Chapter 8 Kari collected her thoughts.  She decided that she was ready to go back inside, but realized that there was no doorknob on the door.  "I hate exit only doors", she said under her breath.  She started to walk towards the front of the building.  She turned around when she heard the door open.  "Wait, don’t shut that door!", she yelled, heading back in that direction.  She stopped dead in her tracks as the tall, lanky figure stepped out from around the door and quickly shut it behind him.  Her stomach jumped into her throat when she saw a drunken Tommy smiling at her wickedly.  She turned and began to walk quickly towards the front.  Suddenly, Tommy grabbed her by the arm and threw her against the brick wall.  She struggled to regain the breath that he had knocked out of her.  He put his face really close to hers, as if he was going to kiss her.  He wreaked of alcohol.  "What was all that about in there?  If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you were trying to make me jealous with your little lover boy.", he managed to slur out.  "GO TO HELL!", she screamed and then spit in his face.  WHAM!  She saw stars as he dealt a hard blow to the side of her head.  "Fuck you, you little slut!", he growled at her.  WHAM!  This time he hit her right above her right eye.  She was fighting unconsciousness as her body fell to the ground.  Some how, she mustered up enough energy to pull herself up.  He came at her again, but this time she lifted her foot and kicked him as hard as she could in the crotch.  He fell to his knees.  She managed to stumble over to the wall and slump down onto the ground.  She only watched in horror as he stood up and made his way towards her yet again.  The door to the club slowly opened and they could hear someone talking.  "You’ll pay for that.", he said just before he ran down the alley and disappeared around the corner.  Her vision was blurred as blood ran from her forehead and filled her eye.  "Kari?", she heard someone call, but couldn’t answer.  "Kari?", the voice called again sounding closer this time.  "Oh God, Kari, what the hell happened?", Jason asked appalled as he squatted down in front of her and examined her face.  She stared straight through him as she was in shock at what had just happened.  "Kari, honey, what happened?", he asked again.  "Take me home.", she managed to say.  Jason helped her to her feet and walked her to the car.  "Tommy did this, didn’t he?", he asked.  She only shook her head ‘yes’.  "I’ll kill him!", he said.  "Just take me home.", she repeated, "take me home."  About half way home, Jason called Shea on her cell phone and told her what had just happened.  "We’ll be right there.", she said and hung up.  Shea walked back to the table where Matt, Jeff and Amy were sitting.  "We’re leaving!", she said grabbing her purse and throwing some money on the table.  "What’s wrong?", Matt asked as the the trio got up and followed her.  She didn’t answer as she quickly made her way to her car.  "What’s going on?  Where’s Kari?", Jeff asked as they got into the car.  Shea barely let everyone get in good when she took off, squealing her tires.  "Kari is at home.  Jason took her.", she said trying to concentrate on driving.  "Why?", Matt asked.  Jeff thought that maybe he had scared her off, that she had been so unnerved by what she was feeling that she had just gone home.  "She had a little run in with Tommy in the alley.", Shea revealed.  "WHAT?!?", Matt said, his face turning red.  "Is she okay?", Amy asked with concern.  "I don’t know.  Jay said that he messed her up pretty good.  We’ll just have to see when we get there.", Shea said as she whipped her car around a corner.  Jeff grew very angry at the thought of that man even being anywhere near her, let alone hurting her again.  He remained silent.  Matt turned around and looked at his brother who was staring out the window.  Matt had never seen him look so mad.  He could tell that Jeff’s mind was racing a mile a minute.  "She’ll be okay.", he said trying to comfort him.  Jeff didn’t respond, he only stared out the window.  He struggled to understand why anyone would want to hurt Kari.  "I shouldn’t have let her go out there by herself.", Jeff said breaking the silence that had filled the car.  "Jeff, it’s not your fault.  We all let her go.  Besides, it wouldn’t have mattered, he would have gotten to her one way or another.  It was only a matter of time.", Shea said.               Last Chapter ..*.. Next Chapter ..*.. Chapter Index ..*.. Home