Abigail

"You bitch!"

Gavin tightened his hand around my throat, driving me backward into the nearest wall. The violent impact yanked air out of lungs.

His face was close and ugly as fuck. My chest heaved painfully as I tried to breathe.

"Thought you were smart, huh?" he spat, saliva hitting my face. "Getting me locked up. I’ll bet you thought you were fucking smart!"

Let go, you bastard!

I couldn’t speak. His grip was too tight, crushing my windpipe. The bathroom spun around me and my hands came up, clawing at his wrist.

Not like this, I would not go down like this.

I drove my knee hard between his legs, aiming for his crotch. His grip loosened around my neck and he let out a string of curses, scrunching his face in raw pain.

I pushed off the wall and ran, hitting the bathroom door with my shoulder, stumbling into the corridor. How did he get out of prison? Had he been watching me-

"Ow!"

His hand grabbed my hair. He yanked hard and snapped my head back. I went down on one knee, my scalp screaming as the bastard hauled me upright by the roots of my freaking hair, his other hand coming back around my throat from behind.

"Not this time," he growled.

I drove my elbow back into his ribs twice, he grunted but didn’t let go, the grip at my throat tightening. The corridor swam, the overhead lights blurring out of my focus. Tears spilled down the corner of my eyes and I could barely make a sound.

My knees buckled and I was going down when the weight behind me disappeared so suddenly, I hit the floor.

Air flooded back into my throat and I gulped it down, wheezing violently. What the fuck?

Grunts and groans filled my ears and the scent, a very familiar deep Tom Ford scent teased my nose.

I turned to find Finnegan’s hands wound tight around Gavin’s collar, his face flamed with anger, veins popping in his forehead and arms. His arm flexed under his suit as he withdrew it and smashed it right into Gavin’s face with a sickening crack.

"Who the fuck are you?" he hissed, driving another punch that sent Gavin crashing into the opposite wall. "And how dare you touch her?"

"Stay out of this,’ Gavin wheezed, but his words were muffled by his loud yelps as Finnegan smashed into him harder with each punch.

Gavin couldn’t even throw a punch back. He slumped in Finnegan’s arms, blood spilling down his busted lips and nose, his swollen eyes were plump red. He looked like he had been beaten by an angry mob and the fear of what could happen next had me screaming

"Finnegan!" I choked out. "Finn, stop. He’s done."

He didn’t seem to hear me. Around us the commotion had footsteps rushing to the bathroom corridor and gasps exploded through the air.

"What happened?"

"Someone call 911!"

"Stop." I pushed off the floor. "Finn, he’s unconscious, stop!"

His fist froze mid swing, his strong, muscular chest heaved intensely and his knuckles were split, blood glistening them. He spun around to look at me, his green eyes softening.

"Are you okay?" He dropped Gavin to the floor and quickly crossed over to me.

"I’m fine." I recoiled, putting a safe distance between us but not before his eyes flickered with hurt.

"He hurt you. Did he touch you? Why was he strangling you?" He panted, eyeing the red, visible marks around my neck.

"Because he’s a psychotic asshole," I spat, glaring at the limp unconscious body on the floor.

A cluster of seminar attendees had formed in the hall, someone already on their phone, someone else called out asking what had happened. They were all too fucking noisy.

"Come here." He murmured, reaching for me.

"Don’t touch me," I snapped, swaying on my feet.

"Stop being stubborn." He pulled me towards him anyway like the brute he was,his hands cupped my face,his thumb brushing my cheekbone. He tilted my chin up, raking his eyes over every bruise like he could undo it.

The ambulance and police arrived some eight minutes later.

I couldn’t give a total statement because Finnegan was there and wth the crowd around us, it was going to take forever to explain just how I knew Gavin and why the fuck he attacked me.

The police agreed that I could make my statement when I was better though. After that, Finnegan wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me to the ambulance.

My whole body tensed as the smell of antiseptic filled my nose. "No hospitals, no hospitals,"

"Hey." He stroked my back, running his hands up and down gently. "Breathe, Abigail. She’s just going to examine you, that’s all. I’ll be right here the entire time."

My eyes pinched close, and I gripped his arm while the paramedic assessed my bruises.

"The bruising is quite significant but it won’t affect you," the woman assured me, a soft smile tugging at her lips. "You need to rest and ice it, then come to the hospital if you have any difficulty swallowing."

I nodded meekly, I couldn’t wait to be out of here fast enough. The police men hailed Gavin into their van and drove off but the fear and anger buzzing in my veins only pumped harder.

How did he get out? What was even the guarantee that he wouldn’t get out again this time?

The police has some fucking explanation to do.

Finn helped me into his car and James drove us, not to the company or my house but to the penthouse.

"Why are we here?! Take me home. My home."

"You were just attacked, Abigail. You need to rest and-"

"Then I’ll rest at my own apartment." I spat. "I am not going up there. I’m not going to be stashed up there like a... like some..."

His jaw tightened so hard I saw it through the dim lit light in the car. "Like something?" The words were barely above a whisper.

"Like a whore!" I yelled. "Take me home, I don’t want to be here."

"You are not a whore to me," he gritted out. "You know that."

"I don’t know anything about you, apparently." I pushed the door open. "If you won’t take me home then fine. My legs still work, I know the way."

I got out and my legs decided to fucking shame me, they wobbled and I crashed to the damn floor.

Jesus holy Christ, today was just not my day.

I had no idea when he rounded the car but his arms wrapped around me from behind and tossed me over his shoulder.

"What the hell, Put me down!" I hit his back with both hands. "Finnegan, put me down right now, I swear!"

"Stop hitting me," he drawled as if I were some bug droning in his ear while he strode to the building.

"I will not stop hitting you, PUT ME DOWN! I’ll put a pox on you. A pox, I’ll, I’ll-"

"The only reason I haven’t spanked you yet, is because you just went through shit, Abigail. Don’t push me, baby."