The Tutor

Chapter 9: In Her Defense

Nick could hear a strange, rhythmic thumping as he ran down the upstairs hall. He pulled the bedroom door open, finally understanding the meaning of the phrase "he had his heart in his mouth;" he couldn't breathe, he couldn't swallow, and time seemed to stand still as he tried to take in what he was seeing.

The huge bed, which was in the middle of the room, was a rumpled mess, and seemed to have some blood splattered across it in a random pattern. Danny was on the floor, writhing in pain, hands clasped between his legs, making soft mewling sounds like a kitten, and even though the damage to him seemed to be in the groin area, blood was pouring from his mouth and nose.

The thumping noise Nick had heard from the hall was coming from the bathroom door, which Sumire was slamming, over and over, on Larry's head, which was just as much of a bloody mess as Danny's. Larry wasn't moving, merely bouncing back and forth with the movement of the door.

Sumire, too had a bloody nose, though she didn't look nearly as bad as the two men. She was standing, for one thing, and conscious, which were two things that couldn't be said about the other two. Her shirt was ripped at the shoulder, showing a strap and cup of a black bra, and a contusion on the soft flesh of her belly that was nearly a perfect circle and was blue, darkening quickly to purple. Her long hair was half out of the bun and hanging half way down her back. She was making small sounds of effort, her breath exploding out of her in small puffs with every slam of the door against Larry's face.

"What the fuck is going on?" Carol's voice came from behind Nick. She'd been alarmed at his expression, and the way he'd gone tearing up the stairs, and had followed him.

The sound of her voice got Nick moving, and he leapt forward to where Sumire was trying to flatten Larry's head.

"Mimi-chan? Hey, kiddo, you have to stop, you're going to kill him," Nick said, striving to keep his voice neutral and even, though his heart was still beating like a triphammer in his chest, and adrenaline was coursing through his system.

He reached out a tentative hand and put it on her shoulder, ready to move back if she turned on him.

She accepted his hand on her shoulder, so he pulled back gently, adding his other hand.

"Sumire? Sweetie? Stop now, okay? You're safe, you're safe now," he assured her.

"Safe?" Carol repeated. "What the fuck happened here? Did she do this to them by herself? Sumire, did you do this to them by yourself?"

Nick took a deep breath as he saw more people in the doorway behind her. Among them he could see Mandy and Rachel.

Great.

Sumire let herself be pulled away from the door, and the thumping noise stopped. Nick could feel how tense and taut she was under his hands. She was thrumming like a top, and he felt like she would disappear in a crackle of electricity and smoke if he squeezed her shoulder too tightly.

"She came up here to use the bathroom, and those two skid marks came up here to try to get busy with her," Nick said, his voice loud so everyone could hear him. "I came as soon as I found out so I could help her, but obviously she didn't need my help."

"What kind of help would she need?" Mandy asked, stepping into the room. "What the fuck happened in here, anyway? They don't like kinky stuff like this. What did she do to them?" She turned to Sumire, who still hadn't said a word. "What'd they want you to do, honey?"

"No, Mandy," Rachel said, stepping forward to explain. "I think she didn't wanna do anything, see? She said no."

"What?" Mandy was shocked. She took a another step closer to Sumire. "Do you even know who these guys are? They practically run casting for the biggest studios in town. You'd have been in! I mean, a girl who looks like you? How else were you ever going to make it? You want to be Nick Pensieri's PA forever? Running around picking up his cleaning and coffee?" Mandy shook her head in disbelief.