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I got an immediate reply back. It was the middle finger emoji. Once again I was laughing. Despite the eviction notice, I had to say, it was turning into a pretty good day. Now if I could just jump Kai’s bones, it would be a stupendous day.

21

Somebody needs their brakes checked, I thought, as I continued to text with Sue. Damn, she was funny.

Movement caught my eye and I looked up just as someone grabbed my arm holding my phone. He grabbed it hard.

“Oww!”

He twisted me around and suddenly my back was pinned against his front. I opened my mouth to yell and he slapped his hand—no not his hand, but something—over my mouth and face.

I couldn’t see.

I couldn’t breathe.

I kicked backward, trying to hit his shins.

“Shit, bitch, stop it.”

His fingers bit tighter into my biceps and this time I yelled in pain. Instead of a scream coming out, a wet cloth and noxious odor was coming into my mouth.

I kicked back again and he lifted me off the ground and spun me around. I tried yelling again, but he shoved the cloth even tighter against my face. I jerked my head back and forth, trying to dislodge it. Doing anything I could to get rid of this…

…smell.

…man.

I needed to…

Kick, Marlowe. Kick.

I tried to kick, but…

I was going to throw-up…

…fight.

…Kai.

Hurts. He hurt me…

…Kai.

“What in the ever-loving fuck do you think you’re doing?” I yelled.

As I came up on the guy who was trying to push Marlowe into the obligatory white panel van I thought my head might explode.

Her ex. Denny. Had to be.

He dropped her and her phone into the van and turned to face me. He reached behind his back, but I didn’t have time for this motherfucker to get a gun. He was already dead as far as I was concerned.

I covered the forty feet in less than three seconds and I took him down. I grabbed the gun out of his right hand, then threw it into the flowers. I hit him, and I hit him, and I hit him again.

“Please,” the man sputtered, blood spewing. “It’s just a job.”

I hit him again and again.

“Beau, stop,” a man yelled.