From behind me I heard someone catcall, his shoes fast approaching on gravel. I held up my middle finger as I continued on, struggling to walk gracefully in my wedge sandals. I was in no mood for that kind of bullshit.

“Aww, don’t be that way, baby. Whatchya got in your bag? You holding?”

“Go f**k yourself,” I called out as I yanked the hair tie from my hair, wincing as it ripped a few strands. My own pain was a momentary distraction that afforded the stranger time to get dangerously close without my noticing.

“What the f**k you say?” Large, calloused fingers wrapped around my throat, squeezing effortlessly as the smell of tequila wafted over my face. “You got an ugly tongue for such a pretty girl.”

I dug my fingernails into the back of his hand until the pressure on my throat eased fractionally. “You’ve got an ugly f**king face.” I swung my leg wildly, begging to connect with his groin as my heart pounded against my chest, which was threatening to explode. I worked out daily, had taken self-defense classes, but nothing really prepares you for the real thing.

“You have a big set of balls thinking you can talk to me like that, bitch.”

“I just have nothing to lose.” I shoved against his shoulder with as much force as I could muster as his hand came down across my face. Since I made an effort to avoid the blow, he just caught the left side of my forehead. His ring bit into my flesh, and I yelled as I struggled to put a few inches of distance between us.

“Wrong, bitch. You have your life.”

Sacrifice

Chapter 6—Rellik

Sacrifice: the act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in order to help someone

I waited outside the door, breathing in the humid night air as I waited for Phantom to come out. The door opened, and Phantom slapped his palm against mine. I held up the little plastic bottle filled with pills he had handed to me. I slipped the drugs into my pocket with a nod of approval as shouting from across the alley got our attention. We were illuminated by an old streetlamp that bathed us in yellow.

“I love it when a plan comes together,” I joked as I struggled to see what was happening in the dark.

“We need to rehearse, man, it’s already nine,” Phantom snapped, making it clear he knew what I was thinking and didn’t approve.

I glanced back at him with my arms extended. How could we just walk away? Phantom’s jaw clenched, and I knew this would be an argument later. But he didn’t understand why any of us cared about anyone outside our group.

“Hold my bail money.” I pulled a wad of bills from my pocket and shoved it against Phantom’s chest along with my wallet.

“Oh hell no. Don’t do this, man. We have a f**king show,” he yelled after me, his deep gravelly voice causing a cat to take off across the alleyway. I ignored him as I pulled my Pink Floyd T-shirt over my head, adrenaline causing my heart to race.

“I’m about to give you a show!”

I crossed the alley and was behind the large man who towered over a frightened woman. His fingers were around her throat, and she was using the last of her breath to curse him. When I tapped him on the shoulder, he spun around and eyed me up. He was a good half foot taller than I, but I had learned young how to take care of myself.

“What the f**k do you want, pu**y?” He sneered at me, his face red with anger. I took a step closer and looked him square in the eye. I never showed fear, never backed down.

“My turn.”

He widened his stance and chuckled, the smell of stale liquor wafting off him. “Go home, boy.” He dismissed me with a wave of his hand and turned back to the girl. I rolled my neck and glanced over my shoulder to Phantom, who shook his head. I shoved my palm hard against the man’s shoulder, causing him to almost lose his balance before spinning back around to face me.

“I f**king—” His words broke off with a guttural groan as I swung a wide right hook and connected with his left cheekbone. He stumbled backward, and the woman squealed as he collided with her. She jumped and took a few steps back as the man touched his face before examining the smattering of blood on his fingers.

“You f**king son of—” My next blow hit his stomach, and he doubled over as the air left his lungs in a rush. He stood quickly and lurched for me, but I dodged his grasp and tossed my shirt to the girl. She caught it as she stood frozen just feet from us.

“A big guy like you who likes to manhandle women should be tougher than this. I’m kind of disappointed,” I joked, my body humming with the rush of endorphins. “Show me what you got, pu**y,” I goaded him, and his lip twitched as he took a large stride toward me. He swung with his left, catching me off guard. His knuckles collided with my jaw, and my mouth filled with the metallic taste of my own blood as my lip split inside against my teeth. I grinned as I wiped the pad of my thumb over the dampness.

“That’s disappointing.”

Tires squealed a few streets over, distracting my opponent and giving me the opening I needed. I stepped forward and swung with my left, then right, and he hit the gravel, catching himself on his elbows. I was over him immediately, taking advantage of his disorientation. I felt his nose pop and the bones give under my busted knuckles. I was blinded by rage, and the muffled cried of the woman only caused me to slip deeper. In my own head were flashes of Katie as she sobbed, begging me not to tell a soul the despicable secrets I had uncovered. The look of terror in her young eyes caused me to snap.

* *

I paced the ground, gripping my hair in my fists as I struggled to calm myself. The foundation only partially hid the small, purpling cut on her cheekbone.

“He didn’t mean to.” Her voice trailed off as she wiped her cheek with the palm of her hand. “He just gets a little high and doesn’t think.”

“Didn’t mean to? Are you f**king kidding me?” I yelled before huffing out a breath and begging myself to calm down. It wasn’t Katie I was mad at. It was her f**king stepbrother, who had decided to get handsy with her at one of his parties. But she slipped up and admitted it wasn’t the first time. I knew it wouldn’t be the last if I didn’t do something.

“If he ever…” I shook my head, my eyebrows pulled together as I tried to think clearly. “If he touches you again…” I stepped in front of Katie, who stood up from the fallen tree log and put her hands on my chest. I’d never felt so much anger inside of me. The small fights between them, I could handle, but knowing he had tried to hurt her, violate her, had sent me over the edge.

“I’ll tell you, I promise.”

“I’ll f**king kill him.” I clenched my teeth until they hurt. I didn’t want to wait. He deserved to pay for what he had done to her.

“If my parents find out I’m seeing you, they won’t let me out of the house. I can’t lose you, and I’ll be stuck in there with him.”

“Then leave with me. I have my license now, and I’ve been saving money.”

“Ryder, you know we can’t do that. How would we live? Where would we stay?”

“I can’t let him hurt you again, Katie. I can’t.”

I turned to walk away, determined to make things right. As her fingertips slid from my chest, I felt my heart sink into my stomach. The idea of not being able to see her again was agonizing, but in the moment it felt like I had no other option.

“Please don’t do this, Ryder. Please.” Her voice shook under her words as I continued to make my way through the trees. I had no choice. When you love someone, you sacrifice. I would give her up if it saved her. “You can’t tell anyone.”

I kept walking, my feet feeling heavy and my heart crumbling. She might not understand now, but she would thank me later.

“Please stop.” Her voice echoed through the trees as her words faded.

The teenage mind only works on two levels. We were either complacent or discontent. After finding out that Bryce had tried to touch my girlfriend, his own stepsister, I was a motherfucking animal. I wanted to soak my hands in his blood and make him cry. I wanted him to hurt like he had hurt my Katie. The consequences of my actions never crossed my mind. I only wanted to make things right.

I had no memory of my trip to her home. I knocked on her front door hard enough to split one of my knuckles. Bryce opened the door with a look of confusion before he smiled.

“You decided to join the team.”

“What?” It took me a moment to remember his father was the football coach. He had asked me several times to try out, but organized sports wasn’t my thing. I didn’t play well with others.

“Dad’s upstairs. One sec.” He turned and called for his father, and I knew I didn’t have much time to make my point. “Unless you’re here for my sister. I see you guys talking in the hall sometimes. You hittin’ that?”

“What happened there?” I eyed the two scratch marks that crept out of his shirt collar and up his neck.

“Practice.” He was nonchalant, but I knew his injury didn’t come from football. His practice would eventually lead to the rape of Katie. I closed my fist and shoved it hard into Bryce’s stomach, causing him to grunt as he doubled over, struggling to breathe.

I used the advantage to slam my elbow into the back of his head, causing him to fall on the concrete steps that led to his door. He whimpered and pushed himself up with one hand. I kicked, my foot hitting under his chin and sending him sprawled on his back.

“Yeah, I’m here for Katie.” I grabbed his face and slammed his head down on the cement. He gripped the sleeves of my shirt, clawing at my biceps as I did it again and again.

His blood pooled on the concrete steps as my body shook from the rush of adrenaline. “Not so f**king tough now, are you?” He let out a few choked sobs.

“Next time I’m going to kill you.” I hit him again in the jaw, my skin on fire as he groaned from the blow. But as I looked up through the screen door and locked eyes with her stepfather, I knew I hadn’t ended a fight, but started a war.

“What the hell is going on?”

I stumbled down the steps and trudged across their yard, wiping blood from my hands down the front of my white cotton T-shirt in a daze.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he yelled after me as the screen door squeaked open on its hinges. “I’m calling the police, you son of a bitch. I’m having you thrown in jail!”

* *

I’d lost count of the blows as the man struggled to protect his face with his arms.

“Please stop,” the woman whimpered, and it dawned on me that her fear was no longer for the man. It was me who was making her voice quiver. I stood over his body, struggling to catch my breath as I looked over the carnage I had caused. My hands were covered in blood, and I wasn’t sure how much of it was my own. I couldn’t feel any pain. I glanced over at the girl, concealed by the shadow of the building next to her.

“He can’t hurt you now,” I said as I stepped over him and turned toward her. She held up her hands and I stopped, glancing back over my shoulder at him. “It’s not what it looks like.” I held my hand out in front of me to show her I wasn’t a threat, but she continued walking backward until her body was pressed against the brick exterior of the building.

“It looks like you just killed him.” Her voice wavered in an unnaturally high pitch.

“All right.” I shook my head and ran my hand roughly through my hair. “It’s exactly what it looks like.” I took a tentative step forward, and she pressed her body harder against the brick as a quiet whimper escaped her lips. I narrowed my eyes as I struggled to make out her features in the dim lighting. “He’s not dead…unfortunately.” A low moan confirmed what I had said.

“Don’t come any closer. I have a gun in my purse.” She clutched the bag against her chest, and I let out a small laugh.

“No offense, but you lie for shit.”

“I won’t tell anyone.” She sounded so small and fragile.

“I believe you.” I took another step closer. “I’m trying to help you.” I could begin to see her frightened face as my eyes adjusted. Her skin was smooth and pale like cream, her eyes big and wide with fright.

“I’m not lying. I swear.” Her long brown hair swayed as she shook her head, and my heart froze fractionally at her resemblance to Katie. This entire situation was too eerily familiar to ignore. My gut twisted as I descended deeper into my perpetual purgatory. She was the physical manifestation of an obsession I’d been unable to shake.

“What’s your name?” I tried to soften my tone, afraid that if I spoke too loudly, she would evaporate like the figment of my imagination that haunted me. If we didn’t leave this place soon, witnesses were going to turn up, but I couldn’t walk away. Not this time. I’d acted on impulse, and I had no idea how I was going to clean up this mess. That was the downfall of living on the road. The only people I could trust were my bandmates. I damn sure didn’t trust anyone here.

Her eyes darted back and forth as she struggled to come up with something.

“What’s a girl like you doing in a dark alley at this time of night anyway?” I cocked my head to the side as she sighed, her eyes going to the gravely road under her feet. I used her distraction to close the gap between us. Her eyes snapped up to mine as she tightened her grip on her bag. I searched her face, curious as to why she wasn’t screaming for help or why she didn’t run away while we were fighting. Her words didn’t match her actions. I knew I should at least feign concern for the guy I nearly beat to death to show her I wasn’t a bad guy, but I felt no remorse. My mind was only focused on her.