“I have to study.” Casey tried again to move away, but Brock ignored her struggles.

“Renee told me you’re graduating. Congratulations.” Brock lowered his head, and Casey saw his intention to kiss her. With horror, she jerked her head back.

“Let her go. Now.”

Brock lifted his head.

Casey’s frightened eyes met Max’s hard gaze. She hadn’t seen him enter earlier with the other bikers.

She felt the arm around her tighten briefly before it fell away from her.

“I was only playing,” he joked.

“Step off and find someone your own age to play with. Renee or Roni will do, not a kid still in high school.”

Brock moved away, going into the kitchen to escape Max’s warning step forward.

“Thanks.” Casey glanced shyly down.

She had heard her mom and Ginger discussing some of the Predators, and Max was one of them. He was in his late twenties and already had two children from two different women. Ginger was infatuated with his large body, sometimes becoming overly descriptive of it, much to Casey’s embarrassment.

She had learned about sex from Renee and her friends. Casey wouldn’t allow herself any friends her own age to come over, knowing Renee would humiliate her and the tales would get around school. Her mother provided enough gossip for them when she would show up at her school on the rare occasions.

“Anytime.”

“Max!” Ginger eagerly reached up, grabbing Max’s shoulders. “When did you show up?”

“A few minutes ago. Had some work to finish up. Have I kept you waiting, sweet thing?”

Ginger pouted up at him, and Max playfully slapped her on her ass.

“Go grab me a beer. I’m thirsty.”

“We going to party, or you going to keep babysitting?” Ginger teasingly rubbed her breasts against Max’s arm.

“What do you think?” Max playfully pulled the woman close, whispering something into her ear before releasing her.

As Ginger went in search of Max’s beer, he smiled arrogantly, satisfied at her eagerness. Then Max gave Casey a shameless wink before turning to his waiting friends. She went to her bedroom gratefully, locking the door behind her. The music would make studying difficult.

Since she was so tired, Casey decided to get ready for bed then she would wake up and study during the middle of the night. By then, the party would have quieted down. Renee wouldn’t want the cops called to break her party up, so the music was usually lowered after midnight.

Casey set her alarm for three, which would give her a few hours of study before she left for school. She would be tired, but she would crash when she came home after school.

* * *

She groaned when her alarm went off a few hours later. She was disoriented as she rubbed her eyes to clear the sleep away before climbing out of bed and putting on a robe to go to the bathroom across the hall.

After using the bathroom, she washed her face, taking a towel to dry it off. She was going back into her bedroom when her empty stomach forced her to pause. Then she remembered she had left her school books in the other room. Listening, she found the rest of the house was silent, and the lights in the living room were off.

Padding barefoot, she went down the short hallway, her hand going to the light switch. A movement from the couch had her hand freezing before she turned them on. The light from the street outside shined in the window, silhouetting the two bodies twisting together on the couch. Two other dark figures were in the room, watching. Casey recognized Ginger’s face, her T-Shirt pulled up with her large breasts exposed while Max was thrusting into her.

“Fuck, I’m coming.” Ginger’s shrill voice had Casey’s hand dropping as she backed silently away down the hallway.

As quietly as possible, she opened her bedroom door and slid inside her dark room. A sigh of relief was cut off as a hand was clamped over her mouth. Horrified, she fought as she was dragged toward her bed. A sharp punch to her face nearly knocked her unconscious as she was thrown onto her unmade bed. A terror stricken scream escaped her before the hand was again over her mouth, this time almost cutting off her breathing as a naked, male body fell on top of her, ripping her house coat open and tearing her nightgown.

A bright light filled the room suddenly, and the body on top of hers was lifted roughly off her. Casey blinked in the harsh light to see Jackal punching a naked Brock while Fade tried to break the fight up.

Her mother’s bedroom door was flung open, and she came running inside.

“What in the hell is going on?” she screamed, staring at Casey accusingly.

Brock managed to break away from Jackal with Fade’s help.

“I went to take a piss. The lights were out, and I went into the wrong bedroom. I thought I was with you. Jackal didn’t give me time to explain.”

“Guess Renee likes it pretty rough, huh? Jackal said sarcastically, as everyone took in Casey’s reddening face and torn nightgown.

“Go on back to my bedroom while I handle her, and make sure you find the right door this time,” Renee snapped as Brock stepped around her, going out into the hall.

Casey’s eyes widened when she heard a loud thump from the hallway. Then Casey was forced to hear Brock retell his lies to Max.

She shakily got to her feet, running out of the bedroom, unable to listen anymore. She escaped through the house, jerking the front door open. She ran out onto the front yard, stopping for a brief second at the sight of several bikers sitting on their motorcycles, starring at her like she was crazy. She began running again in a different direction, not knowing where she was going, only that she couldn’t go back inside that house.

A high scream came from her when a large body tackled her, taking her to the grass. Sobs tore from her throat as she clawed the grass, trying to escape the body pinning her down.

“Shut up! You’re going to wake the whole fucking neighborhood if you don’t quiet down. I’m not going to hurt you!” Casey found herself flipped over, staring up at Max’s harsh face. “I’m going to let you go. Don’t run; you tore your feet to shreds.” He stood, lifting her up into his arms.

Crying, Casey put her hands on his chest, trying to get away from him.

“Stop. I’ll drop you. I’m still trying to catch my breath.” The large biker didn’t seem to be out of breath as he carried her back toward her house.

“I don’t want to go back in there,” Casey cried out when Max would have gone up the first step. His foot came back down as he turned toward the bikes.

“You have anywhere else you can go?” His concerned eyes stared down at her.

“No.” Casey cried harder.

Ginger came out the front door with her purse in her hand. “She can go to my place.”

“That cool with you?” Max asked.

“Yes.” Anywhere was better than going back inside and seeing her destroyed bedroom and having to face her mother.

“You go ahead and take her. I’ll get Jackal to give me a ride after I take care of a few things.”

Ginger reached into her purse, handing Max her apartment keys.

“I need my books,” Casey managed to say between hiccups.

“I’ll get them for you, honey. You go with Max, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Casey nodded as Max started his bike, riding past the other bikers standing around. The ride to Ginger’s apartment was a long way, and Casey had her emotions shuttered down by the time Max parked in front of the apartment building. He got off the bike, reaching for her, but Casey flinched away.