Burn Into Me (Into Me Series Book Two)

Chapter Twenty One - Timebomb

Jackson's POV

"Penny!" I shout, pounding on her door.

She doesn't answer.

You got me fucked up if you think I'm gonna wait until she answers. I try the handle of the door, but it's locked. I let out an exacerbated huff.

"Penny! It's Jackson!"

Still no answer.

Alright. Guess we're kicking the fucking door in.

I take a few steps back before throwing all of my weight forward and through my right leg, the door giving open with a satisfying crunch. I storm inside, not waiting for permission, clearly. I mean, I did literally just kick the fucking door in. Asking permission to come in seems pretty pointless. I glance around her apartment, not finding a soul.

"Penny?!" I call, storming through the living room to the kitchen. "Penny, where the fuck are you?!" I turn the corner into the kitchen and finally run into someone, making me stop dead in my tracks.

He's about 5'10", probably 200lbs, oily black hair that flops over his forehead, a round face, patchy facial hair, and a beer gut. His arms are covered in shitty patchwork tattoos. A cigarette hangs from his mouth. But most importantly, he holds Penny against the wall, his hands wrapped tightly around her throat.

Her skin is quickly turning a horrifying shade of grey. She tries to fight against him, but is quickly losing her energy. Her eyes are wide and filled with panic until they settle on mine. It takes her a second to recognize who I am, but then she visibly relaxes, the panic dissipating from her eyes. The guy whips his head to look at where Penny looks and settles his sights on me.

"Who the fuck are you-" the guy starts, but doesn't finish because my fist makes contact with his mouth.
"What the fuck are you doing, you piece of shit?!" I shout as he lets go of Penny. She falls to the ground in a clatter, her desperate coughs sounding as she gasps for air. I grab the piece of shit by his shoulders and throw him into the counter. "How fucking dare you lay hands on a woman like that? What the fuck?"

"Who are you?!" he rages, straightening himself up. I step between him and Penny. "Who the fuck is this Penny?!"
"Jackson, Jet's husband," she croaks between coughs.
"Oh, so this is the cunt you've been hanging out with?" he laughs maliciously.
"A cunt? Is that the best you've got? My seven-year-old nephew could do better," I chuckle.
"Who asked you to talk?! No one!" he yells.
"Yikes, bro, we get it. You have a tiny dick," I snicker, rolling my eyes. He rolls his shoulders back and squares himself up to me. "My guy, for your own sake, I highly recommend that you don't try to do what you think you're going to do. It's not going to end well for you. I will fucking kill you with one hand."

His eyes narrow. The piece of shit lunges for me. I grab him by his collar and headbutt him, sending him stumbling back into the countertop again. My fist wraps up in his shirt while my other hand opens the cabinet behind him. I push him back and slam his head with the cabinet door repeately. Blood errupts from his nose and lip as he grunts in pain.

"Jackson, stop!" Penny begs.
"If he's going to treat you like shit, I'm going to kick his fucking ass!" I rage, my fist landing in his stomach. Penny grabs my arm and I shove her off of me as gently as I can. "Get behind me, damn it!"

Jet appears in my peripheral vision, quickly assessing the situation. "Grab Penny!" I bark at her as I grip piece-of-shit's head and slam it down on the counter a few times. Jet pulls Penny to her feet and hoists her up, supporting most of Penny's weight with her body. I watch as they run out of the apartment together and ensure that they make it out safely.

To anyone else, it looks like my guard is down. But I practice what I preach, which means that I never let my guard down. Peice-of-shit attempts to throw a weak ass right hook, which I catch in my hand. His eyes widen as I start laughing slowly, crushing his hand in mine.