9
Brand
As I approach the shower facility, muffled screams greet my ears. What the hell? Then, there’s a resounding thunk and the air goes silent. Oh shit, Janie’s in trouble!
I charge in, half expecting to see Janie tussling with another woman because it’s been known to happen. Female truckers are generally pretty aggressive and there have been fights before. But there’s nothing. I run around the maze of lockers and finally skid around a corner to see a horrifying sight: it’s Janie, nude and dazed with a big lump on her head, with Jerry leaning over her. The old man’s pressing his body up against hers, and one of his arms pins her to the floor as he tries to lick a juicy nipple. At that moment, Janie comes to her senses and begins screaming.
“Get away from me!” she shrieks, clawing and fighting like a hellcat. She kicks at his ankles, beating at his scrawny chest with her fists before biting the only part of him that she can reach, which is his shoulder. Jerry lets out a howl.
“Ouch!” he screams. “You fucking bitch! I should have knocked you out cold!”
That’s when I lose control.
“Get the fuck off of her!” I roar, charging toward Jerry. Before either of them can move, I yank the old man off my girl before pushing him into the bank of lockers as hard as I can. He stumbles and flails before crashing and then sliding to the floor.
“Hey!” he squeals. “This isn’t what it seems!”
“Oh really?” I thunder, my vision already red hot. Then, I descend on Jerry in a fury. Of course, the old man is no match for me, and he can’t escape my flailing fists. I hit him everywhere I can: his shoulders, head, neck, torso, and even a good few swipes to his stomach. Jerry’s screaming and crying, his arms up as he tries to protect himself, but I don’t give a fuck. This man was attempting to assault the woman I adore, and he deserves to die.
“Stop!” Janie screams in back of us. “Brand, please! Stop! You’re going to kill him!”
I ignore her, continuing to pummel the old man, who’s lying limp, lifeless, and bloody on the cement floor now. There’s blood streaming from a number of wounds, but I don’t care. I continue to kick and punch, unable to contain my rage.
But suddenly, I’m hauled off Jerry by strong arms, and I roar, angry that someone’s interfering. I turn to strike the newcomer as well, but then my fists fall to my sides because it’s a woman with long black hair and blue eyes. She’s fit, and looks absolutely fearless too.
“Stop,” she commands in a growl, her gaze shooting sparks. “He’s near death already. Just stop.”
I back away, panting with exertion.
“Fucker assaulted my girlfriend,” I snarl. “He deserves it.”
The strange woman nods.
“That may be so, but you’ve taken him to the brink. Do you want to serve time? Does capital punishment sound good to you? Now stop,” she snarls right back.
I glance down and feel my anger subside a little. I guess she’s right. Jerry is hardly even conscious as he stares up at the ceiling with sightless eyes. His face is swollen up like a baboon’s ass and he’s got blood flowing from his nose and mouth. Good. Come to think of it, there’s blood trailing from his ear too, and I hope to god I punctured an eardrum or two. I bet he won’t mess with Janie or any other woman like that again.
“Fucker!” I spit at him.
That does it. The woman whirls on me and points a finger at the exit.
“Out,” she commands. “Leave before you do more damage.”
With that, I storm out of the locker room, Janie sobbing in my arms. She’s swathed in a towel only, and I press kisses to her hair while stroking her back.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whisper. “Don’t you worry, sweetheart. You’re alright. I took care of that fucker.”
She merely cries harder, pressing her face into my chest.
“Brand, it was awful,” she cries in a muffled voice. “I was showering and then Jerry just showed up out of nowhere! He … he …”
“I know,” I say in a soothing tone, even as the rage begins to surge in my veins again. “But relax, honey. It’s going to be alright because I got to you in the nick of time. Shhhh.”
With that, I lift up the curvy girl, bridal style, and carry her to the safety of my truck. Jerry’s going to get it, but first, I need to tend to my woman.
10
Brand
When Janie and I get to the truck, I bring her to the living area behind the front seats and we settle onto the bed. She’s squeezing the life out of me while I cradle her curvy form close, listening to her sniffles and small hiccups. It kills me to see her like this. A wonderful woman like Janie doesn’t deserve to be assaulted by her mom’s boyfriend. No woman does.