I don’t know who you guys are, but you’re dead.
“I love a good session of foreplay. Hope you do, too. Because this is just an appetizer to the main event.”
And as the man behind me threaded his fingers together, I watched him hold up his fists, bringing them down with a soaring fury before they smashed into my teeth. I felt something chip and something else popped. And when the man dropped me to the concrete, my body tangled itself up into knots.
The last thing I heard was their laughter as they walked away, drowning out the yells and the cries for help. I thought about Dani. Whether or not she was really okay. And I thought about Benji. Whether or not he had something to do with this. Whether or not he was in on this. And all
the ways I might kill him if he was.
All of it, swirling around.
Before my world went black.
39
Dani
I sat there, staring at my phone, waiting for him to text back. I knew he’d seen the text. That little word ‘read’ underneath the one I sent was taunting me. Staring me in the face and gloating over its own existence. I used to not give a flying crap about stuff like that.
So why did I care this time?
I sighed as I set my phone down. I mean, I hadn’t heard his bike take off. I knew he was still here. Was he downstairs doing something? Making his way back up? Did he miss me? Or, maybe I’d left something behind?
I got up from my desk and walked over to the window, determined to see what was going on. What I saw stopped me in my tracks.
“Max!” I exclaimed.
I watched in horror as three men kicked him, slammed their fists into him, leered and jeered and hovered over him. I felt sick to my stomach. I had to do something. I had to get down there and help!
I rushed out of my dorm room and barreled for the stairwell before my senses came back to me.
If you go out there, they might attack you.
Would they really attack a woman?
They attacked Max. They’ve got balls.
My head swirled as I jumped down the steps two by two until I got all the way to the main floor. I burst through the door as I heaved heavy breaths, trying to keep myself as calm as I could. I rushed over to a small window and saw the three men walking away, all of them wearing black ski masks, faded black jeans and black long-sleeved shirts.
Laughing as they left Max’s body on the pavement.
I watched in horror as the men stepped off the curb into the middle of the road. They all jogged toward the SUV sitting on the other side of the road that I hadn’t even seen and hopped in the back. Not one of them got into the front seat.
There are four of them.
It took all of my willpower to simply stand there and watch. But the second the SUV peeled away and careened around the corner, I rushed for the dorm door. I heard people gasping the second I slammed through it. I saw people with their phones out, taking pictures and videos. Gawking at the scene. But had any of them called 9-1-1?
“Max! Max, Max. Can you hear me?” I asked.
I ran toward him and fell to my knees, my eyes darting over his body. His eyes were closed and he was barely breathing. Holy shit, he needed a hospital.
“Max, please. I need you to open your eyes, okay?”
I shook his shoulder softly before he rolled over onto his back.
“Holy. Fuck,” he groaned.
“Max, I’m calling 9-1-1, okay? Just--just hold on.”