Set Fire to The Rain -- Completed

Chapter 29

    Without saying another word, she patted Max once on the back and started to run.  By the sound of his bare feet pounding against the tiled floor, she knew that he was behind her.  They would find Hope, she told herself, they had to.  She would be damned if they would make it this far only to fail in their mission now.  They were getting out of here even if she had to kill them all with her bare hands. 

     They were leaving this place and they were never going to look back.

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    “Let me go,” Hope all but demanded as Joey drug her haplessly behind him.  They were moving through yet another darkened hall and she could barely see the back of his head in front of her.  His grip on her wrist was bruising and at this point, she was beyond irritated with him.

    He refused to acknowledge her; instead of listening to her, he increased their pace to more of a jog.  “Joey please," she tried again, appealing to him.  There had to be some of the old Joey in there somewhere.  Some of the same sweet Joey that had so many times kissed her senseless after the football games, after school or when they were just making out in her room.

    He suddenly stopped at the end of a hall and before she could process what he was planning  to do she found herself roughly pushed up against the wall.  She opened her mouth to protest and was abruptly cut off when his lips came forcefully crashing down against hers.

    The shock that she felt was instantaneous.   She felt pain under his crushing mouth.  It wasn’t like all of the kisses they shared in the past, this one was nothing but pure dominance, him showing her who had the upper hand.  He wanted her to yield to him and she flat out refused.  It would be a cold day in hell before she ever accepted his kisses again.   

    When it was more than obvious that he was paying her no heed, Hope tried to use her arms to push him away from her.  He read her intent and all too quickly barred her arms to her sides, restricting her of any movement.  He never let up on his lip lock assault and even went as far as to bite down on her bottom lip, demanding that she let him in.
    

    Mashing her lips together, she made an effort to scream but by keeping her lips sealed, the sound was more or less mediocre.  She struggled futilely for several long minutes before she she heard another familiar voice call out in the distance.  Her body locked up right then and there, not daring to move.

    “Back away from her- now,” Liam said in a icy tone.  Hope almost sagged with relief at the sound of his voice.  Joey’s head lifted but his grip on her arms increased to such an intensity, she hissed out a ragged, pain filled breath.

    Joey shook his head and muttered under his breath.  “Some people just never learn.”  He turned his head to the side and stared back at Liam.  “She is mine and I’m taking her with me,” he told him very matter of factly.

    “I don’t think so,” he responded.  His eyes narrowed in on his hands and the way that they gripped Hope’s arms.  “I’m giving you to the count of three to let her go and if you do, then,” he gave him a crooked smile, “I might just be nice enough to give you another five second head start to run.”

    Joey’s taunting laugh filled up that empty darkened hall.  “You think you’re funny,” he told him and in a move that was so quick, he flipped Hope around to the front of him  and wrapped his arms over her chest, keeping her closely caged to his body.  “You boy…” he added, “Can rot in hell.”

    Liam smirked, “You first, maybe you can even tell the devil that I said hello, eh?”

    “Ha!” Joey scoffed.  “I‘m not going anywhere, I have what you want.”  And to prove his point, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Hopes cheek, making sure to flick out his tongue and lick up the side of her face, keeping his eyes trained on Liam.  “So tasty.”