I look into her big blue eyes and growl, “I killed a man with a rock.”
Topanga glances at Lana and then shrugs. “Good point.”
My bare feet slap against the wood floor as I run at the women. I grab a mini watermelon from the table and throw it. DeAnna turns just in time to gasp before the food hits her in the nose. I don’t stop running, even after Taryn throws a punch and hits me in the eye.
After I slam into her, we fall to the ground. Around us, people yell, and some laugh. Nearby, DeAnna lets out a wail and claims her nose is broken. I slap Taryn’s face, once, twice, three times before she shoves me off her. After she punches my chin, I grab her hand and bite down on the pinkie. Finally, she screams in pain.
“Cunt!” Taryn yells, and then she growls, “Watch it, fucker,” to DeAnna, whose big foot manages to kick both her friend and me.
“Cowardly syphilis holes!” I yell, not sure if that’s a real insult.
Kicking wildly from the ground, I try to hit someone. I think I get them both in the vaginas, but they don’t give up. Instead, Taryn reaches down to punch me again while DeAnna looks ready to throw a beer bottle at my face.
Suddenly, the redhead flies backward. Next, Taryn lifts off me. Pushing my hair from my eyes, I find Anders. His face is pure rage. His nostrils flare, his eyes glow, his upper lip curls into a snarl. I have never seen anything as terrifying as the sight of this giant man ready to tear apart the world.
“What the fuck is her problem?” Wyatt yells from somewhere.
Anders swings around and throws his big fist into the smaller man’s gut. Wyatt makes a weird noise as if all the air in his entire body bursts out of his mouth. Then, Anders turns back to me.
I don’t know what he sees on my face, but his mask of rage cracks. The sight of him unhinged a moment ago blinded me. I only felt fear at what his huge body could do to my smaller one. I forgot he was Anders Van Der Haas, and I was Pixie Yabo.
Now, he fears I’ll leave him. Does he think these women have ruined his chance at happiness? I see a million worries raging in his blue eyes.
“Anders,” I say, reaching up for him rather than trying to escape.
Snapping out of his panic, he leans down to help me stand. Then, he keeps lifting until I’m in his arms.
“I love you,” I say, holding his gaze.
Breathing easier now, he carries me from the room. Behind us, some people curse insults while others laugh. I notice Bronco chuckling widely while DeAnna cries next to Wyatt on the ground. Bambi glares at me as she comforts Taryn. I don’t see what the rest of the people are doing, but I think I hear Topanga giggling somewhere.
Soon, we’re outside, where the chill crawls into my wet dress. Anders sets me inside the SUV and stares as if I need to tell him what to do.
“I liked the dumplings, but I ate too much before I got to them,” I say because I don’t know how to explain what happened.
Anders looks around as if I’m nuts. Finally, his gaze returns to my face, and he says, “I shouldn’t have brought you here.”
“No, those terrible women shouldn’t have been awful. You did nothing wrong.”
Blinking wildly, Anders takes a deep breath and gets control of himself. He looks back at the building where people stream out. I see a few giving us ugly frowns. Others lean into each other and laugh. I see one woman make a face as if she’s imitating DeAnna as the watermelon hit her.
“Anders, can we go to Bronco’s house now?”
Focusing, he nods and shuts my door. Anders doesn’t acknowledge the other people. He gets into the other seat and drives slowly to the house. I don’t know what’ll happen next. Bronco didn’t seem angry when we left, but Anders punched his nephew really hard. Rooster looked upset. Bambi was yelling at one point. Will Anders get in trouble for my behavior? Should I have sneaked out like Topanga suggested?
No!
Whatever happens next is just the price I’ll pay. Like when I attacked Rusten to protect Anders, sometimes violence happens. I didn’t start either fight, but I won’t be weak just to make people happy. Those women were lucky I didn’t