Chapter 3 Chapter Three

Michelle's POV

Great.

Another canceled ride and my phone battery was really low. Sighing, I tucked my phone back into the pocket of the vest I was wearing over the bunny costume I was roasting in.

I began my long journey. The nearest bus station was 45 minutes away from this neighborhood. Thirty if I went through the shortcut. On a normal day, I would never even consider going through that side of town, but I wasn't willing to walk for that long. Plus, who would rob an adorable bunny?

The smell of cigarettes, cheap perfume, urine, and other things I would rather remain in the dark about attacked my nose. Bending over, I heaved. Nothing came out since I hadn't eaten all day. Grabbing the wall to steady myself, I looked up at the sound of bikes stopping in front of me.

"Looking good, gorgeous. How 'bout I take you for a spin tonight?" one of the bikers called out. He smirked as his buddies laughed at my expense.

I ignored them and kept walking, itching to get home and out of this horrid costume.

"Come on, love. I don't bite. We'll have a good time together, maybe even a great time." More laughter. More snide remarks.

Looking back at them, I silently raised two middle fingers and continued walking.

"Look, fellas. Looks like we have an invitation."

What. The. Fuck.

My brain was sending alarm bells telling me to run. I didn't need to be told twice. I ran as fast as I could, ditching the head of my bunny costume. I cringed as I remembered I could no longer return the costume and get my deposit back.

I ran. Well, as fast as I could with this dumbass costume bumping into everything. I heard their feet pound on the concrete. At least they weren't chasing me down with their bikes. I weaved through the street like a maniac, the rabbit costume making it so much harder.

I got to the farmers market and hid behind one of the stalls. I knew I couldn't hide here forever. They would eventually find me. I had to get home fast, or at least somewhere with other people.

I needed to move, and fast. The costume was slowing me down, and staying hidden wouldn't help if they spotted me.

In seconds, I stripped it off. I stood in just my bra and underwear. It wasn't ideal, but I could move faster now.

I crouched and listened. No footsteps approached. I waited a few more seconds. Still nothing.

I bolted in the opposite direction, barely looking at where I was going, and ran straight into a wall.

So much for being graceful.

Groaning, sprawled on the pavement, I looked up. A tall silhouette blocked out the streetlight. I scrambled to my feet.

I looked closely at the man in front of me. He wasn't one of them, but that didn't mean I was safe with him.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes," he said gruffly.

"Well, you're not so hot-looking either," I huffed.

He was dressed in all black, with a fresh bruise on his right eye. He reeked of alcohol, or was that me? I blew into my palm and brought it up to my nose. Shit, it was me.

He chuckled.

"Touché. Can I ask why you're running around in your underwear, or is that the new fashion statement around here now?"

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yeah. It's Chanel. Fall collection. You like?" I said, jutting my hip out like I was on a runway.

He shook his head, laughing. Before he could say more, a sharp whistle cut through the air.

"You were hiding all that in your costume? What a shame."

Crap. They were back.

Instinctively, I ducked behind the mystery man. I didn't know him, but he seemed like the better option right now. He glanced down at me, then back at the guys approaching.

They got closer. He raised a hand, shielding my body from their gaze.

"Look, man. We found her first. Don't be greedy, we can all get a little taste," the leader said with a sick smile.

"You must be insane if you think I'm going to let you take advantage of a little girl, or join you."

"Excuse you, I'm not little," I muttered, tapping his back.

He pushed my face away gently with his large hand.

"You heard her. She's not little. Just give her to us and no one gets hurt."

"I'll do you one better. Move along and you don't get hurt."

The biker gang leader looked at us with a bored expression and waved his hand.

"You want it the hard way? Fine. Get them!"

All five bikers charged at me and the mystery guy.

I dropped into a crouch, squeezed my eyes shut, hands over my head like that would somehow protect me from boots or fists or worse. My ears filled with the thunder of their footsteps, then a grunt so close I flinched.

The crack of bone, or maybe wood, snapped through the air. I risked a peek between my fingers in time to see one biker fly backward into a stack of crates, splinters exploding around him like cheap pyrotechnics.

What the—

Before I could finish the thought, mystery guy moved. Not dodging so much as flowing, like a graceful dancer. A second man swung a chain. Mystery guy caught it mid-arc, yanked it, and sent him spinning face-first into a lamppost. The hollow sound rang down the empty street. He slid to the ground, knocked out cold.

My heart was pounding so hard I felt it in my throat. I hugged my knees, trying to make myself smaller. I didn't even care that the pavement was gritty under my bare thighs.

Two down, three still coming. The leader shouted something I couldn't make out over the blood rushing in my ears, but mystery guy answered with a right hook that lifted the nearest biker off his feet. He crashed into a vegetable stall. A cabbage rolled mournfully into the gutter.

The fourth man grabbed him from behind, but my rescuer, if that's what he was, just dropped his weight and flung him over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The guy landed flat on his back, wheezing, and didn't get up.

I realized I'd been holding my breath. I let it out in a shaky rush, still crouched, still useless.

Then it was just the leader left standing. He had a knife now. When did he get a knife? Mystery guy was already there, one hand twisting the blade away, the other shoving the guy's face directly into the nearest wall. Brick dust puffed at the impact.

"If I ever hear or see you harassing another woman again, you won't walk away so easily next time," mystery guy growled, low and calm, right into the leader's ear. Then he let go, and the guy crumpled to the ground.

I unfolded myself slowly from my fetal position, my legs shaking as I stood. I stared at the heap of groaning leather and denim, then at mystery guy, who wasn't even breathing hard.

The leader staggered to his feet, took one look at his scattered crew, and backed away quickly.

"Forget this. You're not even worth it, you scrawny little hag."

My jaw dropped.

"Scrawny! Scrawny! Just a second ago you wanted all this, you idiot—"

Smack.

Mystery guy tapped me upside the head, not hard enough to hurt, just enough to make me shut up.

"Come on, kiddo. Let's get out of here before the police get here."

He held out his hoodie. I took it and slipped it on. It enveloped me entirely, almost reaching the tops of my knees.

"Hold on, I need to get something first."

I ran back to get my costume. We walked toward his car in silence. I felt him side-eyeing my costume, but I didn't say a word.

As he started the engine and drove out of the parking lot, he asked, "So are you

going to tell me what happened, or..."

I could barely concentrate on what he was saying, the adrenaline had passed and the bottle of vodka had started to kick in.

"Just bunny business," I yawned, and fell asleep to the cold leather seats beneath me.