She looked so small, so frail, as if she would break apart with a big gust of wind. I could see the small bones on her wrists and the thin veins spidering across the back of her palms. Her skin was the color of white hot ash, as if she hadn"t seen the sun in years.Because she hasn"t. She hasn"t had that luxury.
But within that cracked exterior, I could see the woman who lived inside. She was strong, bold, a fighter inside and out. She wouldn"t be alive if she wasn"t.
There were certain things that even the worst person couldn"t take from someone they were trying to tear apart. And for her, it was everything that Virgo could never reach.
I thought maybe that was why he held onto her so tightly, because she fought like no one else ever had. She refused to give him all of herself, holding on to those pieces that he couldn"t touch, or beat, or carve away.
"We"re here," I said, parking the car and turning off the engine. "Let"s go." Climbing out, I shut the door and stood at the front of the car, waiting for her to come to my side.
Jessie watched me for a second through the windshield, then folded her arms across her chest and turned her head away, looking out into the dark parking lot.
Are you f.u.c.king kidding me?
Letting out an annoyed breath, I stalked to her door and tore it open. "Get out."
Twisting her face in the opposite direction, she hugged herself tighter. Her silence returned as if that would save her from me. It wouldn"t.
"Fine," I said, leaning in across her body to unbuckle her myself. "I"ll f.u.c.king carry your a.s.s out then."
Her hands feverishly tried to keep the buckle clicked securely in place, as she pulled her knees into her chest, trying to push me away with her legs.
"Stop acting like a f.u.c.king child and get out of the d.a.m.n car." Grabbing her knees, I forced them down, holding them in place. Using my free hand, I drove it into the crook of her hip and the seat and tore the buckle from its holster.
I wasn"t going to deal with this nonsense, bulls.h.i.t, stupid f.u.c.king hissy-fit she was throwing. Some men might just give up, some might strike her until she"s unconscious and can"t fight for herself. I was not that man.
But that didn"t mean I wasn"t going to take what wanted.
She was mine for the night, no matter how much she hated the idea.
Flailing her arms, Jessie was grunting and growling as she slapped aimlessly at my body. I could feel her hitting me, a smack to the side of the head, a whack to the shoulder, a slap to my chest. But I didn"t stop.
Wrapping my arms around her body, I ripped her from the car, throwing her over my shoulder and slamming the door shut with my foot.
Her beating was relentless. She punched with her small fists, kicking her legs and bucking her body. But still she stayed silent.
She didn"t scream for help. She didn"t call out for someone to dial the police. It was like she had been so brainwashed into thinking that no one would ever come to her rescue, that the words didn"t exist in her head.
With heavy feet, I carried her around the building and went in the back entrance. Her attempts to hurt me did nothing, she could hit me all she wanted, and in the back of my head, I was hoping she would eventually just burn herself out.
Was I an a.s.shole? Yes.
Was I a killer? Yes.
But was I a f.u.c.king monster? I guess that would depend on who you asked.
Taking a moment to look around, the hall was clear, so I carried her over to the door that led to the stairs. The elevator was an easier option, but that"s what everyone used to get around. And I wasn"t about to risk being seen like that. The last thing I wanted to deal with were the police at my door.
Climbing up four flights of stairs, I stuck my head out the door before heading into the empty hall. Jessie wriggled like a caterpillar, her body bending and rolling, rocking and flopping.
"Knock it off, you"re not helping yourself here, you"re just making it more difficult than it has to be. I"ll f.u.c.king tie your a.s.s up if I have to."
"Grrr," she groaned, my little threat seeming to feed her fire instead of extinguish it.
Tightening my grip around her waist, I found my room. Digging the card out of my pocket, I bobbled her on my shoulder as I tried to get it to scan.
The small light blinked red, so I swiped again.
Red.
Red.
Red.
Swipe after swipe I was met with a red burst.