1

It was the scream that woke me. Bolting from my bed, I'm not sure a woman was what I heard. It could've been a vixen fox ready to get railed, or even my dreams for all I know. Peering out the front window with my gun in hand, I scan the neighborhood for anything out of the ordinary. Other than a black SUV parked in Elle's driveway, there isn't anything alarming. She hadn't told me that she had any dates but as much as people think we should, we don't tell each other everything. Scanning the unknown vehicle for a moment longer, and checking for movement behind the curtains.

Nothing.

I turn, scratching the back of my head and releasing a yawn, I then slip into a pair of sweats. Living alone gives me the freedom to sleep nude. I make my way to the toilet for a piss. As the flow begins, another scream resonates.

With my heart in my throat and pounding in my ears, I'm careful not to piss myself as I tuck my dick behind the comfortable cotton and charge out of my front door, grabbing my weapon on the way out. I sprint across the street barefoot and enter Elle's home without hesitation. She never locks her damn door, which pisses me off but I didn't have time to be annoyed. Weapon ready, I make my way through the living room in darkness. Terror shamefully pulses through me but being an only child with a protective father, I know how to handle myself.

"No!" My friend cries and then something crashes to the bedroom floor, making me jump slightly. I rush toward her bedroom door and hear an evident struggle. I barge through the door to find a man on top of her. "No, stop! Get off of me you fucker!" she cries while resisting against his weight.

"Shut up, cunt!" he growls while thrusting, attempting to cover her whimpering mouth with a heavy hand. The man is completely clothed with only his ass exposed as he fucks her roughly. Without hesitancy, I grip the dude by the jacket and rip him off her, tossing him onto the floor. She's in complete shock. In the heat of the moment, I climb on top of him and bash the butt of my weapon into his mouth. Blood insistently begins to flow. Though he's already incapacitated, I don't stop hitting him with the weapon and my fist.

"What the fuck? Holden, stop!" Elle shouts and attempts to grab me. I don't let up from beating the guy's face in. His blood cakes my fist and splatters against my chin and chest with every blow. The jagged edges of his broken teeth slice into my knuckles. Elle grips my shoulders and bellows into my ear. "Holden, stop!" She then slaps me across the cheek, distracting me, and pulling me out of a tunnel of rage. The man is limp below me as I focus on her glistening green eyes. Though her features are pressed with anger, I still see the beauty before me. "What the fuck are you doing?"

I look at the pulverized meat sack below me and back to her, "Beating the fuck out of a rapist." I clock him again but she grabs my wrist, stopping me.

Elle groans. "No. He wasn't hurting me." She sighs, "He's…my date."

My brow pinches in confusion, "But you screamed." I glare down at the man below me and I clock him once more. "No means no, mother fucker."

She chuckles, "It's called roleplaying, idiot!"

I look at the dude and assess the situation. On the floor, along with a broken lamp are a bright orange dildo and a bottle of lube. My eyes grow wide and I look at her again. "Oh!" I stand, leaving her date on the floor. "Fuck. I mean, shit. I thought."

"Yeah, I know what you thought but as you can see, everything is fine." She states with her brows high with her Duh expression.

I retrieve my gun from the floor and I back out of the door, taking a second to glimpse at Elle as she kneels to her date, attempting to wake him. He groans as he comes to.

Five minutes later, I'm sitting on my front porch and listening to them argue before the dude stumbles out of the door with Elle tracking behind him. "You could've warned me about that thing you call a guard dog. Stupid cunt!"

Elle's middle finger shoots up, "And you could've warned me about that tiny thing you call a dick. Guess that makes us even, huh bitch!" I couldn't help but chuckle, choking on cigarette smoke in the process. Elle glares in my direction, flipping me off too as her date spins his tires to get out of there. "This is your fault. Thanks a lot, dickhead!"

Sarcastically, I smile and wave, "No problem. Any time."

She groans in frustration and slams the front door.

Ah, Elenore Gains, the sweetest little bitch you'll ever meet. I've known her for what seems like forever. Her father was the president of the Iron Dragons MC. My dad was his VP before his passing. Though the MC was disbanded after the fuzz busted them for transporting illegal guns, and drugs, and having a prostitution ring, the mass majority of the club members are now behind bars or six feet under.

Our world was flipped upside down but, though our parents fucked up royally, they did do one thing right. Me, Elle, and Max, her brother, were entrusted the houses, all vehicles, belongings, and fat stacks of cash in personal accounts. For fifteen years now, we haven't needed anything. Well, maybe not me and Elle. But we aren't grifting off our inheritances. We have supplemental incomes aside from our inheritances.

Max on the other hand pissed all his cash away on smack and refuses to hold a job. Tapping his veins, drinking, and women became far more important to him than the future. It's gotten so bad that he lost his dad"s bike to settle his debts. Luckily, Elle and I stashed her dad"s 1953 Harley Davidson Panhead Chopper from her brother before it could also become a bargaining chip in one of his drug-induced schemes. It's safe inside a storage unit in the next county over. She's the only one with access. He believes someone stole it, which is a fact but he would never suspect one of us. Sadly, Max will be behind bars with his dad before too long. Unfortunately, Elle has a stomach-churning soft spot for her brother and refuses to deny him money if he needs it.

I flex my fingers into a fist, inspecting my bleeding knuckles. I disinfected them right away and wrapped a hand towel around them to stop the bleeding. Lost in thought, the sound of Elle's front door closing catches my attention. She's dressed in a loose-fit white tee, baggy pajama pants, and bunny slippers. Carrying a cup of what I assume is steaming coffee, she makes her way across the street and enters my yard, trudging over the tall blades. She sits on the step below mine, sips her coffee, and sighs while picking grass out of the ears of her slippers as if the altercation never happened. "Dude, you really need to cut this fuckin' grass."

I smirk at her nonchalant conversation starter, "How the hell can you wear those slippers? It's hot as hell out here." We're coming up on August and I still wake up in the night drenched in summer sweat, even with A/C. "And that coffee, ugh."

Elle sips a few more times before looking back at me. "You didn't see my vagina, did you?"

I ponder, "Not that I can recall. But it wouldn't be the first time."

"True."

Being her best friend gave me the unfortunate freedom to be in her room while changing her clothes. It's a good thing I bat for the other team. Though she's beautiful, Elle's nude body does nothing for me sexually. Of course, she's the only one who knows my true nature. In a family like ours, I would have my ass beat to death and my body would never be found. Being gay is highly frowned upon. Unless you're a chick willing to lick a muff for her man during a threesome. Then it"s considered sexy. I do my best to put on a tough exterior but I do have my weaknesses.

Elle groans and covers her face in embarrassment and starts laughing. "Oh my god. I can't believe you walked in."

"That's what happens when you never lock your fuckin' door, dummy." I laugh, "What do you expect me to do when you're screaming at the top of your lungs?" I shake my head, "You're adventurous ways could get a guy killed."

"I get it, ok? I was having a little fun. I'm sorry I worried you."

"Fun? Is that what you're into now? Weirdo sex fetishes?" Elle and I have always been able to talk about these sorts of things.

"No!"

"Then what the fuck?"

She giggles and shrugs, "I don't know. He mentioned it when we were talking on that hook-up app."

"Fucking Swinker?! You're on Swinker?"

"It sounded fun and I was bored." She sips her cup.

"So you just decided to give baby dick a shot?"

We both laugh, "Yeah, I really should've gotten a dick pic prior, huh?"

"Ya think?"

"Stop," she chuckles.

"Maybe not being on Swinker would be a good start. Only freaks are on those apps. Believe me, I've been there. If you need a quick bang, just call someone familiar."

Not only for her looks and ability to land every dude, she comes across, but her drive. She doesn't seem the type but over half of her backyard is a vegetable garden and on the other side, she has shade seating and a poisonous greenhouse. Everything inside could kill a person within days if not minutes. She kind of a freak when it comes to shit like that. She also has an odd attraction to dead things. Animal bones and framed insect taxidermy to be exact. She even has an online store for her creepy creations.

She glares at me over her shoulder, "I'm not fucking you and that's final."

"Fine," I smirk and scoff. She smiles back at me and winks. We laugh together and exchange playful banter. I'm not remotely attracted to her but it's fun to tease. I'm still shocked she even considers me her friend after all we've been through. After what my father did to land us here. She should hate me but she accepts me for who I am. Which is why I will do anything for Elle. I feel protective over her, even if it involves protecting her from herself. She's a smart woman for the most part but like anyone else, she has a sensitive side. Especially when it comes to her brother. Though he's older than her, she has taken on. The adult role in their lives. She knows full well that he"s a fuck up but accepts him and his choices. It's odd and if it were up to me, I would cut him from our lives indefinitely.

"Anyway. Thanks for coming to my rescue. I gotta work in the morning." Elle doesn't have a normal nine-to-five job. She's an artist and sells shit online and at craft shows. She stands, brushes off her ass, and steps from the porch. "See ya, dick head."

"Good night, asshole."

She does a half-handed solute to me before returning across the street. Once she's securely inside, I return to my lonely three-bedroom home.