Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 14883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 74(@200wpm)___ 60(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 14883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 74(@200wpm)___ 60(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
As someone who’s generally nonviolent, I can’t wait to get my hands on that fucker. He’s gonna realize how badly he’s messed up this time. No one scares my girl like that and walks away unscathed. And now he’s probably doubling down. Maybe I should’ve dragged him to the police station when I had the chance.
When I reach the third floor, he’s banging his fists outside her door. Checking to see the CCTVs, I rush to him. He’s so preoccupied with Piper that he fails to notice someone else with them.
I grab the back of his collar and slam him against the wall. He gets up on his feet and rears his arm back. His eyes are manic and crazed, and I’m not sure he’s mentally here. I stand there while he throws a punch to my chest, not bothering to dodge or try to protect myself.
And here I thought he’d be stronger.
That attempt to hurt me is as lame as the guy himself.
“This is your best shot, buddy? Here. Let me show you how to actually do it.”
His body posture loosens, and his eyebrows scrunch together. It’s like he doesn’t know what I’m talking about, so I show him.
It’s the sound of his nose breaking that finally does it. He howls in pain, slumping to the floor and trying to stop the blood dripping from his nose. I faintly hear Ben’s footsteps behind me, and the moment I turn, Piper throws herself into my arms.
My arms go around her to hold her close, and I bury my face in her golden locks. “It’s all right now, baby. I’m here. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise you.”
She chokes on a sob and tightens her hold on me. I meet Ben’s shocked gaze as he lowers Thor to the floor. He pulls out his radio and says something into it.
Piper lifts her face, eyes shining with unshed tears. It makes my chest crack open, so I cradle her face in my hands, grazing her cheek with my thumb.
She gives me a soft smile. “Please take me home.”
My eyes don’t leave Piper as she lies on the couch, fingers absentmindedly scratching Thor’s back. She’s been fairly quiet on the ride home and even after her shower.
Can’t really blame her. That must have been scary and traumatic. I can still remember Brent’s look on his face. That son of a bitch was determined to hurt her.
I squeeze a fair amount of caramel sauce over Piper’s brewed coffee. This concoction is disgusting, and I will never drink it even if I’m dying of thirst, but it’s her favorite.
I settle on the space between her and the armrest and set the cup on the table. She nuzzles into me, and I lay an arm on the backrest. “How are you feeling, baby?”
It takes her a while to answer, but she runs a finger near Thor’s snout. “I don’t know, to be honest. It feels unreal like I’m detached from what happened. As if I’m just a spectator watching that happen to someone else.”
Piper breaks away and turns to pin me with an embarrassed look. “I did something stupid, too, so I’m not totally without fault. Brent came to apologize and asked me to withdraw my HR complaint about what happened last Friday. I said no. He gave me a sob story about his bills and his brother’s college fees. I told him he should’ve thought of that before harassing me.”
“Which part of that is your fault?”
“The confrontation. You know me. I’m not exactly the type to mince words, so I did the opposite of how I behaved on Friday. Instead of shutting up and freezing, I gave him a piece of my mind. I lost it because he had the nerve to call me mean and a bitch and lay the blame on me even when I never said or did anything to make him think I was remotely attracted to him. He blamed me, and it pissed me off. I didn’t stop to think we were alone on the floor. There are CCTVs, sure, and there’s Ben, the security guard, but Brent could’ve still hurt me.”
“Piper, none of this is your fault. None. Not what happened on Friday, not Brent’s reaction to your complaint, and definitely not the truth you flung to his face. He has problems, not you. Please be kind to yourself. You’ve endured enough.”
She rests her head on my chest while I run my fingers through her hair. I sigh and tell her, “My only issue is the fact that you didn’t call me before the guard. When I felt my phone vibrate, I was already running to you. Although to be fair, you must’ve thought I was at home and the office security was the nearest. I mean, you had no idea I wanted to surprise you by picking you up.”