“We have to leave. He’ll be back!” I shriek and jerk my gaze back to the road. I find no sign of Gabe. No sign of bloodshed. Not even the branch he had in his clutches. But I’m not na?ve enough to be lulled into any kind of false sense of victory. Not yet. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s run off to get his own gun or his car or God only knows what. Gabe doesn’t give up. Not without a fight.
Brandon slams the truck door closed while I fall back into the seat right next to him. His body heat warms me and I remember a time when I sat snuggled up to him in this very truck. Back when life was simpler. The tires screech as he puts it into drive and gasses it. But instead of hauling ass up the road like I expect him to, he heads in the wrong direction. In the direction of the cabin. When he pulls into the driveway, I panic.
“Stop! What are you doing?” My voice is near hysterical.
“Wait here,” he growls.
I’m clawing at his arm as he climbs out of the truck and storms off toward the cabin. My heart races in my chest and I’m at a loss as to what to do.
Gabe will kill him. Just like he killed War.
I can’t lose Brandon, too.
MY HEART IS on overdrive.
I have her.
I fucking have her.
And the need to protect what’s mine is overwhelming. I won’t let this asshole hurt her anymore. That’s why this has to end now. He has to end now. I’m going to put a bullet between his eyes. Gabe Sharpe will never have the chance to put his hands on me again. And he’ll never have the power to hurt my girl. Not ever again.
He is dead.
I let anger—a newfound aspect of my personality—wash over me in a red, vicious wave. Images of what he did to her. Thoughts of what she went through at his sadistic hand. Nightmarish visions of the horrors she faced. All ripping and clawing at the inside of me, fueling me on. Feeding the rage to pounce on the monster. To fucking destroy him.
The 9mm is still hot from when I fired it at him moments before. I’d felt invigorated the moment he jerked back when the bullet clipped his shoulder. I may not be the best marksman and I may not have landed my target, but I’d at least hit him. Weakened him. No longer was he the impenetrable force who was impossible to take down. This time, I wouldn’t miss my target. I will kill this motherfucker.
Baylee grows eerily quiet behind me in the truck as I ascend the front steps of the cabin with the gun drawn and pointing toward the door. I wish I’d ordered her to lock the doors but there’s no time. He’s inside, no doubt, planning his own attack against us.
An attack he’ll never carry out.
When I reach the front door, I waste no time and twist the knob. Once inside, I listen for movement. A scuffling in the back draws my attention. As much as I’d love to taunt him, demand answers, and make him suffer at the hand of my endless torture, there’s no time.
With slow, measured steps, I make my way through the small living room and peek my head into what appears to be a kitchen.
“Stop right there, * boy.”
My 9mm is trained on him but unfortunately, he has one pointed at me as well.
“This ends today, Gabe,” I snap. A quiver in my arm makes the gun shake and his calculating eyes zero in on the trembling of my weapon. Surely mistaking it for fear. I’m not afraid, though. What he’s seeing is the uncontrollable rage that quakes through me.
His laugh is deep and echoes in the small kitchen. “We both know how this ends, kid,” he snarls, the short-lived humor in his voice gone. “I kill you and then I fuck my girl.”
“She’s not your girl, you fucking idiot.”
A dark, amused eyebrow lifts and he smiles. “You don’t honestly think she’s yours, do you?” he taunts. “You’re not enough for her. You weren’t then, and you sure as fuck aren’t now. She needs a man. A man who can protect her.” He looks me up and down, and curls his lip in disgust, as if his findings leave much to be desired. “A man who can at least eat her * and hold her attention while he does it. I’m sure even that freak has that on you, since she seems to think she’s actually in love with him.” His mouth lifts into a sinister smirk. “She tell you about him, kid?” He emphasizes the word kid. Another taunt. Another jab at my expense about how I’ll never be good enough for Baylee. Same shit I’ve gotten from Tony for nearly two fucking years.
His words cast a shadow of doubt over my heart. There’s no way Baylee could love the sick fuck who bought her. She’s strong and smart. If anything, she may have played the role for her own survival, but she’d never fall for someone who could be a part of something so heinous.
“Fuck you, you rapist, pedophile piece of shit!” I fire off a shot but he’s already charging for me.
He lands a splintering punch across my jaw that momentarily dazes me. My gun is still in my grip so I attempt to shove it against his rib cage, but he rolls the moment I squeeze the trigger. A window shatters as the shot hits it instead.
Gabe underestimates me and I twist in his grip to where I’m on top. I free my fist and blast him in the nose. Payback’s a bitch, asshole. The satisfying crunch fuels me and I slam my fist forward again. This time, he hits me in the ribs, knocking the breath out of me.
It’s just enough.
One stalled second to catch my breath and he’s back on top of me.
Pop after pop with his fist across my jaw, he overtakes me and I start to weaken.