When the library had emptied out, I let out a deep sigh as I went behind the counter and clocked out for the day. It was later than I’d expected. Chuckie was probably waiting with a babysitter after school and I wanted to get to him as soon as possible. I’d been working late the whole week and I knew he’d been cross with me over it. I missed spending time with my son, but during the week I was so busy. At least he was finally in school and making friends of his own.
When Chuckie had been a little boy, he’d been attached to me at the hip. He’d followed me everywhere, never letting me out of his sight. I’d always worried that he wasn’t developing the way a boy should, but the teachers assured me it was normal, especially for an only child. I had to hold my chin up high as I knew not everyone approved of a single mom, especially not a single working mom. But that’s what I was, and so be it.
As I locked up the library and walked out into the parking lot, I heard the roaring of motorcycles. There were two big guys in leather jackets perched on bikes. They kept their eyes trained closely on me as I walked out to my car. Even though I was tall, I was slender. It wouldn’t be difficult to overpower me at all, and I was sure they knew that. I felt a shiver of fear run through me as I fumbled in my bag for the keys. I should have stayed inside until they disappeared, I thought with irritation. Pay more attention to your surroundings, Angel.
“Hey, sweetie, you need a ride?” one of them called out in a rough voice, and the other jeered.
“I’m fine,” I said in a shaky voice. Damn it, stay calm. The bikers both laughed at my shaky tone. “Can I help you?”
“We were just waiting to see when you were gonna leave,” the first biker said. He climbed off his bike and started walking towards me.
I tried to run but my feet felt like they were rooted to the spot. Even though it was still evening, the parking lot was deserted. No one had been at the library for hours; it was just me. And no one is around to hear me scream, I thought in terror. The library was on the outskirts of town and it was a good ten-minute drive from the closest shopping center. I thought of trying to reach for my phone but I was terrified one of the bikers would be able to grab me when I took that chance. “Stay away,” I said, trying to sound firm. “Leave me alone.”
The biker reached me with alarming speed. He grabbed me by the elbow and held me fast. “Hey, Nick, we got us a fighter!” he crowed loudly.
I shrieked and tried to twist away but the guy’s grip was too firm. His buddy gave us a lazy smile before climbing off his bike and walking towards us, his grin growing on his face with every passing second.
Nick stepped closer and grabbed my other elbow before I could dodge his grip. As I swerved and tried to twist out of the way, the first biker slapped my face. It wasn’t too hard, but it was hard enough to sting and I cried out as tears welled up in my eyes.
“Randy, this one’s real feisty,” Nick said. He nodded and looked me up and down. “We’re gonna have some real fun with her later!”
“No, you’re not!” I hissed, contorting and wiggling my body, trying desperately to get away from the creeps.
Nick ran a hand down my chest and tweaked one of my nipples through my sweater. I screamed in pain and tried to twist away but he just grabbed me harder. The two bikers screamed with laughter and held me fast. One of them grabbed my purse off my shoulder and tossed it across the parking lot, scattering its contents on the asphalt. Tears streamed down my face as Randy and Nick kept me close to their foul bodies, pinching and caressing me.
“Let me go!” I shrieked.
Randy held his hand to slap me again and when I cowered and flinched, he laughed. “If you resist, I’m just gonna have to hit you harder,” he said with a nasty smirk contorting his face. “What you think about that, Nick?”
“I think the bitch deserves it,” Nick said. He slapped my ass and I cried out and jumped in the air. It was painful, more painful than it should have been, and I wanted to throw up.
Just as the two guys started dragging me over to their bikes, another roaring sound came into focus. Shit, no, not another one. The idea of being raped by two bikers was horrible enough; I couldn’t have dealt with the idea of three.
But when the bike came into focus, I saw he was wearing a different jacket than Nick and Randy. He was tall and gorgeous with wavy brown hair under his helmet and tan skin on his face.
“Hey,” the new guy barked sharply. “Leave her alone! Get the fuck away from her!”
To my surprise, Nick and Randy dropped their grip on me. I went flying forward and landed on my knees, skinning them on the asphalt. It hurt, but adrenaline was flooding my body and I couldn’t shake the sense of immense relief I felt welling up in my chest. Scrambling to my feet, I ran over to where the bikers had thrown my bag and started looking for my keys. My hands were shaking and as I heard a sharp slapping sound, I turned around.
“Stay the fuck away from her,” the guy growled to Nick. Without waiting a second, he swung his arm back and landed a solid punch on Nick’s jaw. Nick staggered backwards and fell on his ass, whimpering loudly. The guy walked over to Randy, who was cowering by their bikes. I thought Randy was going to push him away but the guy moved faster and swung and hit him so hard that I saw Randy’s feet leave the ground.
“Who…who are you?” Randy stammered.
“It doesn’t fucking matter,” he said shortly. He kicked out and landed his boot on Randy’s chest. With Randy pinned to the ground, the guy stepped up and glared down. Finally, he turned his gaze to me, as if noticing me for the first time. “Are you okay?”
I am now, I thought solemnly. But to him, I answered, “I’m fine, thank you.”
Randy still lay moaning on the ground but I saw Nick reaching into the back waistband of his pants. Before I could react and warn the stranger, he grabbed me and pulled me on the back of his bike.
“Hold on,” he said under his breath as he pulled away, leaving Randy and Nick in the dust. “I like to go fast.”