CHAPTER 70: JULIAN; HER KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR

Catherine’s POV

Only if you let me fuck you now.

His words repeated in my head. For a moment, I hoped I didn’t hear him right. My brain was trying to reject the words before they even settled but then Collins watched me with twisted smirk plastered on his face, waiting like he expected me to actually consider his disgusting offer.

My chest tightened. "Are you out of your mind?" I blurted. It came out more confused than anything else because that was exactly how I felt. Confused, shocked and utterly disgusted.

He scoffed and crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. "Go ahead and make your choice."

He was being serious? This guy is insane! What the actual hell?

I took a step back, staring at him like he was some sick creature.

"Go fuck yourself," I spat. "I rather die than let you see my panties."

The moment the words hit him, his expression shifted and his nostrils flared like his ego shattered on the spot. The next thing he did was snap, lunging at me with full force.

I barely had time to gasp before he grabbed and yanked me toward the bed. His fingers dug into my arms, and his whole body pressed in, trying to pin me down. Panic shot through me so fast that it blurred my vision.

"Get off me!" I screamed, pushing, kicking, twisting, doing anything to help me get him off.

But he didn’t let go.

Collins was taller and heavier, so every second I struggled, he pulled harder, trying to drag me exactly where he wanted me.

Fear exploded in me while my chest constantly rose and fell.

Since I wasn’t strong enough, I did the next easiest thing. I bit him hard causing him to shout in pain and jerk backward. His grip loosened just enough for me to slam my knee into his groin with everything I had.

He collapsed onto the floor with a strangled groan and I ran without waiting for him to recover.

I sprinted out of the room, out of the hallway, through whatever insane maze this "safe house" actually was.

Shit! I was having a difficult time finding my way around. My hands trembled as I grabbed my phone, trying Gabriel’s line.

Screw it! His line was unreachable.

I swallowed hard, coming to terms with the fact that there was only one other person who I could turn to, even if he was the last person I wanted to call right now.

The first thing I did was share my location with him, before dialling his number. He picked up almost instantly. "Catherine?"

"Julian, I—I need your help," I whispered in a shaky tone. "Please come get me. I’m—"

I didn’t get to finish because Collins’ furious roar tore through. "CATHERINE!"

His voice bounced off the walls, closer than I expected, way too close.

On the other end, Julian’s tone hardened. "Was that Collins? Catherine.... answer me. Where are—"

I couldn’t risk it. I hung up immediately, shoved the phone into my pocket, and forced my legs to move.

I turned another corner and darted behind a huge decorative shelf that created a narrow shadowed alcove. It was small, barely big enough for me to squeeze into, but it hid me.

I pressed my back flat against the cold wall, forcing myself to breathe quietly.

My heart was beating so hard I could feel it in my throat, choking me. Even my hands were trembling uncontrollably as I covered my mouth with my palm, trying and begging my body to stay silent.

Collins began to call my name. "Caaatheriiine..."

His voice didn’t hold anger anymore. It turned playful like a predator teasing its prey.

"Come out," he sang in a low, coaxing tone. "No need to hide, I was just messing around with you. Don’t be scared, baby. Come on."

The mocking sweetness in his voice made bile rise in my throat.

"Catherineeee? Do not make this complicated," he continued, while his footsteps came slow and deliberate. "I’m not mad anymore. Just come out so we can talk, okay?"

Talk? After trying to force himself on me? He must think I’m a fool.

My eyes burned, my legs felt like they would give out any second. I pressed my shaky hand harder over my mouth, praying he wouldn’t hear the sound of my breathing.

He suddenly became quiet. It lasted too long but I didn’t trust it.

My heartbeat thudded unevenly in my chest, my ears ringing with the lack of sound. I couldn’t tell where he was. I couldn’t tell if he had left, or if he was standing right in the open, waiting for me to step out.

Everything in me screamed don’t move until my phone suddenly rang. BLOODY HELL!

The ringtone exploded and my entire body went still.

Collins’ laughter rang out instantly in a maniacal manner.

"Oh, sweetheart," he called out, his voice dripping with sick amusement. "I hear you."

His footsteps sped up. He was coming straight toward me.

My breath caught painfully inside my chest. I pressed myself harder into the wall, my pulse racing so fast I felt dizzy. I could hear him approaching.

"Ready or not...Here I come."

I didn’t even get the chance to breathe before he found me.

His hand wrapped around my wrist and yanked me out of my hiding spot. I screamed and kicked but he only dragged me harder, his grip bruising, his breath hot and angry as he cursed under his breath.

"Let go of me!" I cried, trying to pry his fingers off. "Collins, stop—!"

He didn’t quit. He ignored my struggles and tried to drag me back to the bedroom. Panic surged up my throat. I kept fighting, while trying to plant my feet on the ground as he forced me down the hall.

"COLLINS!" Julian’s voice exploded from the entrance. "Take your filthy hands off her!"

Collins stiffened at the sound of his voice, and I felt the change instantly. His grip loosened, his head turning just slightly and his body tensing, then he scoffed loudly and shoved me away from him.

"Oh, perfect," he sneered, turning toward Julian with a sick grin. "The FUCK-MATE stepbrother arrives to rescue his little..... what do you call her? Step-sister-by-day, fuck-buddy-by-night?"

I didn’t even have time to process the insult because Julian moved fast. He launched across the room and slammed his fist straight into Collins’s jaw. Collins stumbled back, completely caught off guard.

Julian hit him again and again and again.

It was no longer a fight, it was an obliteration. Collins barely had time to raise his hands before Julian grabbed him by the collar and punched him with the force of someone who had been waiting to lay hands on him.

"Julian, stop!" I cried, my voice trembling. "Julian, please- please stop!"

He didn’t hear me or maybe he did and didn’t care.

Julian’s face was twisted with pure rage, every muscle in his arms tensed, and every strike came harder than the last.

Collins was certainly no match for him. His strength showed only when he was dealing with a lady. He curled into himself, his arms weakly trying to protect his face, but Julian kept hitting him, the blows brutal and relentless.

Blood splattered and Collins’s head hit the ground, a barely audible groan slipping from him.

"JULIAN!" I screamed, stepping back. My chest tightened as tears burned my eyes. "Stop! Please stop, you’re going to kill him!"

Julian didn’t stop. He looked like an entirely different person.

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t watch. I couldn’t stand the sound of fists hitting bone, the sight of Collins’s face swelling with every strike, the smear of blood on Julian’s knuckles. It was too much. Too violent.

My stomach churned, and my legs moved before my brain did. I turned and ran out of the house, tears spilling down my cheeks, my throat closing around the sobs I refused to let out.

The moment I stepped outside, the sky growled. A heavy rumble of thunder rolled across the clouds, wind whipped against my skin. I kept walking anyway, wiping my cheeks with the back of my shaking hand. I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t know how far the road went but I didn’t even care.

I just needed to get away.

Another roar of thunder came. I wrapped my arms around myself and kept walking, staring at the gravel road that stretched into nowhere. Everything inside me felt like it was collapsing.

Just when the first raindrop hit my cheek, I heard Julian.

"Catherine!" His voice came from behind me, breathless.

I froze but didn’t turn around.

A second raindrop fell and a third. Then the sky opened up completely, releasing a cold, not-so-heavy downpour. The rain soaked through my clothes, chilling my skin.

"Catherine!" Julian called again, closer this time. "Where the hell are you going?!"

I kept walking, choosing to not answer because my throat felt tight and too choked with emotions.

My hair stuck to my face. My breath came out in shaky bursts. I just wanted to disappear into the storm.

I heard fast footsteps splashing through puddles behind me, the he suddenly grabbed my hand and turned me around.

His fingers firmly wrapped around my wrist, his chest rising and falling with harsh breaths. Water dripping down his face.

"Catherine," he said, pushing back his drenched hair. His scraped and bloodied knuckles came in sight. "Please, you are going to catch a cold, let’s get in the car."

I remained silent.

He stepped closer and lowered his head to meet my eyes.

"Catherine," he whispered, softer this time.