Read On The Ropes for Free Online Page B

down, obscuring a lot of the activity. A cab stopped at the curb and a bunch of giggling girls poured out of the back. My gaze dropped to their candy-colored shoes, a fucking rainbow of them.
    “Did he touch you?” I wasn’t sure she could even hear me. The question was little more than a rumble of sound.
    “He took off my…no,” she said finally, lifting her head again. “No, not like you mean.” Another of those quick, halting breaths. “You were the only one who—”
    “Did you come in a car?” I couldn’t bear to hear her describe it. Not even in general terms. I needed to get her home, and safe.
    Far away from those men…and me.
    “I took the subway.” As I tensed, she sighed. “It’s perfectly safe. I do it twice a week.”
    The lecture was right there on the tip of my tongue. Forget a lecture. I wanted to rage at her, to tell her she was insane for taking those kind of chances so late at night in the city. Safe, my ass.
    Safe had gotten her what happened tonight. There was no fucking safety to be had in this world, especially when you were beautiful and pure and sweet.
    “Is Fox at home?” I asked, struggling to keep my voice even as I started to walk up the street with her in my arms. Weaving through the foot traffic, careful that no one bumped her legs.
    I’d kill anyone who even looked at them.
    “Gio, put me down. Gio.” Her small fists pummeled my arms and shoulders. “You’re scaring me.”
    I regretted that, but it couldn’t be helped. If I’d had any sanity left, I would’ve scared myself. “I’m calling Fox to come get you. I’ll wait with you.”
    “No, no, you can’t.” Real panic flashed over her face, more than she’d shown in that horrible back room. Miles more. “He can’t know I come down here. I have no reason to be in the city this late. He’ll flip out.”
    I moved to the side of the sidewalk and stopped momentarily. “He should flip out.”
    “No, God, please. My sister can’t find out. It’ll kill her.” She gripped the collar of my shirt and pulled with her surprisingly strong hands until I had no choice but to meet her gaze.
    Oh, I had a choice. But I needed that quick glimpse into those beautiful, kind eyes. I needed to see there was still gentleness in the world.
    That I hadn’t obliterated the gentleness in her tonight.
    “It could’ve killed you,” I said, giving in to the urge to touch her eyelashes, starred with rain. The fringed line of them came off on my fingertips and I stared at them, wishing I could wash her face clean off all that gunk and artifice.
    She wasn’t meant for this. This was all my fault.
    “You saved me,” she began.
    My stare made her fall silent. “I didn’t save you. I fucked you,” I said harshly, continuing even when she flinched. She needed to understand. I couldn’t allow her to romanticize a moment of this night, even if it would allow my damaged soul a respite. I didn’t deserve it. “That’s not saving. I hurt you.”
    “You didn’t. Goddammit, no, you listen to me—”
    Ignoring her, I started walking again. I jostled her against my chest and grabbed her feet, tugging them closer to my body. “I’ll drive you home then.”
    “No. I can’t go home dressed like this. My street clothes are in my locker. If my sister sees me made up like this, wearing this,” she fingered her obscenely short skirt, “she’ll go postal.”
    “You’re a grown woman. You can wear what you want.” Obviously , I added in my head. Otherwise she wouldn’t have been stripping, putting her beautiful body on display for all those leering, jeering assholes.
    I hadn’t even seen all of her body. I didn’t have the right to. But so many of them had.
    Her choice, her right. Even as my mamma’s teachings echoed in my head, I fought them. I didn’t want her stripping for my own selfish reasons. She was too perfect, too precious. They didn’t deserve to see those secret parts of her. None of them did.
    “It’s different