Free Broken: Round One (Broken #1) by Skyla Madi

out and find him than wallow in my own self-pity until he gets here. I swing my legs off the edge of my bed, cringing when my feet touch the concrete. I stand up and glance down at my clothes. My shirt is uneven and my bra is tucked uncomfortably at one corner. When I adjust them, I notice my shorts are wide open, exposing my black underwear. Sighing, I close the button and pull up the zipper. I feel dirty as I give myself another quick once-over. I wonder if anyone else can see what went on in here last night just by looking at me … I feel as though it’s written on my face. No one’s cheeks feel this warm unless they’ve done something dirty. As the thought passes, a tall woman with long, blonde hair walks by, and she raises her perfectly tweezed eyebrows at me. I frown, but there’s no mistaking it. She knows. These tunnels echo so clearly and if she sleeps in the same tunnel as us, there’s no avoiding it.
    I slip into my black shoes, forgoing the socks, and step out into the main tunnel. As I walk past various nooks, crannies and service walkways, I see most people are still sleeping. I don’t blame them. There isn’t much else you can do down here. Somewhere in the distance, I hear a woman crying and a man yelling, calling her selfish. Poor girl. I’d hate to have my business aired so freely.
    I don’t know exactly how long I walk around for. I mostly stick to the areas I know, too scared to venture off into a tunnel I haven’t walked through yet. I get lost easily. I always have. When my feet begin to ache against the thin, rubber soles of my shoes, I decide to head back to our space and wait for Jai there. I almost make it unbothered too, but I’m stopped just as I pass the cage. I drag my eyes from the floor and onto an old pair of sandals. Thick, hairy toes poke out the ends and wiggle as I watch. Grimacing, I force my stare up bare calves and onto tattered shorts before quickly pushing the rest of my attention up a slightly hairy chest and onto an angry face with the most disturbing spider tattoo right on the corner of his mouth. I groan. Not this fucking guy again. He’s not an attractive man, by any means, and the scowl on his face doesn’t help his appeal at all.
    “Can I help you?” I ask, attitude thick in my voice.
    I don’t have Jai with me so I need to play this smart, but I can tell by the man’s demeanor he has an issue with me and he needs to know I won’t tolerate it.
    He slides closer, his scowl morphing into a twisted grin. “It was you, wasn’t it? The girl I heard last night.”
    Just like that, fire ignites in my face and I know, in the glow of the spotlights, he can see it. Shaking my head, I stammer, unable to formulate a proper sentence. Giving up, I seek to push past him, but he blocks my path.
    “I like your voice,” he purrs, reaching out to touch my lips.
    I swat him away, the red in my cheeks becoming a result of anger, not embarrassment. “You’ve got the wrong girl.”
    He shoots forward and grabs a fistful of my hair. The pain of it sears across my scalp and I wince. Gasping, I close my hand around his in an attempt to pry his fingers away, but he only tightens his grip. He smirks at the sounds I make.
    “Oh, I have the right girl.”
    I cringe and squeeze my eyes shut as he licks the side of my face with his gross, slimy tongue. My gag reflex starts twitching, my throat cramping as the wetness soaks into my pores. I’m going to throw up.
    “Really, Kitten? You couldn’t have stayed out of trouble for an hour?”
    My eyes shoot open at the sound of a familiar voice. My attacker releases my hair and I stumble backwards until my hand finds a weak railing. As I lift my shirt to wipe my face, I see Jai drive a powerful fist into my attacker’s mouth. If this were a cartoon, the spider would have been forced from his skin. I shuffle back as the sleazy guy crumbles to the floor, grasping at his mouth and moaning loudly. Jai steps over him and towards me. I cower