Safe With Me

Chap. 32: Save Your Strength (Chapter Redo!)

• picture of men in Snake King gang above with their names •

Elle quickly falls to her knees. Brody's first instinct is to go to her, but Happy only grips the back of his friends neck. Brody bites his tongue from crying out to her. He closes his eyes. His heart shatters in a million pieces. But as Happy pats his back roughly, Brody opens his eyes to see Elle sitting back up.

The only thing Elle has felt was a slight breeze fly past her head into the wall. No bullet had touched her. She stares up at Ira with a mix of shock and terror. Relief washes over Brody, causing him to breathe in and out slowly but heavily. He wipes his hand over his beard.

Ira coldly looks to Jaelynn. "That is how it's done."

Jaelynn nods, her heart racing in her chest. Ira plops back down into his chair. He motions for both Jaelynn and Elle to come up to his desk.

"You two, front and center." Ira barks.

Elle tries to get on her feet but struggles from her shaking limbs. Her heart continues to race in her chest as she fails to rise to her feet.

Ira furrows his brows in annoyance, looking to Brody and Happy. "Get this bitch up!"

Without hesitation, Brody grabs Elle by the bicep and pulls her up to her feet. He pushes her up to Ira's desk, not wanting to let her escape from his grasp again. But Ira's eyes forces him to let go. He steps back and holds his tongue.

Ira looks between the two girls with his bloodshot eyes and puckering lips. Jaelynn trembles in fear and Elle begins to feel nauseous, her body slightly swaying. Ira looks to Jaelynn with a sneer.

"When I give you a fucking command, you do as I fucking command! You don't piss around!" Ira turns to Elle with heat in his eyes, he takes a deep breath in as he calms himself. "And you come when I say you do. Capeesh? Capeesh!"

"Yes, sir." Both Elle and Jaelynn say in unison.

"Good." Ira nods, looking to the men behind them. "Get these bitches out of here!"

Elle feels a hand on her bicep, slowly turning to see Brody. He effortlessly drags her out of Ira's office. As they step out the exit door, Elle begins to silently cry. Brody squeezes his grip on her to let her know he's there. As they exit the hallway, Elle's knees buckle and she starts to fall to her knees. Brody quickly scoops her up on his arms and carries her bridal style. Elle quickly wraps her right arm around his neck while she buries her face on the other side. She feels her heart continuing to race hard and fast in her chest, wondering if Brody could feel it too.

"Brody—" Elle starts to say.

"Shh." He tells her as he walks towards the sleeping quarters, "Save your strength."

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

      Brody had placed Elle in bed and let her sleep for a few hours. Jaelynn has spent most of that time puking in the bathroom, breaking down into hysterical sobs. Most of the men remained silent, remembering what they too had gone through in their initiation.

          Brody sits at his end of the table in the kitchen. In his mind he replays the scene repeatedly in his mind. In that moment, when Elle had fell to the floor, Brody thought he had lost her and it broke his heart. He knows next time neither Elle or Jaelynn won't be so lucky.

Familiar laughter catches Brody's attention. He looks up from the table to see Ezra down at the other end of the table slapping his hand down onto the table. Happy sits arm crossed next to him, staring at him unimpressed. All the other men remain silent, glaring at him.

"Did you fucking see their faces?" Ezra wheezes, "They both choked!"

"It's not funny." Jesse glares at him, "They we're terrified."

"Your panties are in a wad because you've always had a thing for that little bitch. All had." Ezra turns to him with a half smile, half smirk. "Unfortunately, Jake got her little pussy before you did. Ha, ha!"

Jared shakes his head, smacking his plump lips. "That's just ain't right, Bruh. Ain't right!"

Jared rides to his feet and quickly walks out of the kitchen. Brody's chest rises and falls, remembering Elle's cut lip. His hands ball into tight fist, anger boiling inside of him. Down at the other end, Happy shakes his head at him in warning.

"It's not the same when it's a woman." Jesse shivers. "Makes you feel different about your job."

"All you boys are soft! Man, woman—what's the difference?" Ezra snickers, a wicked grin on his face as he looks down the table at Brody. "What's the difference, Brody? I mean, when you strangled Dominique?"

Brody quickly rises to his feet, his chair falling backwards into the floor. He rushes across the room. With a twisted smile on his ebony face, Ezra rises to his feet and lunges towards Brody. The bearded man grabs his opponent's shirt as he he shoved back into the wall. Audrey and Paige both squeal at the sudden commotion.

Ezra tries to go for Brody's throat but Happy, Alex, and Noah grab him, pulling him off their friend. Ezra throws back his head as he loudly roars from the men holding him back. Ezra begins to try and bite Happy and Noah's arms that firmly lock his own. He manages to bite Happy's bicep, which causes him to cry out in pain. With Happy's blood running down his face, Ezra loudly cackles with madness.

Taking the opportunity, Brody throws a hard punch in Ezra's stomach. The dark skinned man starts to fall to his knees. He moans in pain. Brody motions for them to raise him to his feet. He strikes Ezra again, only this one across the face. The dark skinned man begins to spit out blood.

Brody grabs a knife off of the kitchen table and puts it to Ezra's throat. "You touch a single hair on that head of hers—"

"Yeah and when you do, Ira will cut you!" The blood from Ezra's face drips down onto his dirty blue shirt, "He'll cut you like he cut Happy!"

"Man, shut the hell up!" Happy grabs Ezra's head and yanks it backwards, exposing his neck even more to Brody.

"You better..." Ezra grits his teeth as he feels the blade at his throat, "watch that little blonde...of yours."

"If you touch Elle again, I will kill you." Brody takes the knife off of Ezra's throat, throwing it down onto the wooden table. "Watch your back from now on."

Brody walks out of the kitchen, wiping off the drops of fresh blood on his cheek with his knuckles. Happy and Noah wait until Brody is out of the room before throwing the angry black man down onto the floor. Noah walks into the next room where Paige and Audrey remain huddled together in fear.

"I swear..." Ezra looks up at Happy while on his hands and knees, "I'll get that blonde."

Happy glares down at Ezra darkly. He looks at his bite wound, spitting at the dark skinned man. He grits his teeth and knocks Ezra out by kicking him in the face.

Hey readers! Decided to add more onto my last chapter update. Hopefully all of you enjoyed this! Please comment below! Have a wonderful day my Lovlies 💕