Chereads / Clandestine Entanglement / Chapter 14 - He Failed Her

Chapter 14 - He Failed Her

This is a long one and here is your trigger warning. This chapter contains an attempted sexual assault.

This is the continuation of The Top 5, where we learn why Sarah is so special to Eric.

"Come on, Sarah Grace. Time for your rumspringa!"

Sarah saw the looks she was getting. There were some double-takes, some sneers, some smiles. She didn't recognize anybody. She heard the comments. There was everything from she looks beautiful to she's dressed like a whore.

She started to panic. "I can't do this."

She went to make her way back to her room. Kelly and Alicia stopped her.

"No, no, no. You are going out there. If those girls knew you, you would be tripping over the compliments. You look amazing, and they are jealous because the guys will be looking at you and not them," Alicia reassured her. "Now, let's get you a little liquid courage."

Sarah went to the bar to get herself a drink.

A girl bumped into her. "Sarah! You look absolutely gorgeous! We need a pic for insta," the girl said.

She didn't want her face anywhere near social media. Her parents might find out about the party and kill her brother. She was not happy with him, but she didn't want him to die."

"We need shots, Mr. Bartender, Sir." The girl, whose name was Paisley, said.

"Paisley, I can't do shots."

She looked at her, confused. "All you do is pick it up and swallow it. You have swallowed before. Right?"

Sarah felt the heat in her face hoping that she couldn't see the red through the makeup. She laughed nervously. "Oh. Umm. Yeah, sure. Of course."

"Awesome." She told the bartender to bring them both a shot called a Flaming Dr. Pepper.

The bartender came back with a mug full of beer, a shot of amaretto, and a float of 151 on top to light on fire.

"Okay. Pick it up, drop it in the beer, and chug!"

She did what she was told. It actually tasted like Dr. Pepper.

"If this is what alcohol could taste like, sign me up!" she let out a hiccup.

"So, are you hoping to see someone? Or are you hoping to meet someone?" Paisley asked

Sarah didn't know what to say. "I'm just going to have a couple of drinks, get some food, then escape back to my room."

"WHAT! Girl, you can't waste this hotness."

She ordered another shot. They drank it down and immediately did one more. Sarah's 98-pound body began to feel the effects of them.

Paisley noticed and got her a bottle of water. "Here. Drink this."

She downed the water.

"Is that better?"

"A little."

"Give her a fuzzy navel heavy on the ice and juice," Paisley said.

He nodded his head and went to get the drink.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I think I just need to eat something."

"You haven't eaten?"

"No. I don't think so," Sarah said.

Paisley grabbed the drink. "Shit. Come on. Your brother is going to kill me."

She led her to the kitchen. The spread was amazing. Dean had it catered by Gaetano's and The Lobster Pot. All her favorites. He thought she could at least enjoy the food while she was hiding in her room.

When she entered the kitchen, Eric saw her. He was standing in the corner where the counters met each other. He was mid-sentence when he stopped and looked at her. He thought that she was so beautiful. She took his breath away. He wasn't sure if he should approach her or not.

Dean had told the Corps to keep an eye out for her and escort her back to her room if they saw her. He didn't need her telling their parents what was going on. "Walk her to her room. Don't under any circumstance go into her room." He looked at J.B. more than anyone else.

He watched as she buttered a piece of bread. He saw her take a bite, and the butter left a shine on her lips.

Fuck she is beautiful.

He watched her take the piece of bread with her and duck into a corner in the family room. She was the definition of a wallflower. He decided to check on her.

For some reason, he was nervous. He approached her and scratched the back of his head. He was dressed in black jeans and a button-down black shirt. He looked absolutely scrumptious, and he smelled amazing.

"Hey, Tinker Toy," he said

She looked up at Eric. She felt a knot form in her stomach. Her head was spinning slightly. She loved it when he called her that.

"Oh, hey, Eric."

"You look... I don't even know if I should say how I think you look. I don't need your brother killing me."

She looked at the white Jimmy Choo's on her feet. Her dress reflected the spotlights as they flipped by.

"I look stupid, you can say it. Kelly and Alicia did this to me. I didn't even want to come out of my room." She hiccupped. "Sorry. I did some shots. Mr. Pibb or something."

"Flaming Dr. Pepper?"

"Yes. That's it. Paisley gave me them."

"Well, you have to be feeling pretty good," he said.

"I feel... tingly."

"Are you okay?"

"I am just going to hang here in this corner till I can sneak back to my room," she said. She looked around. "Have you seen my brother?"

"No. Actually, I haven't seen him in a while. I think I saw him with Candace."

"Candace? Candace Fox? I don't like her."

"Well, your brother's life is his own, and he seems to like her. Sometimes, we can't control who we like."

"Yeah, I guess," she looked back down at her feet. "The problem is my life seems to be his, too."

"What do you mean? You have a great life. You are smart, and funny, you are the youngest alternate on the U.S. Equestrian team. I mean, you could go to the Olympics."

"Not unless someone breaks their neck. And that is the last thing I want. I am an alternate, Eric. It's not a big deal. Trust me."

He lifted her head with his thumb and forefinger.

"It's a huge deal, Tinker Toy," he said, looking into her eyes. "And you are also so beautiful."

Hearing him call her that made her heart melt. She never thought he saw her as beautiful.

"Come on. No one else thinks I'm pretty; I mean, I'm sixteen, Eric, and I haven't even had my first real kiss."

"What do you mean real kiss? You've never been kissed?"

She panicked. "Well, my teddy bear doesn't count," she said with a laugh.

"No." He moved in closer his breath was hot on her lips. All they had was an inch left between them. One inch away from one of the things she craved since she was twelve years old. She wanted him to be her first real kiss. She wanted him to be her first everything.

The moment was intense yet awkward. It reminded them both of the night in the car, but this time, Dean was not around. They came towards each other, but she chickened out and turned her head. She didn't know what to do, so she took a sip of her drink.

"You have to say that. You're like my big brother," she said, but she didn't mean it. She never thought of him that way.

He had a pain in his chest. He didn't know why it hurt to hear her say that, but it did. He didn't want to be like a big brother. No matter how much she loved her big brother.

He backed away. "Well, as you're like a big brother, if you need me, I will be around." He moved one of her curls and put it gently behind her ear. Her stomach flipped. The touch of his hand on her skin made her pussy twitch inside her baby blue thong.

He walked away, and she gulped down the rest of her drink. That is when Alicia found her and pulled her onto the dance floor. 4- She waved goodbye to Alex and let her pull her away. He stood there for a couple of seconds and walked to the bar.

She was standing in the corner watching the crowd. She really had no desire to mingle among Dean's friends, not that all of them were his friends. A lot of them were friends of his friends of his friends. After about an hour and one more drink, she decided to come out of her little cave. Alicia dragged her out on the dance floor. Which was the dining room. Dean and Holden had removed the rug, so nothing was spilled on it, but she thinks they forgot about dozes of high heels scraping against the floor.

"What was that all about?" Alicia asked, pulling her arm.

"He was just playing the big brother since mine is MIA. He was just making sure I was okay. I mean."

"Well, that's not a dreadful thing. So, did Eric say anything about your outfit?" She nudged her in her side.

"No. Not really. I told him that I looked stupid and wanted to go back to my room," Sarah said.

"Really? He didn't say anything?"

"No. I mean, he said something about not saying something because of my brother."

"OH MY GOD! HE TOTALLY THOUGHT YOU LOOKED HOT!"

"What? No."

"Sarah, if he was scared to say something because of your brother, he wanted to say you looked bangin'," Alicia said.

They danced and they drank. Kelly hooked up with J.B. She felt special since he had chosen her for his one lay of the day. She had just had her sixteenth birthday, and she said if she couldn't lose her virginity to Dean, she wanted it to be J.B. She told Sarah that it hurt, but after a while, it was absolutely mind-blowing. He had licked her pussy till she became soaking wet. Till she got to the point where she was begging for him to fuck her. She described it as slow and kind of romantic.

Sarah just rolled her eyes and said congratulations. She couldn't understand why she would lose her V-card to someone who had over a hundred girls. Maybe even more. Only the Corps had ever seen the list. J.B. was the only one who didn't grow up and continued his conquests.

He had seen her from across the room. She was dancing with another attractive girl, but she looked innocent, cute, and tiny. Tiny was easier.

She had her arms above her head, her eyes were closed, and she was swaying to the music. She looked like a stalk of wheat blowing gently in the breeze.

She had a great pair of tits. They were a little large for her small frame, and he wanted nothing more than to put them into his mouth.

I'm going to fuck her whether she wants to or not.

He was about 5'10 and around 165 pounds. He had black hair and golden hazel eyes. His bone structure was impressive, as was his body. He was toned and had the body of an athlete.

He licked his lips and walked over to them. "Hi, ladies. I'm Archer. Archer Kaye."

Sarah stopped dancing, looked up at him, and smiled. She didn't say anything to him. She had seemed to forget what language she spoke.

Alicia nudged her. Sarah said nothing.

Alicia put out her hand. "Hello there, Archer Kaye. I'm Alicia, and this is..." She didn't want him to know she was Dean's sister. It might scare him off. Sarah's name was well known, and everyone knew, even though they had disbanded, the Corps were her personal bodyguards, and Dean would be a hitman if he knew someone was putting moves on his Tink. "This is Grace," Alicia yelled over the music.

Sarah was out on the makeshift dance floor. She was talking to someone Eric didn't know, and that bothered him. He watched her hips sway to the beat of the music. She looked beautiful. The song Get Low from Lil' John and The East Side Boys came on. And fuck did she get low? She was a gymnast. Of course, she could drop it low.

He watched her as she grinded her ass on this stranger. Alicia had found another dance partner.

Alex pulled a random kid by the arm. He looked terrified. Eric was 6'3 and 235. He towered over him.

"Hey. What's your name?"

"Umm. Cade, Sir."

"See that blonde over there?"

"There are a lot of blondes over there, Sir."

"The one in the light blue sequence dress. She looks a little like Elsa from Frozen?"

Cade scanned the room. "Oh yeah. Wow, she is smoking hot."

Alex looked at him.

"I mean..."

"No, Cade, you're right. She is very smoking hot. That's undeniable." Eric said. "Do you know who she is dancing with?"

Cade strained to see. "Umm. His last name is like a letter."

"A letter? What do you mean?"

"Umm. Let me think, Sir. You are kinda scaring me, Sir."

Eric looked at the kid and then thought of how he looked. To this kid, he was a giant who could kill him with the snap of his fingers.

"I'm sorry, Cade. Really, I am."

The kid relaxed a little. "It's okay, Sir."

"Eric, Cade, my name is Eric.'

"Okay. Mr. Eric.

Eric just shook his head.

"His last name is... Kaye. His last name is Kaye."

"Any idea of his first name Cade?"

He looked like he was flipping through files in his brain."

"It's a weird name. Archie? Armond? Archer. His name is Archer. Archer Kaye. He's from Springwood... I think."

"Alright, kid. You're my friend now. Feel free to tell everyone that you are here because your friend Eric Vasquez personally invited you. You'll get any pussy you want... if you go for that kind of thing."

"Wow. Thank you, Sir."

"Just as long as it isn't hers." He tipped his beer.

"Oh, never. I can see how into her you are."

"What? No. I am just a little protective. She is my best friend's sister."

"No offense, Sir, but you are so full of shit your eyes are brown."

He made his way quickly through the crowd before Eric could respond. Cade was right, though. He was full of shit.

Archer took her over to the bar. She whispered something into his ear. The bartender first brought her a flaming Dr. Pepper shot. Archer leaned over and told the bartender something. A minute later, she was doing another shot and then another.

She was wobbling, and Archer had his arm firmly around her waist.

"Would you like anything else?"

"Yeah. Let's get her a Long Island iced tea."

The bartender looked at Sarah. He was weary because she seemed to be pretty intoxicated.

"I love iced tea! Yes, I will take one of those."

The bartender knew who Sarah was. He knew she wasn't going to be leaving the house.

He made the drink and handed it over to her. Her hand was very unstable.

"How about I carry that for you?"

"Sure. I know I'll spill it. So, you hold it."

Paisley saw Sarah and made her way over to her. "How's your night going?" she asked, trying to talk over the noise.

"I think it's very promising." She jerked her head towards Archer.

While Sarah was preoccupied with Paisley, Archer stuck his hand deep in his pocket. He felt the little white pill, pinched it with his fingers, pulled it out, and discretely dropped it into her drink.

"Hey, Beautiful, do you want to go somewhere quieter? I would like to talk to you and not scream."

"Sure. There is a place outside that we can sit and get a little fresh air."

Paisley hugged Sarah. "He called me beautiful!"

"Well, you are girl. Now, go em'!" Paisley patted her on the butt.

Archer took Sarah by the hand. Eric had lost sight of her, and Dean was nowhere to be found.

She stumbled out the back door onto the patio, where a set of rattan furniture was. Someone had lit the fire pit, but no one else was around.

"Here. Do you want to have some of your tea?"

She took hold of the cup. She put the cup up to her lips, but before she was able to take a sip, she tripped over her own feet and spilled it all over the deck.

"Sorry, I am not used to walking in heels this high."

Fuck. Well, there goes that plan. I only had one of those. She is pretty drunk. I may not have to do much at all.

"Is this better?" she asked.

He moved close to her and put his arm around her. She felt her heart pound.

"Yeah, beautiful, this is perfect."

Her vision was a little blurry, and she couldn't even remember coming outside.

"You're very pretty, Grace."

Her head was spinning. Grace? Who the fuck is Grace. Oh, wait. I'm Grace. She giggled.

He leaned closer into her personal space. He took her by the waist and pulled her into him.

Was this it? Was this going to be her first real kiss? He was extremely cute, but she was very drunk. She didn't want her first kiss to be while she was drunk. Or did she? She didn't know what she wanted she couldn't think straight. She thought of Eric. She wanted Eric to be her first real kiss.

He started to kiss her neck and shoulders.

"Umm. Archer, I don't even know you."

"It's okay. We can learn as we go."

It felt wrong. It felt uncomfortable. "I really don't think I want to do---"

He grabbed her breast. "You have great tits, Grace," he said.

She tried to swat his hands away. "Umm. I don't think I should--- I don't want to do anything with you. I'm sorry."

He looked at her. She could see the anger in his eyes. His look was scaring her.

"Come on, Grace. Maybe give me a try. See if you like it."

He slid his hand behind her head and tried to pull her forward.

She looked around to see if anyone was close. No one was around. "Archer. I don't want to do anything. I don't feel very good. I want to go back inside. I need to find my brother. I'm sure he's looking for me."

"You can go find him in a little bit." He leaned onto her, pushing her down on her back.

"No. I told you I don't want to do this."

She tried to push him off her. He was about a foot taller and seventy-five pounds heavier than her. She was trying to get out of his grip, but she was too small to fight against him. So many thoughts ran through her head. She knew she was about to be raped. Her virginity was about to be taken by a stranger she had known for two hours. She tried to cry out, but his body weight was crushing her, and she could barely breathe.

Two people went to come outside and saw them. Sarah tried to scream for help, but he had her face pinned to the cushion of the couch facing the back of it. They couldn't see her face.

"Sorry, guys. Occupied."

The couple nodded and went back into the house.

She felt his hand creeping up between her thighs. She tried to squeeze them together. She was strong, but not stronger than him.

Archer flipped her over, and she was now on her stomach. She tried to scream for her brother, but he had her face on the pillow, almost suffocating her.

So many things ran through her head. Was she asking for this because of the way she was dressed? Did she lead him on? Did she drink too much to let this happen?

He released her head, and she took a deep breath.

"Please stop, Archer. PLEASE DON'T DO THIS! PLEASE!" She raised her voice and was begging and crying. DEAN!

Why isn't anyone coming to help me?

Tears were streaming down her face. Her nose was running. The music thumped in the background. No one in the house could hear her scream. She was trying her hardest but it was hard to catch a full breath. The fire in the pit was burning her legs. She felt him grab her panties and yank. She squeezed her thighs tightly. She couldn't let this happen.

"DEAN!"

Archer had enough. He pushed her face first into the cushion.

This is it. He's going to rape me right here, in my backyard. I'm going to lose my virginity to a rapist. God, I am so sorry. I pray, please let this stop. Tell me what to do.

He had her arms pinned behind her back. When he pushed his hips forward, she felt his crotch with her hands. She grasped onto his balls and squeezed as hard as she could.

She heard him screech. He rolled off her and landed on the concrete patio by the fire pit. She propelled herself off the couch and ran. She ran right out of her shoes. She ran as far and as fast as she could. Her lungs were burning. She was cold and barefoot. She found herself in the lower forty when she finally looked behind her. She didn't see anyone following her. There was an old oak tree that her father had hung a tire swing from. She sat on it, held onto the ropes, and cried.

Eric came up to the bar. She had done one more shot and had walked off by the time he got here.

"What did you give her?" he asked the bartender.

"Sir?"

Eric was angry. "WHAT. DID. YOU. GIVE. HER?"

"Just a shot, Sir."

"Do you know who I am? I'm Erique Vasquez. Do you know who I am?"

The bartender turned white. "Yes, Sir. Mr. Willit told me exactly who you are. I am so sorry for the misunderstanding. She had a few shots of chocolate cake."

"What exactly is in a chocolate cake?"

"Frangelico, vanilla vodka, a lemon, sugar, and simple syrup on the rim."

"How many did she have?"

"Three."

"Anything else?"

"She took a Long Island iced tea when she walked away. The gentleman with her ordered it for her."

"Did she drink any?"

"I don't know. He had her taste it."

"Alright, thanks, man," Eric said, slapping him on the back. The man lurched forward.

Dean was in the pool house. He was balls-deep into his girlfriend Candace. He had never felt anything so glorious than having his cock inside of a pussy. He began to wonder why he had waited so long.

"Tell me you love me, Dean," Candance said.

"I love you, baby. I really love you. God, you feel so fucking good." He groaned as he glided back and forth inside of his girlfriend.

"Oh yes, Dean. I love you, too. Oh, yes. Please don't stop. Right like that. Oh, fuck, Dean."

There was a noise outside of the pool house. It sounded like a muffled scream.

"What the hell is going on in the house," he said, slowing down.

"Who the fuck cares? There is nothing more important than what is going on right now. Now, please, I am about to come."

He shook it off and continued. About forty-five seconds later he thought he heard something again.

"Do you hear that? It sounds like someone screaming."

"God only knows what's going on in that house. Would you please just fuck me, baby?"

"It sounded like my name."

"Baby, the only person screaming out your name is me," Candance moaned.

"Yeah. You're right. Sorry."

Just as they had finished, he thought he saw someone running by the window of the pool house.

"That was great. I am so happy we did this. I'm going to love you forever, Dean Willit."

She was kissing his shoulders and up his neck.

He felt very uneasy. He had a pain in his chest, and Sarah came to his mind. He hadn't seen her at all since the party started. All of a sudden, he was in a panic.

He started to get dressed quickly. Candance was behind him with the blanket around her.

"Baby. What's wrong? Where are you going? Shouldn't we, like, snuggle or something? I mean, we both just lost our virginity. Isn't this special to you?"

"No, it's special, Candy. I just have a bad feeling about Tink," he said.

"Tink? Your sister? You just fucked me, and you're thinking about your sister!"

"It's not like that. I am supposed to be keeping an eye on her and I haven't seen her since the party started."

"Ugh. Why do you fucking care? She's what? Sixteen? She can handle herself, Dean."

Eric was wandering around the house looking for her.

"Alicia, have you seen Sarah?"

"No. I haven't but I think she may have gotten lucky."

"Lucky?" he asked.

"Yeah, you know, lucky. She went off with that guy. I think his name was Archer."

"When did you last see her?"

"See who?" Kelly asked, walking up to them.

"Sarah. Have you seen her?" Eric asked.

"Yeah. I think they went outside."

Eric walked through the house and into the kitchen. When he got to the patio door, he saw her taking off into the acreage. Archer was on the patio holding his crotch.

Eric came charging out of the kitchen, jumped off the deck, and grabbed Archer by the neck, pinning him to the floor.

"Where is she? Where the fuck is she!"

"I don't know," he choked out.

"What did you do to her!"

Archer's face was turning a bright pink.

Eric released him, grabbed his shirt, and lifted him to his feet in one fair swoop.

"What did you do to her!"

"I didn't do anything she didn't want. She just got cold feet and ran off."

"Why were you on the ground holding your nuts?"

"She may have tried..."

"May have tried what?"

"You know what? Who the fuck are you anyway? Did you want a piece of her? She is a sweet little piece of ass. Isn't she?"

Eric punched him straight in the face. He let go, and Archer fell to the ground like a ton of bricks.

"Where is she!" Eric was now on top of him. "Where is she? Tell me."

"I don't know."

"Wrong answer!"

He punched him again. "WHERE IS SHE!"

"I don't---"

"WRONG ANSWER!"

He punched him again. "What did you do? What did you do to her?" He hit him on the ribs, then in the kidney.

"Where did she go?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" he shrieked.

"WRONG FUCKING ANSWER!"

Archer curled up in a ball.

"She ran off. She went through the backyard. I don't know where she went!"

Eric kicked him so hard he may have ruptured Archer's spleen. He didn't know, and he didn't care. He took off in the direction he had told her.

"OH MY GOD! SOMEONE IS GETTING THE SHIT KICKED OUT OF THEM!" Someone called from the kitchen.

Dozens of people crowded into the kitchen. They looked out the patio doors and windows and watched Eric punch Archer in the face. He yelled at him, and then he would punch him again.

"HOLY SHIT! HE'S GOING TO KILL THAT GUY!" someone else yelled.

Kelly and Alicia pushed their way through the crowd. They came to the window and saw Eric beating the living shit out of Archer.

"Oh my God! What the fuck? Where is Sarah!" Kelly screamed.

By the time they got the door open, Eric had taken off in a full sprint down to the back forty acres. He was out of sight by the time Dean ran up from the pool house. Candance trailed behind him, trying to put her clothes back on.

He met Kelly and Alicia halfway through the yard. He saw Archer writhing on the ground.

"What the fuck happened to him?"

"Eric, Eric happened to him."

"What the fuck has been going on?"

"A better question is, where the fuck have you been?" Kelly asked, shoving him.

Dean glanced behind him at Candace.

"Are you fucking kidding me! You've been getting your dick wet while you have seventy people in your house! Have you seen Sarah at all since you told her to stay in her room?"

"No. That's why I am here. What the fuck is going on?"

"All we know is Sarah was seen outside with Archer---"

"Who the hell is Archer?"

"The kid that is bleeding out on your patio," Alicia said, pointing to Archer.

"Something happened, and Eric was yelling and punching him over and over. Then he took off through the backyard towards the lower forty."

Dean walked over to the guy curled up in a ball by the firepit.

"You want to tell me what happened? Who exactly did you piss off?"

He stared up at Dean. From lying on the ground, Dean looked like a twenty-foot giant.

"Can you please call an ambulance? I think that guy did some serious internal damage when he kicked me."

Dean squatted down. "And why did the guy kick you hard enough to do internal damage?"

"I think I was putting the moves on his girlfriend."

"His girlfriend? That guy doesn't have a girlfriend. Who exactly were you putting the moves on?"

"Her name is Grace. She's short, blonde, has big tits, these gray-blue eyes and---"

Dean punched the kid in the face, and he was knocked unconscious.

"What the fuck, Dean!" Candance yelled.

"He was talking about my sister. Short, blonde, gray-blue eyes, my sister's middle name is Grace."

He ran as fast as his legs would take him. Being on the rugby team, he was very used to running and was extremely fast. He found her crying slowly, swinging back and forth. Her hair was a mess, and the straps on her dress were broken. Her makeup was running down her face, her lipstick smeared across her cheek.

"Tinker Toy?" Eric walked slowly and spoke softly.

She didn't look up.

He got down on his knees next to the tire swing.

"Sarah, Angel, please look at me."

She lifted her head slowly as he caught the first glimpse of her face.

"Oh my God, what happened? Did he hurt you?"

She didn't answer. She just hung her head and stared at the ground.

He stood up and walked up behind her. He squatted back down. "Angel, please talk to me."

She didn't talk to him. Instead, she let herself fall backward, like a fall of trust. He caught her in his arms. He sat his legs crisscrossed on the ground, and she curled up into his lap. Something she would have done with her brother, but he was nowhere to be found.

He rocked her back and forth as she sobbed in his arms. She held onto him for dear life. She wanted to crawl inside him and hide.

"I just wanted to have fun. I never thought that he would do that to me."

"What did he do? What did he do to you."

She told him everything that happened. She described it in great detail. She told him about him shoving her face onto the couch. She told him about screaming for help. She told him how she felt his fingers on her crotch, about to rip her panties off. She told him how petrified she was that she was going to have her virginity raped from her.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm fairly sure he has a broken nose, jaw, a few ribs, and maybe a ruptured spleen."

"Dean?"

"No. The felony assault charges will be all mine."

"I don't want you to get in trouble, Eric. Not for me." She drew in a ragged breath.

"He won't file charges. He would have to admit that he... he... I can't say it."

She looked up at him. "I was so scared. I thought he was going to do it. I thought he was going to..."

She started to cry again.

"Hey. Look at me."

She raised her head.

"You were brave. You were so brave. I don't think he'll be able to procreate. Like, ever. You did good, baby. You did real good."

She looked into his deep brown eyes, which were filled with concern and love. Slowly, he brought his face close to hers.

"I look like hell."

He lifted her head by the chin. He held her gaze. "You look like an angel. My angel."

"Angel? I like that."

"You like that?" he asked.

"I do."

He brought his mouth to hers and kissed her. He felt her body relax and melt into his arms. She put her hands on the sides of his face. The kiss became a little more intense. He cradled her, her small body in his big arms. After a minute, they heard Dean calling out for her. They separated and just looked at each other.

'I am so sorry. That was the dumbest thing to do. Especially right after you were..."

"No. It's okay. I've wanted you to do that for a long time. It made me feel safe. My first real kiss."

Dean came around the corner with Kelly, Alicia, Cameron, Holden, and J.B. following him.

"What the hell, Vasquez! What are you doing to my sister!"

Alicia and Kelly went over to Sarah.

"Your job. I'm protecting her. Where were you, Dean? Where were you while your little sister was being sexually assaulted?"

A look of horror came over Dean's face.

"Holy shit!" Holden said.

"Yeah Holden. Holy shit. That fuckhead had her pinned on her stomach while he yanked at her underwear."

"Did she try to scream?" Dean asked quietly.

"Yeah. Three times. She called out for you twice."

Dean ran his hands down her face. He had heard her. That was her. He was fucking Candace in the pool house while his Tink was being raped a hundred feet away.

Sarah got up and walked over to her brother. She started to shove him. "Where were you, Bean? I didn't see you once. Mom and Dad told you to watch over me." Her voice was filled with hate and animosity.

"I'm so sorry Bug."

"WHERE WERE YOU BEAN! WHERE WERE YOU BEAN! WHERE WERE YOU! WHERE WERE YOU? I NEEDED YOU. WHAT WAS MORE IMPORTANT ALL NIGHT THEN YOU TAKING ONE MINUTE TO LOOK OUT FOR ME!" She was now pounding her little fists on his chest. "I SCREAMED FOR YOU! I NEEDED YOU! I SCREAMED FOR YOU. I SCREAMED..." She collapsed, "for you." her voice had turned into a whisper.

He went to sit next to her. He wanted to hold her. He wanted her to know that she was safe now. He went to pull her into him.

"No. I don't need you. I have Eric." She looked up at him.

Dean glared at him. His best friend had taken his place. She didn't want him anymore. Tink was his, and he didn't want to share her not with Eric, not with anyone.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry, man. I got here first. Maybe you should have paid her a little more mind."

Sarah stood up and took Eric by the arm.

"He got here first because he was looking out for me. No one else was. Where were all of you? How about you, J.B.? Too busy fucking Kelly? How about you, Holden? Too busy snorting Oxy in our bathroom? How about you, Cameron? What were you doing?"

They all just stood there. No one said anything. No one knew what to say.

"Where were you, Bean? Somewhere with Candace? Like you have been every day since she slithered into your life? You don't even notice me anymore. All I seem to be is a nuisance. So don't you dare fault Eric for being there for me." She scolded him.

"You are not a nuisance, Tink, and I do notice you."

"Where were you? You can tell me, or I can find out for myself."

He took a deep breath. "I was... with Candace... in the pool house. We were..."

He didn't finish. He couldn't.

She looked at him. "You were in the pool house? You were what? Fucking? A hundred feet from me? While I was screaming for you while some animal had his hand up my dress trying to rip my panties off?"

Dean didn't know what to say.

"Carry me back to the house, please," Sarah said, looking up at Eric.

He looked at Dean, but he didn't care. He cradled her in his arms. She put her head into his chest and he started back through the lower forty up to the house.

"You need to go tell everyone to go home and maybe have your boys drop that guy off at the E.D. He does need some medical attention," Alicia said.

She and Kelly followed Alex and Sarah up to the house.

"Jesus Christ, man," Cameron said, pacing around in a circle.

Dean didn't move. He just stood there, frozen. What had he done? He failed to protect her. This was the first time he had ever failed her.

There is one last part to this story. Keep an eye out.

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