I glanced up. Aubrey’s beady convict eyes were open as wide as I’d ever seen them, and their usual flat, dead aspect had been replaced with something shadier. Without meaning to, I’d misplaced the hard shell I wore like armor. Aubrey had been waiting for this moment. While my brain was processing those facts, he pounced, shoving me back against the stainless-steel fridge, grabbing my breast, and shoving his thick, sour tongue into my mouth.

In a split second, I shifted from anguish to rage. Revolted as I was, there was something akin to joy in the knowledge I had a legit target for my fury. First, I jabbed my fist into his Adam’s apple. When he flinched back, I swung my arm around, striking him in the face with my elbow. He yowled and hunched over in pain, turning away from me. I kicked the back of his kneecap, and he fell onto the fancy tile floor with the soft squish a bag of wet dirt would make.

“I know you tried to pull some creepy shit on the other girls who came here,” I told him. “You’re not going to do that to me.”

I kicked him in the stomach for good measure. He retched like he was about to cough up a hairball and curled into a fetal position.

“Noooo,” he whimpered. His eyes were squeezed shut, but his face was wet with a gross combination of tears and snot that I didn’t look too closely at.

“I’ll let myself out now,” I said. “Word of advice: next time you feel like grabbing a girl, remind yourself she feels like killing you.”

I started out of the kitchen, and thought better of it. I went back to kick Aubrey in the kidneys. Then I left without a backward glance.

CHAPTER 14 DEIRDRE

CHAPTER 14

DEIRDRE

Leaving Aubrey’s apartment, I felt nothing but shame. No one had ever deserved an ass kicking like that guy, and the look of surprise on his face when he realized he wasn’t going to overpower me was intoxicating. But underneath was a bitter awareness that if I’d been on top of my game, it never would’ve come to that.

I hurried along Beekman Street, unsure where to go next. There was no way I could call T-Rex and tell him what happened. Even in a best-case scenario, with him agreeing that I’d never have to go back to Aubrey’s apartment, I’d be on the hook for a two-thousand-dollar bottle of tequila.

When I saw City Hall Park, I felt a moment of relief. Jude’s office was steps away. It was just after five; there was no doubt she’d still be at her desk. I messaged her and got a response immediately. She was waiting for me at the security post in front of city hall.