“You’re all in on it.”
I wish I could have taken the words back when they homed their gazes on me. What greeted me was something I knew from years of childhood neglect: predators staring down their prey, looking for weaknesses they could exploit. I wasn’t sure if they’d created some macabre killing club for kicks, if they were out of their minds, or they were curious about death, rape, and other horrifying things.
“Rhiannon—”
Whatever Deena wanted to say was cut short. No more wasting time. I decided to go for the asshole who had her pined, since he could very well kill her while I tried to fight off his friends. The men in front of me cursed in chorus as I spun around and ran at the man who’d already stabbed Deena at least once. Blood bloomed at her side, spreading in a crimson stain.
Shit.
I went directly for the asshole’s kneecap. Standing at his side meant that when I landed the blow the joint would give, break, and fuck him up for the rest of his life. As expected, when the heel of my boot made contact and pushed through, his knee bent inward, causing his leg to curve at an awkward angle. Pain—being the motivator I’d come to love—made sure he dropped the woman trapped against the wall. The need to see if Deena was all right was so hard to deny, but deny it I did. One rapist and killer was at my feet, but the other three quickly rushed my back.
I went to the cold, hard cement as they tackled me. I was stronger because of the vampire blood, but I wasn’t Superman. As their combined weight smashed me into the ground, I struggled and thrashed. As anticipated, I felt my muscles throb as fear became something I could use to break away, fight or flight was a wonderful thing.
“Take this one, John,” one of the men said.
“I didn’t pick her,” a deep voice complained.
“Tough shit. This is getting too risky. You want to know what it’s like? Then take advantage of the situation.”
“It’s his fault! We all agreed to pick dancers, not employees. He fucked it up by changing the rules at the last minute.”
“Shut the fuck up and do it. This has to end. Tonight. Before we all get caught.”
End tonight. Of course. There were four of them. Two strippers were dead. Deena was next on the menu. If they killed me it would even everything up and they could spend the next few years relieving their repulsive glory days.
My stomach bottomed out when someone grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked me to my feet. The tugging on the strands forced me to turn and face the man I assumed was John. He was one of the blonds with short hair. The last of the boys to take a drip into madness to learn what it felt like to end the life of another human being. I got a decent visual, planted my feet, and brought my right knee into his crotch. Softness met bone. He let go and yowled like a cat in heat.
“Get a handle on that crazy bitch!” The man who’d chosen Deena for the evening’s fucked up entertainment ordered. “The longer this takes, the bigger the risk.”
I watched him turn back to Deena, who had lost consciousness. He picked up the knife he’d dropped, and I knew if I didn’t do something right then he’d cut her throat. I started to make my move when I was grasped by the shirt and jerked forward. There was no way I could take on four men who were so much larger than me. It was impossible. Goose always told me to think smart, so I did. Left with no other choice, I did the only thing I could.
I screamed.