Instead, I reached past her to grab the handle and pushed the door open. “Just go.”
She pursed her lips before finally doing as told.
When we entered, she dropped her bag and took off the ridiculously high shoes, dropping five inches, her head now at my chin. I looked past her and took in the clean, but rundown place. Stains marred the walls and ceilings from leaks. The carpet was faded and flat. The furniture was sparse. But what little filled the space was clean and organized.
I’d expected to find her sister when we entered, but the room was also empty and no sound came from anywhere in the house.
“You can go now.”
I looked around again and hated the way my gut churned. Everything inside me was telling me not to leave her there, but I couldn’t exactly kidnap her.
“Let me at least feed you,” I said, buying more time.
A slew of groans and moaning came from down the hall and she cringed, a flush working its way up her neck. I could only imagine that was the sister and boyfriend. “I’ll find something to eat here.”
I cocked a brow, not believing her. She lifted her stubborn chin, not admitting what we both knew. There was no food here. She’d already confessed to how much she’d struggled. Just because she wouldn’t admit it now, didn’t mean I wasn’t going to make her face it. I strode past her, my long strides taking seconds to bring me to the kitchen.
“Hey,” she shouted behind me.
I ignored her and opened cabinets and the refrigerator. Both were barren. Only a few dishes littered the shelves.
I turned and faced where she stood at the entryway of the kitchen with her hands on her hips. “Really? What food will you find later?”
A door slamming open stopped her from responding. A wisp of a girl came stumbling from down the hall, laughing and barely holding herself up against the wall. Her long black hair tangled around her face as she fell to the floor, still laughing. What I assumed was the boyfriend came next with only a pair of jeans barely clinging to his waist. His upper body was pale and scrawny. Seeing the track marks on his arm, I imagined most of his money went to drugs rather than food.
“The other sister is home,” the guy said when he saw the girl standing there. He came up behind her and slapped her ass before stumbling back a bit and laughing. My blood roared through my veins and I clenched my fists as I watched her stiffen and step away. “Ready to remove that stick from your ass and replace it with something more fun?” he asked, grabbing his crotch. “Leah’s too high for another round, but for you, I could be ready in seconds. Especially if you let me fuck those sweet lips.”
“Fuck you, Oscar,” she growled.
“Oh, I intend to fuck you.” He reached out to grab her, but I stepped out of the shadows of the kitchen and gripped his wrist before he came close.
“Don’t,” I growled.
“Who the fuck are you?” Oscar sneered.
“Tell your boyfriend to get the fuck off Oscar,” the sister—Leah—whined as she struggled to get up from the floor.
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Well, then do you mind if I have a go at him?” Leah said, leering at me with glassy eyes. I could see one was bruised now that she’d brushed some of her hair out of her face. “Oscar can fuck you and I’ll play with the new guy.”
“Don’t be a slut, Leah,” Oscar shouted, ripping his hand out of my grip and shoving Leah back.
The girl gasped as she watched Leah stumble back. But Leah caught herself and laughed as she flipped her hair back and stood upright. She was too high to care.
But the girl standing next to me vibrated with rage as she finally got a good look at her sister’s face. I watched, as if in slow motion, her whole body pulled tight with tension. Her shoulders slid back and her fists tightened as she slowly turned her head to look at Oscar.
“I’ll fucking kill you,” she whispered before exploding.
She landed one solid blow to Oscar’s face before I was able to wrap my arm around her waist and pull her back into my chest. She squirmed and twisted and lashed out with every limb she had trying to reach him as she screamed obscenities and threats that had me cringing.
“How dare you touch her. You disgusting motherfucker. I will cut off your dick and shove it up your ass before I make you eat your own shit. I will fucking murder you. Don’t you ever touch her again.”
Oscar removed his hands from his swelling eye and glared at the hellion in my arms, his own body preparing to attack. As much as I’d love to let this woman loose on Oscar, I’d rather not have to deal with the aftermath. I pinned her arms by her side and held her tight, growling in her ear, “We’re leaving.”