Page 65 of Ricochet

“To the right!” Another masculine voice followed the first. “She went to the right!”

The sound of their voices put them in their early twenties, maybe. Street kids.

All I had was a makeshift weapon from the chair leg.

One, I could probably fight off, just out of sheer adrenaline. Two, would be tricky. I didn’t stand a chance against three, so the best thing was to run as fast as my fucking legs could hammer out.

“We catch her, she’s mine! You hear? Mine!”

“Here, kitty, kitty.” One of them laughed, and I choked back a whimper.

My mouth dried of all moisture at the nearing footfalls. I could just make out the edge of the trees when my legs flipped out from beneath me. The earth crashed into my face, and a shooting sting rushed through my nose, as branches bit through the thin fabric of my T-shirt.

Palms squeezed my thigh, pulling me backward, and a man’s face appeared, dark, evil eyes above the wide grin stretching his lips. “Ha! Found the bitch!”

I let out a scream, stabbing him in the arm with the wooden spear. “Get the fuck away from me! I’ll fucking kill you!”

“Bitch!”

Gripping my hair, he tugged hard. A slap across my face jarred my vision, sent a flash of light bursting behind my eyelids.

Teeth gritted, I attacked with everything inside of me as the cold forest bed tore through the jacket, to the skin on my back. Kicking. Scratching. I swung, and my knuckles drove hard against bone. Blood sprayed in my face.

“Fuck!” The one I’d struck covered his nose with one hand, while a flash of white hit my periphery.

Pain exploded in my left cheek, rattling bones and teeth. My jaw felt unhinged. Another blow numbed the first as lightning struck my skull.

“Bitch broke my fuckin’ nose!” Fingers dug into my jaw. “Cunt!”

A thunderous crack against my cheek knocked my face to the right again. The surrounding forest tilted on itself while the men scrambled to hold me down. A black hole was closing in on my view, threatening to steal my vision. No! Fight it! I double blinked and concentrated. Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out.

Two dirty-faced, pale skin men stared down at me with missing teeth, their rancid breath like something had died in their mouths. Hands spread eagled my legs, and at tearing, my gaze snapped down toward the guy who’d wedged himself there.

“Oh, fuck, she’s beautiful. Hold her down, Trey.”

“Look at those scars!” The one closest to me leaned in. “You like bein’ cut? Huh?” His wet tongue dragged across my face. “You get off on pain? Is that why you’re fighting?”

I tried to move my arms, but they’d been pinned above my head by the third man.

The treetops beyond them came into view, a dark shroud looming over me.

A hand groped my breast.

“Hurry the fuck up! I’m about to blow my shit any second.”

“Bitch has three holes!”

Their laughter pierced my ear like nails punching through my eardrum.

My stomach sank, twisted and turned in on itself as the one below lifted up to his knees and his cock sprung loose from his boxers. Both of my legs were held down, one by the man at my side, the other by the one positioning himself at my core.

The attacker beside my head unzipped his pants and beat his tip against my chin.

“No! No!” I strained my muscles to kick, tugged at my limbs, but a palm hit my forehead, slamming my skull into the ground. My breaths arrived faster, panicked.

“Choke on this, whore.”

Deep menacing growls arrived out of the darkness to the right of me, and I caught a flash of black before Blue took down the man at my side.