Get it the fuck together.
What have I told you about this?
You’ll never be a man. Not without me.
“I’m more of a man than you’ll ever be,” I glowered.
The guy paused. “What?”
I roared as I charged him. I knocked him clear off his feet. With one punch to the side of his head, he fell to the porch. And I straddled him. Right fist. Left fist. Right forearm. Left elbow. I laid into him as he blocked my fists from hitting his face. Girls shrieked around me. People tried pulling me off him. I whipped around, batting their hands away before wailing into his stomach.
Knocking the wind clear out of him.
“Get off him! You’re going to kill him! Baby!”
The girl in the bikini dove into the picture and I stopped. I felt others dragging me off this guy as I heard my name. It was off in the distance, but unmistakable. And as I felt myself sobering up, the clamori
ng of Mike’s footsteps fell against the porch.
“What the fuck!?” he exclaimed.
He helped me to my feet as the guy I’d knocked to the ground got up. With the help of his girl, of course. He growled at me before he lunged again, and Mike stepped in the middle.
“Move,” the guy commanded.
He shook his head. “Back off. I’m serious. This guy behind me? I’ve seen him take on his own fucking father. You don’t stand a chance.”
The girl behind him snickered. “No wonder your girl wants to leave you. Maniacal asshole.”
Mike slowly peeked over his shoulder at me. “Say what now?”
I teetered on my feet. “I wasn’t trying to fuck your girl.”
The man growled. “I saw her in your lap.”
I snickered. “Yeah, because she crawled there. She likes wounded guys. Men she can fix with her pussy. Maybe make yourself look a little more wounded and she’ll actually stick around.”
The guy lunged at me, but Mike stood his ground. He gripped the fabric of the jerk’s shirt as I turned and walked off. I brought my palm to my face, but I knew I wasn’t bleeding. Hell, I wouldn’t even have a bruise with how pussy-whipped that guy’s punch had been. I pushed through the whispers of the strangers on the porch and leapt off, forcing myself to stay upright. And as the cool summer breeze kicked up, I felt myself sobering up a little more.
“Hey! Will you wait the hell up?”
I whipped around at the sound of Mike’s voice, only to lose my balance. I felt myself plummeting and was helpless to stop it. It was as if my body refused to work any longer. Mike rushed over and caught me just before I hit the ground. Like some bomb-ass dude scooping up a little girl.
Fucking hell, I felt like a lost little girl.
“All right. You’re coming with me. The girls should be ready soon. Time to go home.”
My words slurred together. “I have no home.”
Mike dragged me over to the curb, and I leaned against him as he pulled out his phone.
25
Raelynn
“Fucking hell,” Allison breathed.
Dread filled my gut. “What in the world has you cursing now?”