the air for half a second, before his legs buckle and he collapses to the ground in a heap.
I take a shuddering breath while Ronan stands over him, breathing hard, fists opening and closing. He turns to me, his eyes still wide.
I grab the tattered shreds of my shirt with shaking hands and try to hold them together. Tears stream down my face; I can’t stop them.
Ronan rushes over to me, taking off his coat. Gently, he puts it around me and holds it closed while I slip my arms into the sleeves.
“Come here,” he says and wraps me in his arms. “Did he hurt you?”
I nod against his chest and he pulls away. I take a trembling breath. “Get me out of here. Please.”
Ronan puts an arm around my shoulders and leads me through the alley toward the street. I spare half a thought for the guy lying unconscious behind us, but I’m so terrified I just want to get away from him.
“I’m parked up here,” Ronan says. He holds me tight while we walk up the street, and my hands clutch the lapels of his coat, keeping it closed around me.
He pulls out a key and lights blink on a dark Mercedes sedan. He opens the passenger door and ushers me in, then goes around and gets in the driver’s side.
“Where’s your house?” he asks. His hands grip the steering wheel and his voice is thick with tension.
I give him directions and he pulls out into the street, taking me home.
