comes to the door and I don’t have a key. I do the only thing I can think of. I back up and take a running start, jamming my shoulder into the hard wood. It creaks but doesn’t break free. I back up again, ignoring the pain radiating in my shoulder. With a deep breath, I press forward. The door bows inward slightly with my weight, but it doesn’t give.
“Goddamn it. Fuck,” I yell, backing up a third time. By this point, my shoulder is screaming in pain and I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve jammed it. It’s definitely bruised. I take a couple deep breaths, pushing the pain away and run harder, faster. I jam my shoulder into it again and then time, it busts open and I fall into the floor. The wind gets knocked out of me, and I’m breathless as I lie, panting, on the floor, but I hear her. She’s crying.
“No, please. Stop,” she cries out.
“Shut your fucking mouth,” a man’s voice says, sounding as if he’s struggling.
I push myself to my feet and stumble through the apartment. I take the corner a little too sharply, and I hit the edge of the couch. It squeaks as it scoots across the floor, but I don’t stop or even think of it.
I stop outside my bedroom door, and the sounds are louder now. She’s crying and breathing hard. He’s cussing and groaning. The bed is squeaking, and the headboard is banging off the wall. Oh fuck, I’m already too late. Tears fill my eyes as anger burns its way up my throat. I step back and kick the door hard, not even bothering to try for the knob. It pops open easily and flies backward, hitting the wall hard and causing the plaster to break and crumble to the floor.
Before me, on the bed, I see Deven. Her dark eyes are full of tears and locked on mine as he’s on top of her. It feels like time has stopped. She has her hands against his chest, pushing against him and trying to get him off of her.
His eyes land on mine, and they’re full of fear as he realizes that he’s been caught. His hands move away from her, but it doesn’t stop me from marching over there and grabbing him by his shirt. Using all of my strength and ignoring the pain in my shoulder, I pick him up and throw him against the far wall. His back hits it with a thud, and I hear the air leave his lungs. He falls to a crumbled-up heap in the floor, momentarily dazed from the impact.
His face is covered in fine lines and wrinkles as sweat beads up on his brow and begins dripping down his face. His peppered black hair is out of place, and as his dark eyes meet mine, they’re full of fear and worry.
Some may say that I should have stopped and checked on Deven, help her get her clothes on and hold her close to calm her down. But I can’t even think of that right now. All I can do is look at this man who put his hands on her. Rage burns hot in my stomach and makes its way up my throat, like boiling acid. I bend down, grabbing ahold of his nice dress shirt and jacket and picking him up.
“You better never fucking touch her again,” I say, pulling back my fist and sending it flying into his face. His head snaps back from the force, and it hits the wall behind him.
“She’s fucking mine. You hear me?” I yell, pulling my fist back against and landing a solid hit to his stomach that has him doubling over. “Nobody touches what’s mine.” I bring my knee up quickly and land a blow on his nose.
He falls to a bloody heap on the floor once again, but I’m far from fucking done. “I’m going to fucking kill you like the piece of shit you are for touching her.” I bring my foot back, ready to land a kick to his face. If the bastard is lucky, I’ll send his fucking nose straight back through his brain and put an end to his pathetic existence, but before I can, someone tackles me from the side, taking me down to the floor.
I fight against this person, not even caring who it is. Nobody is going to stop me from killing him, not after what he’s done.