Less than Perfect

20. Torment {part two}

Chapter Twenty

Torment

Part Two

Just when Skye thought Johnny was going to do it, strip her of her innocence, something else happened.

Her bedroom door crashed in, along with her knight in shining armor.

Johnny, surprised by the incident, let go of her hips and pinned her to the bed by her shoulders instead, looking over his shoulder for the knight. His body tensed up, the grip he had on her shoulders tightening. He cursed, sneering at the boy who'd seemed to fall to the ground upon impact.

Skye tried to move, tried to get a look at the boy's face, imagining Jules's bold emerald eyes searching frantically for hers, but she couldn't, Johnny's grip was too firm. Pain flared in her arms, causing her to cry out a little. She felt the muscles tearing, breaking under the pressure of a position that was never meant to be used. She wanted to say something, whether it was to be a cry for help or another plead for Johnny's mercy, she didn't know, but also didn't have the chance to find out.

Before she had time to even gasp for air, Johnny's hand covered her mouth and nose again, cutting off good air supply. She squirmed, trying to maneuver her way around for air, but her bound hands were keeping her at Johnny's hand. The pain became too much and she screamed in agony, the sound muffled but high-pitched.

Johnny still wasn't looking at her, only the boy she couldn't see. "If you don't leave now, her death will be at your hands," he warned the boy. And in one quick movement, he rolled off the bed, grabbed Skye by her bound wrists, and tucked her in a chokehold between his arm and chest.

"Don't do anything stupid," he spat.

Skye could see him now, the boy that had come to her rescue, dressed in dark jeans and a black T-shirt. Behind her tears, she saw the dark, tousled hair, the pale skin, the bright blue-grey eyes staring back at her. He didn't look frazzled or nervous, only thoughtful. He didn't seem to fear the situation around him at all, something she could only imagine Jules would do.

"I wouldn't think about it," Victor said. His eyes lingered on Skye for a moment before flicking back up to Johnny's. "Let her go, sir, you wouldn't want to hurt her any more than you already have. She's your stepdaughter, practically yours."

"Don't be giving me orders, pest!" Johnny bellowed, tightening the hold he had around Skye's neck. "If you so much as come one step closer I'll kill you, and then her. But not before I get what I wanted from her. She's mine, I own her, so you better stay away before I do something you'll regret."

Skye couldn't breathe—her neck and body throbbing in pain as the air in her lungs started to deteriorate. Her mind grappled onto what Johnny had just spoken, fear, betrayal, and humiliation overwhelming her. She tried to think of an escape, before it was too late and someone got hurt. As much as she didn't like Victor, she couldn't stand by and watch him get hurt too.

Doing the only thing that came to mind, she used every ounce of strength she had to stomp on Johnny's feet. She felt his arm release a little, just enough for her to wiggle out of his grip and sink to the floor. Stumbling to her feet, she managed to get a short distance away before someone slammed her against the foot of the bed, sending her crumbling to the ground. She was gasping for air, sobbing, and had to use what little strength she had left to manage consciousness.

Everything else happened in a blur for her. She heard groans, grunts, growls, sneers—all sorts of sounds, vaguely, as she sat on the floor and wept. Many times, she'd tried getting up to run away from the chaos, but her weak body only failed to follow along. They were fighting, Johnny and Victor, fighting for her. Victor was trying to protect her, while Johnny was struggling to cut Victor's life short so that he could "claim" her.