“L OOK AT HER,” ONE OF them laughed out loud. “Look how fucking scared she is.”
I was shivering, my arms wrapped around my body as if I could protect it from whatever they were planning on doing to me. I was terrified, my breaths coming out in desperate little gasps, my legs barely holding me up. I’d never experienced real fear like that, fear that reached all the way into my bones and made me whimper in front of the gang of guys who’d forced me into a corner.
“Please,” I managed to get out, “please d-don’t h-hurt me.”
“Hurt you?” The biggest guy laughed at me, approaching me menacingly and making me take a step back.
But my back hit a wall and I knew I was utterly trapped, with absolutely nobody to help me. I wasn’t going to get out of this unscathed, and I knew it as well as they did. There were four guys in total, tall, broad-shouldered and covered in tattoos and piercings. I was terrified, not because of their appearance, but because only minutes later, one of them had grabbed me by the arm and dragged me into the alley, tossing me into it like I was a piece of meat. I was shaking so badly I thought I’d pass out any second, but I couldn’t let my body do it because I knew I’d get hurt the second I lost consciousness.
“We are going to do so much more than hurt you,” he went on, approaching me slowly like a predator.
I let out a little sob. This wasn’t like it had been with Rafe, and now, after sleeping with him, I knew how much they could hurt me. All the dirty, nasty things they could do to me if nobody came to my rescue. And I was so scared, knowing I’d never be able to stop them myself. One little girl against four huge, meaty bad men… I didn’t stand a chance in hell.
“Please,” I begged one last time. “Just don’t do this. I’ll leave, I won’t tell anyone what happened.”
“Nothing’s happened yet ,” one of them piped up. “But it’s about to, darling, and there’s no way you can fucking escape it.”
“I’ll scream,” I threatened, but my eyes filled with fear as I saw a guy in the back toy with a knife, the blade glinting in the moonlight.
The tallest one was suddenly so very close, and his hand reached out, fingers ready to wrap themselves around my throat. I felt the first tears fall, and the guys laughed at my helplessness but, too far gone to stop my sobs, I shut my eyes as tightly as I possibly could and prayed in my head to get them away from me, for someone, anyone, to notice what was going on and come save me.
“Get. The fuck. Away. From. Her.”
My eyes flew open and my heart soared as I watched someone approaching. A figure I would know anywhere, anytime, the broad shoulders encased in the jacket he’d been wearing at the party, but his mask off now, revealing every inch of his handsome face.
“Rafe!” I cried out, trying to get to him.
But the tall guy stopped me in my tracks, his hand going out and holding me back, the first contact he’d made since I’d come into the alley. I sobbed, half with relief and half with pent-up fear because I was so scared of what the guys were going to do to Rafe now that he was this close. There was four of them, and he was all alone… Fear crawled in the pit of my stomach, and I sniffled miserably as the leader held me back.
“What the fuck did I say?” Rafe snarled, coming closer and taking a slow, deep breath. “You touch her again, you fucking die.”
The leader let go of me, and I took a deep breath, feeling the air go back in my lungs and crying out for Rafe to help me.
“And who do you think you are?” the leader asked Rafe, stepping right up to him. “You think you can just–”
Slam!
Rafe punched him straight in the face, his fist connecting with the man’s jaw and knocking him out. He was on his butt a second later, hitting the ground hard, unconscious within seconds.
“Rafe!” I called out. “Behind you!”
Rafael turned around, and in a split second, another man landed on his ass. He’d been coming at him with a knife, but now the blade glistened on the ground, useless to the man Rafe had knocked out. He turned towards me and tossed me his phone, and I somehow managed to catch it in my trembling hands.
“Call the police, princess,” Rafe said roughly. “And turn around, this is going to get fucking ugly.”
There were still two guys left, and they looked pissed as hell as they approached Rafael. My fingers shook as I punched the three numbers into the phone’s screen, and started dialing.
“911, what’s your emergency?” a detached voice asked at the other end of the line.
“Help, please help,” I cried out. “At the bus station, the alley in front of it. There’s four of them, and they have a knife. Please hurry, they’re attacking me…”
I turned my attention back to Rafael and felt fresh tears spring to my eyes as the two men jumped him, the phone in my hand long forgotten. I just felt scared, and not even for myself anymore. I was terrified for Rafe, needing him to come out of this unscathed, for him to be okay so he could make me his again.
I wasn’t able to get on the bus, the overwhelming feeling of need overpowering every single one of my senses as I climbed the steps to board the vehicle. I couldn’t make myself leave, get away from it all, as hard as I tried. There was no way I could leave it all behind—not Edna, and especially not Rafael Goldwyn, the man who had told me he loved me as he filled me up, the man with the diamond collar he was so desperate to place around my throat. And I wanted it… I wanted everything he had to give, and then some. I wanted to belong to him completely, and I knew as I got off that bus that I had to get back to him, no matter what Martha said. Even if he turned me down, I needed him to know I loved him back. So much it hurt me to even think about it.
“Come at me,” one of the remaining guys said, motioning for Rafael to approach.
“Why?” my man laughed. “You too scared to come at me yourself?”
The other guy snarled and threw himself at Rafe, and I heard a loud scream, realizing only moments later that it had come from me. But it didn’t matter, none of it did—not my fear or my panic, because Rafe tossed the guy over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing at all. The guy groaned, but Rafe was already past him, back to the other one who’d been laughing at him. Except now the man didn’t look too cheerful, his face etched with worry as Rafe advanced towards him.
“Hey, man,” he said, raising his hands in front of him. “Calm the fuck down, okay?”
“Why the hell is everyone telling me to calm down?” Rafe roared. “You were going to hurt her. You were going to fucking hurt her!”
“N-no,” the guy stammered. “No, we wouldn’t…”
“Don’t fucking lie,” Rafe snarled. “You wanted to touch her, but she’s not fucking yours to touch. Only I get to do that… you got that, you fucking piece of shit?”
In seconds, he was on him, beating him into the ground. He slammed his fist into the man’s jaw over and over again, and I cried out, hearing sirens in the distance.
“Rafe, Rafe please!” I cried out. “Stop it, come here, come to me…”
He stopped punching and stumbled towards me. The leader lay unmoving on the floor and I heard car doors slamming. In moments, we were surrounded by policemen and shouting.
“Rafe!” I begged as someone tried to lead me away. “Rafe please, I need you, please.”
He tore through the police officers, and came to me, kneeling in front of me and grabbing my hand, bringing it to his lips.
“Princess,” he said, the pain obvious in his voice. “I’m so sorry… So fucking sorry for what happened. You’re the only one I want, Ella, please never believe otherwise. I’m so sorry they tried to hurt you, so fucking sorry…”
“They didn’t hurt me,” I said softly. “You stopped them just in time.”
“Why did you run, princess?” he asked, and I looked down, feeling the sadness settle over me.
“I… I saw you with that woman,” I whispered. “Martha told me I was replaced… That you’ve been sleeping with her for months—my own stepmother.”
I watched his expression change into pure fury, his hands forming fists.
“A lie,” he said simply. “A fucking lie, Ella. Believe me?”
I looked up at him.
It was still snowing, and with the beautiful nightly backdrop he looked like a prince. I was in love, and I couldn’t help it. It was too late now…
“I believe you,” I said softly.
“Ella,” he growled, as several policemen surrounded us. “Ella, please come back with me.”
I smiled wide at him and his eyes filled with hope as I kneeled next to him.
“I tried to,” I whispered. “I couldn’t get on the bus… I wanted to be with you, I didn’t want to leave, Rafael, I wanted to come back to you… always.”
He pulled me towards him, and I let him. He held me in front of all of the policemen, his hands wrapping around me and holding me close.
“You’re mine, Ella,” he said simply. “Tell me you’re fucking mine, my girl, my princess.”
“I’m yours,” I whispered, looking up into his dark eyes. “I’m yours, Rafael, I love you.”
He kissed me like he never had before, and when I felt his lips on mine and heard the people around us cheering, I knew I belonged to him completely.
Rafael Goldwyn owned every last part of me.