Illumine Her by Sieni A.M. Page A

there was no excuse for his behavior. He assaulted her, and she had no doubt he would have taken it further had it not been for Manu’s impeccable timing. While she prided herself for putting up a fight, she wasn’t sure how long that would have lasted before he broke her down. She shuddered at the memory.
    “Yes,” she heard herself say. “I want him scared to the point that he will never try something like that again.”
    Ruby signaled towards the men, and they moved the attacker away.
    “Ruby! You’re choosing that bitch over me? How can you let this happen? This will hurt my family!” He cursed loudly and fought, shoving against the men towards the door.
    “You should have thought about that before,” Manu said with enough fury to blaze up the room.
    “Everyone go home. Party’s over,” Ruby announced loudly to the crowd who were riveted to their spots, witnesses to everything that transpired. By this time, someone had turned off the music, effectively cutting off the spirited mood that was there moments earlier. The guests slowly filed out the door leaving Alana alone with Manu and Ruby.
    “I’m so sorry, Alana,” Ruby apologized sincerely. “This has never happened before.”
    Manu sat beside her and took her good hand. He spoke gently, “I’m going to have to take you down to the station as well so they can get your statement, hear your side of the story.”
    Alana sighed heavily. “I know. My family is going to freak out over this.”
    She closed her eyes, and he squeezed her hand. “We’ll deal with that later. One step at a time, alright?”
    Alana could not believe that one night of euphoria had so quickly turned into a nightmare. Did she ask for this? Was she at fault for acting out defiantly against her brother? No, of course not, she reasoned with herself. No one could have seen this happen, not even her brother. A wash of emotions swept over her, engulfing and leaving her experiencing a vulnerability that scared her to her core. Part of her was tempted to call the men back, convinced that her attacker was scared enough as it was and not to stir up any more attention. The other part, however—the part that was still hurting from her father’s death—was winning the mental battle. It argued that she couldn’t allow this incident to slide, that she was not to blame. She did what she could to defend herself, and now he had to face the consequences of his actions. Think about your father. Do this for him , her mind pushed.
    This could be his vengeance.
    Realization smacked her hard, and she sucked in a breath. Yes, this could be her revenge. By getting back at one drunken killer through another drunken assaulter, she would be able to avenge her father’s death. Alana’s heart rate picked up at the significance of it. She would do this for him.
    “Alana, I’m sorry,” Manu said with a grim expression. “This is my fault. I should never have left your side.” His face was remorseful, his features contorted in guilt. Alana felt her heart tug.
    “Hey,” she said and faced him. “I didn’t expect you to babysit me. Besides, I did okay. I got a good punch in there.”
    That elicited a small smile from him. “I’m sorry I missed that.”
    She looked away and stood. “Let’s go,” she said tiredly. “The sooner this night is over, the better.”
    They said goodbye to Ruby, and Alana was led to the door where a blast of salty air slapped harsh reality into her. She was going down to the police station. She was going to have to face him. Tell her side of the story. Relive it all. For your father , she reminded herself. Fueled with determination, she allowed Manu to support her back as they exited the house.
    “I should have brought that machete,” Alana thought she heard him mutter fiercely under his breath, but she was too wrapped up in her plan to give it any notice.

Chapter 10

    “A re you alright?” Manu asked as they parked near the police station. He shifted so he was