because a woman has a male friend she’s automatically sleeping with him? Don’t go around making blind assumptions because you’re probably wrong.”
He sighed, and I almost felt bad for snapping at him—except that he almost called me a whore. It wasn’t really what he said, but the way he said it that irked me. Otherwise, a comment like that I might have brushed off with a laugh.
“Don’t you have a car, Justus?”
“I do,” he replied. He caught the look I was throwing. “It would not be suitable for me to offer. A woman should be watchful of her safety; never ride in a strange man’s car.”
“Strange man, indeed,” I mumbled.
Wow, this guy I would have never expected to get the safety lecture from. I suspected if Justus caught Smokey the Bear lighting a match, he would probably beat him down with a cane.
We sank into the shadows of the dark road as the street lamps became fewer and dimmer. A long brick wall stretched out on our right, and across the street were dark shops—closed for business. Up ahead I heard voices and saw two men leaning up against the wall talking.
“It’s cooler here than I thought it would be,” I brushed the chill off my shoulders. “I should have worn something else.”
The heavyset man nodded at his friend in the red shirt, who hopped off the curb with an extra skip in his step. There was no reason to be concerned until the guy against the wall pushed off and began stalking towards us with dark eyes scoping my purse.
Before I could react, Justus flung his arm out in front of me so swiftly that I ran into it and gasped. He guided me protectively behind him while he positioned himself in a fighting stance. I couldn’t see anything but T-shirt.
A thick voice as sharp as a knife challenged him. “What’s up?”
Justus didn’t respond. I looked down and saw that my hands were trembling.
A cheap purse with $15 in singe bills was not worth my life. I already lost it once and I had no intention of losing it again. At least, not this soon.
I stepped left for a better view. They were toe-to-toe, and Justus bested him by at least four inches.
“Here,” I said holding my purse out, “I don’t have anything worth taking but you can have it.”
“Is that so honey pie?”
I snapped my head to the left and saw the second man in the red shirt closing in. He came out of nowhere and I grabbed Justus by the back of the shirt, twisting it nervously in my hands as my heart thundered.
We were in the worst possible area and completely alone. I thought about turning back and running in the opposite direction but the man in the red shirt was too close. He also had flashy white sneakers, the kind that you couldn’t outrun in a pair of flats. I tossed my purse to his feet as the contents spilled out.
“Check out the honey,” he said edging closer. “She’s sweet, look at her blushing. She knows what’s waiting for her.” He made a wide step over my purse and smiled wolfishly.
“Tell your pawn to back off,” Justus growled.
The man in front of him lifted his chin. “Do we have a problem here, motherfucker ?”
“Back. The. Fuck. Off. And we won’t.”
Tension: sharp as a blade, thin as a hair and acidic on the tongue. That’s when I let go and stepped back. Heat flared off of Justus like a fever and the moment I heard metal click, I jumped.
Someone had a knife.
Justus stood like a powder keg—legs in an open stance, arms hovering inches from his body, as if he were ready to combust with some ass kicking. Alarm ran up my spine, latched on, gripped tightly, and clawed with a dull tooth.
“Leave us alone,” I said meekly. “Just let us go.”
Red shirt guy snatched my skirt in a tight fist—leaning forward as if he were bowing to me. The tip of his tongue swept against the corner of his mouth. He looked like a wolf on the hunt with his crooked teeth—I his prey.
“Justus,” I started to whisper.
I cried out when my skirt was yanked hard and I flew out,
He sighed, and I almost felt bad for snapping at him—except that he almost called me a whore. It wasn’t really what he said, but the way he said it that irked me. Otherwise, a comment like that I might have brushed off with a laugh.
“Don’t you have a car, Justus?”
“I do,” he replied. He caught the look I was throwing. “It would not be suitable for me to offer. A woman should be watchful of her safety; never ride in a strange man’s car.”
“Strange man, indeed,” I mumbled.
Wow, this guy I would have never expected to get the safety lecture from. I suspected if Justus caught Smokey the Bear lighting a match, he would probably beat him down with a cane.
We sank into the shadows of the dark road as the street lamps became fewer and dimmer. A long brick wall stretched out on our right, and across the street were dark shops—closed for business. Up ahead I heard voices and saw two men leaning up against the wall talking.
“It’s cooler here than I thought it would be,” I brushed the chill off my shoulders. “I should have worn something else.”
The heavyset man nodded at his friend in the red shirt, who hopped off the curb with an extra skip in his step. There was no reason to be concerned until the guy against the wall pushed off and began stalking towards us with dark eyes scoping my purse.
Before I could react, Justus flung his arm out in front of me so swiftly that I ran into it and gasped. He guided me protectively behind him while he positioned himself in a fighting stance. I couldn’t see anything but T-shirt.
A thick voice as sharp as a knife challenged him. “What’s up?”
Justus didn’t respond. I looked down and saw that my hands were trembling.
A cheap purse with $15 in singe bills was not worth my life. I already lost it once and I had no intention of losing it again. At least, not this soon.
I stepped left for a better view. They were toe-to-toe, and Justus bested him by at least four inches.
“Here,” I said holding my purse out, “I don’t have anything worth taking but you can have it.”
“Is that so honey pie?”
I snapped my head to the left and saw the second man in the red shirt closing in. He came out of nowhere and I grabbed Justus by the back of the shirt, twisting it nervously in my hands as my heart thundered.
We were in the worst possible area and completely alone. I thought about turning back and running in the opposite direction but the man in the red shirt was too close. He also had flashy white sneakers, the kind that you couldn’t outrun in a pair of flats. I tossed my purse to his feet as the contents spilled out.
“Check out the honey,” he said edging closer. “She’s sweet, look at her blushing. She knows what’s waiting for her.” He made a wide step over my purse and smiled wolfishly.
“Tell your pawn to back off,” Justus growled.
The man in front of him lifted his chin. “Do we have a problem here, motherfucker ?”
“Back. The. Fuck. Off. And we won’t.”
Tension: sharp as a blade, thin as a hair and acidic on the tongue. That’s when I let go and stepped back. Heat flared off of Justus like a fever and the moment I heard metal click, I jumped.
Someone had a knife.
Justus stood like a powder keg—legs in an open stance, arms hovering inches from his body, as if he were ready to combust with some ass kicking. Alarm ran up my spine, latched on, gripped tightly, and clawed with a dull tooth.
“Leave us alone,” I said meekly. “Just let us go.”
Red shirt guy snatched my skirt in a tight fist—leaning forward as if he were bowing to me. The tip of his tongue swept against the corner of his mouth. He looked like a wolf on the hunt with his crooked teeth—I his prey.
“Justus,” I started to whisper.
I cried out when my skirt was yanked hard and I flew out,
Similar Books
