Whilst I was no longer as shaken as before, the pounding in my head hadn't ceased. I shoved aside the thoughts of my ex-boyfriend that made my mind spin. A part of me still wondered if the girl I'd seen on his arms was his latest conquest. Would he fuck her, too, and dispose of her like she was trash? I sure as hell hoped he didn't. No one deserved to be treated that way. No one. My mind conjured up terrible scenarios and then it was like I couldn't stop. The sadistic part inside of me tortured me some more - the part that was responsible for my father's death. Old memories flooded my mind and I was struck with the painful reminder that once upon a time, I'd let Joey Donald's be the center of my universe. That was my mistake. And he'd stomped all over me and spat on my heart like it meant nothing. I don't know how long I stood in the dark alley-way behind Danny's Grill. But by the last memory of my father, I was ready to call it a night. I clutched my stomach, making sure I wouldn't throw up. Then I kicked off the brick wall. Cat-calls and wolf whistles echoed in the air. I paused, dread pouring into my bloodstream, causing me to stay rooted to the same spot. A few shadows loomed at the end of the alley way and my heart rate kicked up a notch. If I remembered correctly, this was a dead-end. I'd been stupid enough to not alert Layla and Gabriela about my whereabouts. This was my karma for even sparing Joey Donald's a thought. Scums like him were not worth my time. Scums like him were also the reason why I landed myself in these situations to begin with. "Eh, girlllll." A drunk voice drawled and goose bumps prickled along my arms. And not the good kind. "What you doing out here alone - looking for a good time?" Ah, damn. My brain was on low-functioning mode after this entire night, and I didn't think I could defend myself properly if it came down to it. Black and white my ass. I was in grey. Grey was worse. I started walking in the opposite direction fast, hoping - praying - to God that it wasn't a dead-end like I remembered. Please, please, God. Grant me a miracle. Tell me there's an inside street I could get off on. "Where do you think you're going?" Footsteps followed the statement. Footsteps that were quickly catching up to me. My blood ran cold. I was sweating. "Won't you stay back and hang with us for awhile?" I heard laughter after the taunt and I was convinced I was stuck with no way to get out of this mess. When the voices neared and I realized that there was, indeed, no exit, my miracle appeared. "You've got five seconds to leave her alone before I'm forced to do something about it." I squeezed my eyes shut, instantly reacting to the commanding voice of my miracle. He wasn't the savior I wanted, or expected. I froze completely. This couldn't be happening to me. This couldn't be happening to me. My short lived relief was squashed down when I figured out who the voice belonged too. It's like the more I ran away from Sam, the more he caught up. It's like we were on an endless chase. It never stopped. And when he caught up to me, he caught up hard. Sam stepped away from the shadows and for a moment, my breath got caught in my throat. His dark blond hair was matted to his forehead in what looked suspiciously like sweat, and he sported two new cuts. One under his bottom lip and a new one near his temple. From the last time I'd seen him, his jaw had gathered more stubble. Dark grey sweatpants hung dangerously low on his hips and his torso was covered in a sweat-slicked white t-shirt that perfectly outlined his sculpted muscles. He was so ruggedly handsome even in this state. It was the lethal look in his eyes, however, that had me doing a double take. That, and the thundering expression currently charging its way across his features. There was an angry fire in his green eyes, and it was directed at the pair of drunk guys that had been followed me. Sam popped his neck from side to side without once looking at me. "Is there a problem here, gentlemen?" The crack of his knuckles emphasized his statement. "Or do I need to make myself clear?" The sleazy drunk guys who'd been hollering at me became visible, too, as they stepped into the light, and they couldn't have been a day older than twenty-one. They looked like they were considering Sam's offer for a fight, until they really sized him up. He was much, much bigger than them. He may be outnumbered, but I had no doubt that he could take them on. In their state, the fight was his. But I didn't want a fight. Certainly not one in my name. I just wanted to be left alone by all of them. Including my miracle who spent the entire night taking refuge in my thoughts. One of them gave an annoying sloppy smirk that was meant to be smug but came across as anything but. "Girl over here-" he pointed at me with a weak finger. "-is asking for it. Look at the way she's dressed." My muscles locked in place. Sam's nostrils flared and whatever bit of composure he had left went flying out of the window. "Take that back you sick fuck," he seethed, getting into their faces now, clenching his fists like he had to physically fight back the urge to swing at them. "Apologize. The only one who's asking for something is you, and that's a fucking beating. From me." They never apologized. Instead they chose to stupidly shove at Sam, who didn't take that lightly. He retaliated. Expletives and curses were exchanged between them before the two drunks scampered away, scared and bruised, after Sam released an uppercut at one of them. I closed my eyes when fists began flying and only opened them when they were gone. Disappeared into the night. Sam's back was to me as he continued watching the spot from where they'd entered. I worked up the courage to softly call out to him when the coast was clear. "Sam." And he tightened at the sound of my shaky voice. Or maybe it was the sound of his name. It felt like the first time I called him by his name, but that was ridiculous, because I knew it wasn't the first time. Ever so slowly, he pivoted around. Pinning me to the spot with the full force of his raging emerald orbs. That anger wasn't for me but I could see him trying to simmer it down. He didn't seem like someone who lost his temper often. Yes, he'd gotten aggravated throughout our previous encounters, but never like this. Like he was conflicted, truly rattled on the inside. Harsh breaths fell out of his parted lips, causing his chest to heave up and down deeply. He started striding towards me. I panicked, my stomach flipping. There were flutters. Flutters I hadn't felt since the last time I'd seen him at the party. "Are you okay?" he ground out. Sam shot a hand out, as if to reassure me, but dropped it when it came within inches of my wrist. Suddenly, I wanted his hand on my wrist. To comfort me. To tell me that it was okay and those guys wouldn't come back. I nodded desperately and found myself stepping closer to him like he was a safety net. "I'm okay. T-Thank you." Sam took a deep, shuddering inhale, and then his eyes flickered heavenwards. I noticed that a muscle still ticked in his jaw. Maybe from a mixture of irritation - irritation at having to save me - and anger from what those guys had said.