She couldn't breathe. Any idiot could see it.
But the idiot wasn't watching, wasn't letting her go.
She clawed at him, pushed at him, and her efforts began losing strength.
As her arms dropped and her body sagged he howled. Ronnie was going to kill her.
He made ready to go through the window as Ronnie released her and she fell to the floor. He'd kill the bastard.
He stopped when he saw her hands go to her throat. She curled up on her side.
Ronnie crouched down and fell over.
"God, babe, are you alright?"
Her voice is low and rough. "Get out."
"Hey, babe, I'm sorry, OK?" He takes her shoulders as they sit up. "Are you al...?"
She pulls away and smacks him across the face. "I said, get out."
"Lys, I didn't mean..."
"Goddammit, Ronnie, are you deaf? Get out of my house!"
He looks at her. She glares at him.
Emmett's outside, watching, pacing. Growling. Hackles raised. Paying no heed to the pain in his leg. Ready to do battle.
Ronnie stands and yanks up his jeans. Pulling the zipper up, roughly, he manages to catch himself. "Ow! Son of a..."
She continues to glare at him from her seat on the floor.
He walks to the front door, opens it, and turns to her. "Lyssa..."
She purposely turns her face from him, indicating her refusal to listen to anything he has to say right now.
Damn bitch. He walks out, slamming the door behind him.
She scrambles over and throws the deadbolt.
Turning away she sees Emmett pacing and growling. She then moved to the back door to let him in, then slammed and locked it.
She hadn't heard his truck start. Now, she began to be really afraid.
She scuttled away from the back door, into the middle of the living room, where she could watch both doors.
Emmett was on high alert. She had ordered the male from her house but the scent of fear hung heavy around her.
When she moved back, to sit on the living room floor, he stood beside her, guarding her.
She jerked and his eyes followed hers.
The other male, on the back porch, holding his ruined jacket.
The damn dog had ripped up his favorite jacket and had apparently pissed on it, too. It reeked.
He carefully pulled his keys from the pocket than got ahold of a dry corner and held it up. He walked over to the door and rapped on the frame, then yelled, "Your fucking dog ruined my jacket!"
He doesn't hear the single word response.
Dropping the jacket's remains, he stomps off.
"Good." she says quietly. The son of a bitch could have killed her. He'd gotten drunk and wasn't concerned about anything but himself. She'd passed out. He could have killed her.
She hears the truck start, back out of the driveway, and tear down the street. Her neighbors would not be pleased.
Her body sagged in relief as he left. She wrapped her arms around herself and burst into tears.
Emmett was a bit confused. The other male was gone. The threat removed, why was she upset?
He thought briefly about revealing himself to her but sensed it was not yet time. He sat on his haunches and licked her face.
After a little bit she threw her arms around him and cried into his shoulder.
She sniffled and pulled herself together. "I'm glad you're here, Emmett." She wipes her nose against her arm. "Ronnie's got me a little scared right now."
Both seated on the ground, his head is at the same level as hers. She looks into his chocolate eyes. "Thank you." He licks her face again.
Heaving a sigh, she roughly runs her hands up and down his spine. He groans at the sensation. A belch catches him by surprise. Her hands stop abruptly. "Where did you get beer?"
He whines.
Angry now, she rises and stalks out the back door, kicking his shredded, sodden jacket into the grass. She picks up the water bowl and notes the yellowish liquid in it. Then she looks at Emmett. "Asshole! How much beer did he give you?" Emmett looks up and whines again.
