The sunlight filtered through the curtains in my bedroom and a strong arm draped across my abdomen began moving, disturbing my blissful sleep.

I groaned as an ache shot through my body, a reminder of the amazing night that I'd had less than twelve hours earlier, and a sleepy smile immediately flitted onto my face.

"Goodmorning," he said, his lopsided grin forcing the butterflies out of my stomach to make way for a swarm of bees that were setting up a permanent residence.

"Morning," I replied, my own smile equally as big.

We didn't have to say anything in that moment as we basked in each other's presence, the still quiet of the morning making way for an amazing rest of the day ahead of us.

"I wish I didn't have to ruin this, but I need to go for a run. Do you want to come with me?"

I thought for a moment about joining him but then I remembered that the only reason I usually went running was to escape things and there was nothing that I wanted to forget about the night before.

"No thanks, I'm going to catch up on some work, but I just might join you in the shower when you get back."

His responding grin was answer enough for me and he laid a short and sweet kiss on my lips, though I wanted more. With Emmett it was as if I was always left wanting more.

He shimmied out of the covers just as my phone lit up with a new message.

It was from Amalia, and she was asking if I could come pick her up. I asked her to send me her location without questioning what she was up to last night, I figured if she wanted to tell me what happened then she would, and I wasn't going to push her.

As I was readying myself to leave, I received an email notification from Harvard. There was an exclusive summer program that I had been recommended for, and it paid for my room and board in a single dorm, no roommate. It sounded like the opportunity of a lifetime, but...Emmett. There was still no telling if the Patriots were going to recruit him, but if they did then that would mean that we'd be in the same state, the same city...

I'd make up my mind about it later, I decided. First, I needed to go and get my friend from whatever wild hookup she'd gotten herself into the night before.

I told Emmett through the shower door where I was going before brushing my teeth and fixing my hair and then I was off, driving through a ridiculously nice neighborhood before I finally reached the location Amalia had sent me.

I had not pictured Marilyn, the girl Amalia had been so crazy about, living in this house.

A modern structure, the windows were floor to ceiling and there was clearly a pool over the hedged fence that probably cost more than my entire car.

I walked up to the mansion, all clean lines and windows, expecting MTV to show up with cameras filming an episode of 'Cribs' but when nothing of the sort happened, I rang the doorbell and waited for Amalia to show up with bedhead and a raging hangover, but what I did not expect was the pure stench of alcohol and none other than Rafael Rodriguez to open the door before.

"What are you doing here?"

He smirked, his eyes a deadly shade of disgusting.

"What do you mean, this is my house? I should be asking you that question, Lydia."

The way he said my name sent shivers running down my spine, but not in the good way. More like the absolutely creeped out way.

"Where is Amalia?" I asked him, the venom in my tone surely scary enough to intimidate him. I reached in my pocket for the mace that was thankfully still there.

"She's in my room, you're welcome to go and get her and her little friend. They weren't much fun last night, but I got my money's worth out of it."

"What did you do to them," I snarled at him, the rage budding in my stomach something that I was used to feeling, but not on such a large scale.

He angled his arrogantly shirtless body towards the inside of his house and I pushed past him in a fury of bone crushing anger and rage.

Countless variations of scenarios flew through my head about what could have happened to Amalia the night before while I was tangled up in the sheets completely oblivious to what my best friend was going through just a few minutes away from me.

How could I have been so blind? I should never have let her stay at the club with that vile asshole still lingering, but I thought we'd won, after catching him on a recording admitting to what he did to Marnie. He just thought he was invincible, untouchable and impervious to the court of law.

If he had harmed a hair on her head, there would be no mercy from me.

There was a trail of clothes that I followed to the bathroom, ignoring the extravagant decor as I did so and stiffened as I noticed the silver sparkly dress that Amalia had been wearing the night before.

Bile rose in my throat as I thought of the things he could have put her through, and pushed my way into the bedroom and almost dry heaved onto the ground at what I saw before me.

Curled up in a corner cowering away from the entrance, Marilyn was crying into Amalia's lap while she patted her hair and shushed her, but I could still see the tear streaks on Amalia's face as well.

"Come on, I'm getting you guys out of here."

They breathed out a sigh of relief upon seeing me but their gazes darkened as I felt a presence fill up the doorway behind me.

"They're not going anywhere, and neither are you."

I whirled around to face Rafael.

"Did you forget the proof we have on you? We can take you down with one message."

He laughed a humorless chuckle, his dead eyes locking me in place with his towering presence. I felt for my taser, knowing that I was going to have to use it sooner rather than later, especially if he wasn't going to let us leave.

"That won't hold up in court and you know it. All you have is some guy on a recording that may or may not sound like me. You never got me stating my full name and what instance you were even referring to. Marnie never filed charges so there's no proof that I even touched her."

"Oh yeah? And what did you do last night to them, hmm? Did you drug them too?"

"Let's just say that your friends here...needed a little convincing."

"Lydia, I can't remember anything that happened last night. He totally roofied us," Amalia spoke up from behind me. She had finally stood up and covered herself as she only had on her bra and underwear while she stood in front of Marilyn who was in equal disarray.

"They said they were lesbians, I just had to make them prove it."

It took point two seconds to register the fact that I had punched him square in the nose, and then another point two seconds for Rafael to respond in kind.

I was thankful for my self defense classes and training that I had undergone, but it wasn't enough to overpower someone as strong and opposing as Rafael.

His hand shot out and slapped me across the face. I spit out blood to the side on his nice white carpet and smirked through the stinging pain.

"That all you got, tough guy? Think you're all powerful because you monopolize women who are more vulnerable than you, and you drug the ones who could be strong? That's not power, that's cowardice. You're nothing but a sick, weak, pathetic cow-"

I was cut off as he charged into my body sending me flying to the wall, my body crumpling on impact.

"Get off of her!"

Amalia ran at him from behind and jumped on his back but he flung her down, giving me just enough time to grab my taser.

But not before he had time to shove me up against the wall once more, his fist going into my stomach forcing me to double over and cough out in pain.

I felt like my lungs were on fire and had to catch my breath while he turned and focused his attention on Amalia who was attempting to gouge his eyes out.

I waited until he pushed her away and wasn't touching her until I flicked the power button on the taser, the loud crackling of electricity alerting Rafael to the danger that he was in.

I turned the power on my device all the way up to its maximum wattage and smiled wickedly as I jammed it into his side as he was turning towards me, panic filling his eyes.

I watched with dark satisfaction as his body stiffened and his eyes grew wide, the jolt sending him careening to the floor with a loud thud.

I took out my phone, and turned on the camera.

"What is your name?"

I pulled the taser away so he had time to breathe.

He didn't make a move to say anything so I lunged forward with the taser again but he yelled out for me to stop.

"Rafael. Rafael R-Rodriguez."

"Good. Now tell the camera what you did to Amalia and Marnie and who knows how many other girls."

His gaze was withering, but he was too pathetic and weak to not speak up, too afraid of the maximum damage the taser could cause.

"I roofied their drinks and then had sex with them."

"Raped. You mean you RAPED them. You can't give consent when you're roofied, and you can't have SEX when you're drugged. You raped them. Say it."

"Yes. I raped them."

"That's all I needed to hear."

I shut the camera off before I lunged at him again, although this time I went for between his legs. He was lying on the ground writhing in pain long after I helped the girls collect their clothes and escape out of his mansion.

His screams were the last thing we heard as we drove away.