For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,184
him back, trying her hardest to force him away from Dez, but it was already too late.
The sound that came from Dez's mouth was the most primal thing Rhaven had ever heard before. It was fear, denial, and need all wrapped up in a wail. Dez's eyes went blank and she struggled to get away, but the man was still asking his questions, ignoring her panic. Rhaven pushed again, this time breaking his grip, and then she forced herself between them.
"Get out of here!" Rhaven snapped.
But behind her, Dez was in a full meltdown. "No! No, no, no, no. Let me go. Don't touch me! Make it stop!"
So Rhaven shoved at the guy again, this time holding on as she forced him back down the stairs. The metallic clank proved that someone inside had heard, and in seconds there were more voices. People were pouring out of the building, all of the developers coming to Dez's rescue at once.
"You fucking piece of shit!" Chance roared.
"Rhaven, stop him!" Samantha screamed.
So she let go of the reporter and turned to catch Chance as he stormed toward the man. The rage on Chance's face was as raw as the fear in Dez's voice. Rhaven knew she wasn't strong enough to stop him, so she decided to try something else.
Catching the side of his face, she made Chance look at her. "Dez needs you," she breathed. "We got this. You take care of her."
Chance snarled once, but all of his fight had faded with his lover's name. "No one touches her," he growled, and then pulled away to rush back to Dez.
Rhaven just pushed out a tense breath, and then turned for the reporter. "I highly recommend that you get your ass on the other side of that fence, because the cops are coming, and that man will press charges."
"I just wanted an interview," the guy gasped.
"You are trespassing," Rhaven said, thrusting her arm out to point at the fence. "You want your sound bite? Well here it is. Deviant Games is a diverse gaming company who values people for their abilities regardless of what demographic they fit into. Publish that."
Chapter 60
Chance managed to get Dez back inside just as Braden got back from picking up Rhaven's things. The police were called, and the warehouse became chaotic. Mark headed to the main employee area to make arrangements for letting the employees work remotely, because if people were sneaking in already, there was a real risk to all of the employees.
And Rhaven? She claimed one of the hotel-like rooms and let everyone else handle it all. Dez was going to be ok. She'd been tucked into her desk, handed a collection of stuffed animals, and a dozen people were checking up on her. This was going to be fine - eventually. And yet hearing that scream had rattled Rhaven more than she wanted to admit.
It made this all real. Combined with what they'd been talking about right before, it proved that Rhaven's problems were nothing in comparison to Dez's, but they could be. This was what KoG did to people. It was what systemic hate left in its wake. This was the damage that everyone was supposed to "just get over" and yet never could. It didn't matter if that was homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, or any other -ism, it was the invisible kind of trauma, and so far, Rhaven had escaped mostly unscathed.
She'd been lucky, and she knew it. But that wasn't really luck. It had been everyone else's hard work. From her father and brother who'd always made her feel loved even when she'd been bullied at school, all the way to Dez making a point of talking to Rhaven a few minutes ago, so many people had put in the effort to keep her sanity safe. Just the things that Braden, Psyc, Murder, and her other gamer friends had done for her? The guys flirting at the tournaments, as an example.
Those people were all her heroes, and she'd been taking a lot of it for granted. Maybe not all, since a few big things stood out, but the little ones mattered just as much. Rhaven was laying there, thinking about that, when Braden stepped into the room.
"Planning to get some sleep?" he asked.
"Winding down," she admitted, patting the bed beside her. "I also want to say thank you."
"For your clothes?" he asked. "Baby, it's not a big deal. I just don't want you to get hurt out there."