The Secret Service [KINGSMAN]

xix. WHIPLASH

NINETEEN.
WHIPLASH

Bex leapt to her feet, eyes widening in shock. Michelle screamed, barely audible over the sounds of the flimsy wood of the door fracturing. Bex stumbled back, pulling Cecilia closer to her chest and place a hand carefully on the back of her head to protect her. The sudden cacophony had caused her to erupt into screams once again, contributing to the chaos.

Someone had been thrown clean through the door, sending a wave of splinters skittering across the floor. The figure rolled twice before coming to stop, facedown. He lay curled up on his side for a moment, groaning.

"Fucking hell."

Bex's heartbeat stumbled when she realized who the hoarse voice belonged to.

"Eggsy?" she gaped.

His head shot up. He pulled himself to his feet, gripping the edge of the kitchen counter tightly. Eggsy rose slowly, wincing with every inch he gained. He turned and squinted at her. Then his eyes widened in shock when he saw her and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Bex?" he asked, incredulously.

"Well, that's one way to make an entrance," she said.

He was staring at her, and Bex felt herself flush. She realized that she was standing in the middle of his flat holding his baby sister with his mother, who was holding a rag to her forehead and looking horrified.

"You're Bex?" Michelle exclaimed, her eyes darting between Eggsy and Bex.

Bex opened her mouth to respond, but was once again interrupted by the sound of shattering plywood. Another figure was forcing what remained of the door open, kicking it aside with disdain. Eggsy whirled around, panic written plainly on his face. Another man stepped through, fists clenched.

"Dean!" Michelle cried out.

"Fuck off!" the man bellowed.

"Shit," Eggsy swore.

"You guys should seriously invest in a better quality door," Bex said, after a beat.

Dean turned to face her. He had small, beady eyes and a nose that had been broken so many times it was an ugly, squashed shape. His face was bright red, his lips curled back in a sneer to reveal two sets of crooked, yellowing teeth like crumbling ruins. His fists were clenched, his beetle-black eyes narrow and filled with fury.

When his gaze fell upon Eggsy, he let out something that sounded like a growl, but infinitely more threatening. His meaty hands seized Eggsy by the throat and slammed him up against the side of the refrigerator so hard Bex practically felt the flat shake around her. Dean was apoplectic, his eyes practically popping out of his head.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, eh?" Dean yelled, his face screwed up and spit flying from his mouth. "You think you can come crawlin' back and pick a fight with me?"