Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 94393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Zane managed a nod and sank back down on the chair. He looked at me and suddenly grabbed my hand. “You’re okay?” he asked.
The question unleashed something raw and powerful inside of me and I ripped my hand free of Zane’s and fell to the floor in my effort to escape the chair. Zane stood. “Eli-”
“Eli-” Mav said at the exact same time. He automatically stepped forward, but I put up my hand.
“Don’t. Please,” I whispered as I scrambled to my feet. “I can’t do this.”
My need to flee was greater than anything else, but Mav stepped in my path and when I tried to pull free of him, he held on to me and snarled, “You will not do this! You will not take this on yourself too!”
I slammed my fists against Mav’s chest as the helplessness and fear gave way to an uncontrollable rage. Mav didn’t try to stop me as I hit him over and over again. I lost count of how many times I lashed out at him and even though in my mind I knew I was hurting him, I couldn’t stop hitting him. Because at some point he’d stopped being Mav.
My arms burned as my physical strength began to wane and by the time I became aware of my surroundings, I’d stopped striking Mav and was just resting my fisted hands on his chest as he held my upper arms. His mouth was next to my ear and he just kept telling me he loved me, over and over again. When I let out the final howl of pain that was trapped deep inside of me, Mav dragged me forward into a bone-crushing hold. I had no idea how long he held me like that for, but when he finally eased his grip on me, I was terrified to let him go.
“Eli?”
The sound of Dom’s worried voice felt like both a balm and a bullet and I pulled back enough from Mav to see Dom standing next to Zane, his hand on Zane’s arm. But he wasn’t alone.
I closed my eyes as I heard my stepfather call my name and opened them just in time to see him striding towards me.
Only he never even got close because Mav laid him out with one punch and then he was on top of Jack, his big hands wrapped around the man’s skinny throat.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Mav
Twenty seconds…twenty seconds of pure bliss before I was being pulled off the fucker. Twenty seconds of watching the man acknowledge that he’d taken his final breath. I cursed my own stupidity for not just snapping his neck. No, I’d wasted precious time because I’d wanted to see in him the same fear and pain he’d inflicted on Eli…that he was still inflicting just by breathing the same air.
It wasn’t my own men who pulled me off the bastard. One set of hands belonged to Dominic Barretti, the other I didn’t recognize.
“What the hell?” Dom bit out as he reached down to help Jack to his feet. I tore free of the hands holding me and went for Jack again, but this time it was Ronan who stepped in front of me.
“Don’t,” was all Ronan said and then he motioned to the man who’d been holding me. While the big blond guy was wearing street clothes, a police officer’s badge stuck out of his shirt pocket.
“I don’t give a fuck!” I snarled.
“Enough!” the cop said as he stepped in front of me and shoved me back. It was only when Ronan and Memphis each grabbed one of my arms and forcibly dragged me back that I realized I was outnumbered. But when Jack made a move towards Eli again, I tore free of Ronan and Memphis.
“You fucking touch him and I will rip you apart!” I warned. It took all four men to hold me back, which left no one between Jack and Eli. But before I could even say anything when Jack reached for Eli, Eli’s hand shot out, catching Jack in his already sensitive throat and he let out a gasp of air.
“You don’t get to touch me ever again, you sick fuck!” Eli shouted, and then he kicked Jack hard in the nuts. Jack hit the floor, moaning in agony. I watched as Dom released his hold on me and shifted his gaze back and forth between Eli and Jack and then he was moving to put himself between the two men. I could see him putting the pieces together in his head as he studied Eli who was still standing defensively like I’d taught him, fists at the ready.
“Dom,” Jack groaned as he held out his hand, but Dom didn’t do anything to help the man to his feet.
“Eli, talk to me,” Dom said as he turned enough so that he could see Eli, but not take his eyes completely off of Jack who’d managed to stagger to his feet.