Page 9 of Property of Yak

The two men have a woman pressed up against a wall. They have her mouth covered as she thrashes, and with the help of the alley light, I can see tears rushing down her cheeks.

Reaching into my vest, I grab my knife, and without a second thought, I move. I go for the guy closest to me and slit his throat first. As he drops, his buddy’s eyes go wide, and I grab him by the head and slam his face into the brick before pulling him back.

“What the fuck, man?” the guy hisses.

Ignoring him, I look at the frightened woman. “What did they do to you?” I demand, not taking my eyes off of her.

Gasping, she tries to speak, but nothing comes out.

“Did they touch you?” I ask.

She nods.

“Did they violate you?” I press.

Her head jerks up and down.

“Words, Angel. I need specifics.”

She licks her lips and rasps. “They ripped my panties and groped my chest.”

“Anything else?”

She shakes her head slowly, wincing, I’m sure, from the pain of moving her head. “No, you stopped them before they could go any further.”

For some reason, her words help me breathe a little easier.

The man I’m holding tries to break my hold, but I tighten my grip and grab his chin. I lean in close and ask, “What were you going to do to her?”

“Nothing she didn’t want, man,” he says stupidly.

I shake him. “Tell me.”

“No.”

Knife still in hand, I jab it into his side, making him gasp.

“You stabbed me,” he grunts as if he were surprised.

“Tell me what you were going to do to her,” I demand.

“Look at her, man. She wanted it. She’s asking to be fucked wearing that,” he whines.

I shake my head in disbelief. “Are you fucking serious? You think she was wanting to be manhandled and raped because she’s wearing a skirt?”

“She was into it!” the man cries.

“We should call the cops,” the woman says, her teeth chattering from either the cold or the shock.

“He doesn’t deserve to go to jail and be bailed out. He wasn’t going to let you out of this alley tonight,” I tell her.

“You don’t know that,” she whispers.

I sigh. This girl is innocent. She hasn’t seen the worst of the world. I have, though.

Turning my attention to the man in front of me, “Do you see this patch?”

He pales as he nods.