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Matthew
“Piper sure has been gonefor a long time,” Vanessa glances worriedly in the direction of our room, as though she can see straight through the walls to check on her.
Leo shrugs, “she probably stopped in the bathroom, dear.”
At first I make myself wait, knowing full well that if I go looking for her the chances of us fucking again are significantly high. But after a few more minutes I’m tired of waiting for her and I decide to take matters into my own hands. It’s not like Piper to get distracted and make people wait for no reason, she’s not that inconsiderate. Glancing at our parents faces I can tell they’re beginning to think the same thing.
I can’t help but ponder what might have delayed her, which makes me wonder if I maybe misunderstood what she said. Was I supposed to go after her despite her saying I shouldn’t? That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but I honestly can’t come up with another plausible explanation. It’s not like she got kidnapped or something from inside the hotel! Besides, the pleasant image of Piper waiting in bed for me to come and ravage her puts a slight grin on my face, which I turn into a confident smile. That’s definitely got to be it!
“I’ll go look for her,” I volunteer, hoping my expression comes off as reassuring and not horny as a dog. “Don’t worry, I’m sure she didn’t get far.”
I stroll off casually, but once I’m out of sight I break into an eager power walk. The whole way I’m assailed by the mental image of Piper laying on the bed, her legs spread wide, inviting me to bury my face between her naked thighs… I burst into our room a couple minutes later, so convinced that this was all just a clever ploy to buy us time for more sex, that I’m both surprised and disappointed that the room is empty.
“Where the hell did she go?” I mutter to myself, glancing around for some sort of clue. At this point I’m starting to get incredibly worried. What if she did get abducted from inside the hotel?!
I see her socks laid out to dry, so I know she’s been here, but the only other thing that’s been disturbed is her phone. That’s when it hits me. The call last night. Someone was asking her a lot of questions and she seemed to be pretty uncomfortable about it. Then I remember the bruises that were on her arm and I’m convinced it has to be the same person.
With a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach I reach for the phone, meaning to flip through it and see who called last night, but I hesitate. I don’t want to invade her privacy, but at the same time, if she’s in trouble I can’t ignore it. I know this woman shouldn’t be anything more than a fuck buddy, someone to have some fun in bed with, but I care about her and the idea of someone treating her badly infuriates me.
I turn on the display, hoping she’ll forgive the incursion.
“Holy shit,” I mutter when I see all the missed messages she has. It only takes a little bit of digging to find out where she probably is. I’m a relieved that my snooping wasn’t all for not, but that feeling is very short lived.
Storming out of the room, I stalk down the hallway. I’m not exactly pleased to find out why that Stew guy was questioning me outside the gym the other day. It’s obvious he’s hung up on Piper and sees me as a threat. I can’t really blame him for that, I’m a huge fucking threat and Piper is definitely worth going crazy for. Unfortunately for him, he’s not worthy of her, even if I wasn’t interested, I’d have that same opinion. She deserves to be treated right, shown respect and dignity and to not be harassed by some mouth breather. Which is exactly why I’m going to put a stop to it.
It doesn’t take me long at all to reach the spot where Piper was supposed to meet Stew. I come down the hall toward them just in time to see that prick hit her in the face. A blinding anger rocks me to my core and hurry the last couple of steps to catch her so she doesn’t fall. I know she’s surprised to see me there, but I ignore her for the moment.
My temper continues to burn hot, threatening to turn me into a raging beast if I let it. I fight to hold myself in check. I know what I’m capable of, the sort of damage I could inflict, but I also know that the pain I want to cause him would be absolutely excessive. As much as I wish it wasn’t, as much as I wish I could unleash this wrath and deliver a swift justice determined by solely my own anger, I have to keep some measure of control here. It wouldn’t matter to the world that he hurt Piper first, all they would see is a soldier coming undone and that’s not what this is at all.
Of course that single shred of sensibility isn’t going to stop me completely. I’m just going to prevent myself from ripping the man’s head off and cramming it down his throat. He’s still going to get his ass whooped!
I grab him by the hair and start to drag him outside, but he panics and tries to fight me off. His sloppy attempts to dislodge me cause me to let out a mirthless peel of laughter. “Stick to roughing up women, dick bag,” I snort and slug him in the gut with my full strength. He doubles up, heaving so hard I’m surprised he doesn’t puke all over the carpet. If it weren’t for my other hand still holding onto his hair he damn sure would have crumpled to the floor like tissue paper.
Now that he’s more malleable I try again, giving his scalp a harsh tug and yanking him forcibly toward the resort entrance. A couple of the staff start to intercept me, but one glance at the look on my face and every one of them thinks better of it. I walk him straight through the lobby, ignoring the shocked stares that follow me to the double doors. Using the scumbag as a battering ram I roughly thrust him into the wood. The doors don’t budge because they don’t actually open that way, but it doesn’t stop me from trying a few more times.
“Oh, I’m sorry man, forgot you have to pull to open.” My grin is dark and cold, completely devoid of humor. I move him out of the way, then use my free hand to open the door.
When I’ve got him outside I shove him into the nearest snowbank and stand above him, an unwavering statue of hard muscle and steel guts. I haven’t felt this empowered, this much like a man in four years. Everyone in Holden knows that I’m no push over, I held my own through every scrap I’ve ever been in. After my deployment though, I’ve been doubting my own resolve and strength, but not after this. Now I know I can still do what needs to be done to protect my family and that sort of self revelation is paramount to me conquering my demons.
For the moment, looking after my family means dealing with the trash sprawled out in front of me on the ground like a bitch. I grin, taking a great deal of pleasure in what I have to say. “You come near Piper again, you fucking bastard and I’ll beat your skull into the ground. Is that clear shit-fucker?”
He groans as he cautiously comes to his feet, being careful not to get too close to me. His gaze flicks over to Piper, who followed us all the way out here. I know she’s not the only one, I can hear people whispering behind me, but I don’t bother to look.
Gingerly rubbing his stomach, Stew fixes me with a resentful glower. “Sure whatever, you fucking psycho,” he spits on the ground at my feet. I have to resist the impulse to punch him again as recompense for the rude gesture. “Have fun with your slutty stepsister, I know I did.”
I let out a deep growl, not about to let him get away with insulting Piper’s honor, not after he already raised his hand to her. Before I can pounce and rip him to shreds though, Piper is at my side, grabbing onto my arm and silently holding me back. “He’s not worth it,” she whispers. I can hear the concern in her tone, concern for me.
Stew eyes me warily as he starts to back away, seizing his chance to flee. It’s the first smart thing he’s done all day. If it weren’t for Piper stopping me from doing something stupid, that arrogant shit would be a smear on the icy pavement by now. Not wanting to consider what might have happened if I’d lost control, I turn around to face Piper, intending make sure she’s alright and to thank her, but the sound of my name makes all the blood in my body freeze.
“Matty?” My Mother is standing a few feet away, staring wide-eyed at me, fear and sorrow dominating her features. I know that look; she’s about to freak out.
