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Prologue
My heart races as my car barrels down the dirt street. Most of the trailers I pass have their lights off for the night. No one notices as I fly by, going well over the legal speed limit to make it to my friend’s house in time. In the cupholder, my phone lights up with frantic text messages from my best friend.
I’m coming, Pianna!
Her screams of terror over the phone earlier, haunt me. The venom in her boyfriend’s voice as he promised from somewhere in the background, that she’d never see sunlight again, had caused a stone to drop in my chest. Joey has always been a loose cannon but tonight, something changed. I don’t know if it’s alcohol or drugs driving this behavior, but I know from past phone calls from Pianna, he’s capable of anything.
Yet she’s stuck with him each and every time he’s messed up.
I mean, I can see the initial appeal. Joey Perez is a relatively attractive guy. The tattoos, piercings, and bad boy look have always been my thing. But personality is important for me too. The guys I end up with usually lack any, and no matter how much I want it to work out, I end up calling it quits when it’s clear they only want one thing from me.
There’s no way in hell I’d ever tolerate anything that Joey has ever done. But Pianna has a thing for broken guys, so of course, she gravitated toward this one.
And now look where her bad choices have led her.
My foot presses on the gas as the last trailer comes into sight. The headlights of my car cast light onto the dark trailer. I hit the brakes. My car fishtails, skids a few feet, then comes to an abrupt halt. Quickly, I turn it off and scramble out into the night. My feet hardly touch the ground as I run. Without hesitation, I jump up the three steps and fling open the front door.
“—bitch! You took itbackto them? Do you understand that you just signed my death warrant?”
Joey’s roar of anger weaves through the house. The sound of shattering glass follows.
I follow his voice to the master bedroom. Flinging open the partially cracked door, I find Pianna on the floor, bleeding from her temple, and blood staining the carpet. She’s laying on her side, barely moving, while Joey towers over her. Her sobs are cut off as she looks up and Joey turns around to face me. His face is ruddy, covered in sweat, and veins bulge from his temple.
“You!”
A cold, half smile pulls at my mouth as I hold his gaze. “That’s right, it’sme.”
I know this house almost as well as I know the foster one I grew up in several miles down the road. I’m here more often than not, so when I reach for the baseball bat leaning against the dresser beside me without even looking, the motion comes naturally.
“Get the fuck out of here you stupid bitch!” Joey snaps, turning all the way around to face me.
I can tell by the glaze in his dark black eyes that he’s high as hell.
“Get away from Pianna,now!”
Joey bares his teeth at me as he snarls. “Mind your business or you’ll be next, do you hear me?”
“I’m giving you one more chance, Joey. Move!”
“Briella,” Pianna whimpers as she sits up slowly.
At the sound of my name, Joey looks over his shoulder and kicks his foot back. The heel of his foot strikes Pianna in the middle of her face. Anger rages through me and helps add some much needed strength to the swing of my attack. Joey turns around too late. The crack of the wooden bat against his jaw sounds like I’ve hit a home run. Joey goes flying sideways before crashing into the bed and slumping over. My breath catches in my throat. Oh god, did I just…?
When he groans, I let out a heavy sigh of relief. Keeping hold of the bat, I race over to Pianna and kneel down beside her.
“Pia? Can you get up?”
“Y-yeah, I-I can get up,” she gasps as tears slide down her face.
I want to break down with her. Having been my best friend since I was seven, Pianna and I have been through everything together. She’d been there when potential adoption opportunities had arisen only to pass me by. Pianna was always there for me when my foster father occasionally got drunk and took his anger out on me rather than my foster mother. She was even there when I’d lost my virginity to the high school quarterback who’d left me on the side of the road once we were done fooling around. She’d stolen her mother’s car, picked me up, and together, we cried about the loss of my innocence. She’s my ride or die and I’m hers.
Seeing her in pain has my heart breaking and my vision turning red. No one touches my Pianna. Ever.
On the bed, Joey groans and starts to move.
“Shit, come on, he’s getting up!” I drop the baseball bat to grab one of Pianna’s arms and fling it over my shoulder. She leans heavily on me when she gets to her feet, and as best I can, I shuffle us out of the room and then out of the trailer.
“Get back here, you bitches!” Joey’s voice, though weak, is full of wrath.
