Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
We could hear muffled sounds coming from Mia’s bedroom as Bones and Stitch charged down the hall. We followed after, and when Stitch opened the door, the look of horror on his face brought a chill to my bones. His voice pierced through the room as he rushed in and roared, “Get the fuck off her.”
We all charged into the bedroom, and my stomach dropped when I saw a dark figure on top of Mia. Stitch was quick to yank the guy off of her. He slammed his back against the wall and started plowing into him. Mia inched off the bed and placed her hand on her wrist, wringing it back and forth. Concerned, Bones went over and hugged her tight. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” She hugged him back, then turned her attention over to Stitch and watched as he pinned her unwanted houseguest to the wall. A twisted feeling of satisfaction washed over me when Stitch punched him in the gut and the air gushed from his lungs. He hammered away on the guy for several moments, then released his hold on him. Dazed from the beating, the guy slid down the wall and onto the floor.
I looked down at the bloody pile that rested at my brother’s feet, and I found myself wishing Stitch would punch him again. Hell, as far as I was concerned, he should’ve left him in a pile of mangled flesh and broken bones. It was what he deserved, but Stitch was the one who had to make that call. When the guy’s chin dropped to his chest, Stitch went to Mia and pulled her into his arms. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, Daddy. I’m fine.” When he squeezed her even tighter, Mia smiled and said, “Daddy, I’m fine. Really.”
“Don’t think I’ve ever been that scared.”
“Not since the day she was born,” Bones reminded him.
“Yeah, not since then.”
“Well, thanks to you, I’m okay.” She assured him. “But, just so you know, I almost had him.”
“You what?”
“I almost had him,” she repeated. “I was hiding in the closet, and when he came into my room, I plowed him with a baseball bat.”
I glanced around the room, and the place was a fucking mess. Broken lamps and picture frames were scattered on the floor, along with some random clothing and her bedside table. It looked like she’d put up a pretty good fight. Hell, there wasn’t a scratch on her. Even so, Stitch wasn’t pleased that she’d tried to take the guy out on her own. “What the hell were you thinking, Mia? You could’ve gotten yourself killed.”
“I couldn’t just sit there and let this guy steal all my stuff.”
“Yeah, you could!” Stitch’s expression softened as he told her, “We can replace your shit, but we can’t replace you.”
“Oh, Daddy.” Mia gave him one last squeeze, then said, “You don’t have to worry. I’m fine.”
Our attention was drawn to the doorway when Cotton asked, “Everything okay in here?”
“Yeah, we’re good.” Stitch motioned his hand to the guy on the floor as he said, “We just gotta figure out what we’re gonna do with him.”
Cotton knelt down and grabbed the guy by the hair, forcing his head back. It wasn’t until that moment that we realized that he was just a teenager—sixteen or seventeen at best. Cotton quickly released his hold on him as he announced, “Damn, he’s just a fucking kid.”
“Maybe so, but he’s old enough to know better than this shit,” Bones countered. “He had my sister pinned down on the bed for fuck’s sake.”
“I wasn’t gonna do nothin’ to her,” the guy mumbled. “I was just looking for a quick score. Watch or something to pawn off.”
“Well, you came to the wrong fucking place for that shit.”
“I know, man, but my dealer’s on my ass.”
“I don’t give a fuck about your fucking dealer,” Stitch roared. “You got no business coming in here.”
“I’m sorry. I won’t ever be back around here. I swear it!”
“You bet your ass you won’t.”
Cotton gave Stitch a minute to catch his breath, then asked, “Okay, brother. What do you wanna do?”
“Fuck, I don’t know.” Stitch grumbled several curses under his breath, then finally said, “As much as I’d like to take his sorry-ass back to the hole, I think we should let Mia call the cops.”
“That’s your call.”
“Yeah, I think it would be best.”
Cotton nodded, then turned to us and said, “Okay, boys. Let’s clear out.”
When everyone started to disperse, Stitch called out, “Appreciate you guys coming out.”
After a quick round of goodbyes, we all jumped on our bikes and left Mia and Stitch to deal with the cops. On the way home, I found myself thinking about Jules. I thought about everything she’d told me about her ex and father, and I couldn’t help but wonder when shit hit the fan, if anyone had come to her rescue. I had a feeling that wasn’t the case, and Jules deserved better than that.