Page 125 of The Love Penalty

Rachel spots us over Harvey’s shoulder and I can see her instantly relax, but my cousin is too busy ranting to even notice her relief.

“I may have gone willingly into that room, but I told you to stop, and I know you heard me, because you said, ‘I’m not done with you yet.’”

My insides surge, and I can taste the acid in my throat. She didn’t tell me that part.

“You can’t prove that.” Harvey snickers. “Face it, you wanted me to fuck you. You were begging for it.”

He goads her, and I look to Baxter. Can I kill him now? I silently ask him, but he holds up his finger.

“So I did what you wanted.” Harvey’s tone is smug. Arrogant. So fucking punchable. I want to lodge my fist down his throat!

“You’re so full of shit,” Lani spits, and I can see her struggling to keep it together. This can’t go on much longer. I don’t care if Baxter’s getting gold, I can’t watch Harvey treating my woman this way.

“Girls never really know what they want, so I take charge and give them what they need. Your tight little ass deserved a good fucking, so I plowed you like the pro I am. If you want to call that rape, then you go right ahead, but bringing charges against me will turn into a living nightmare for you. Nothing sticks to me. I’m Teflon, baby.”

Lani’s eyes spark with determination, and I swear I’ve never loved her more. “I don’t give a shit what you think you are. I’m not afraid to fight you on this. I will stand against you for as long as I have to. I’ll do it for myself and all the other women you’ve violated. I’ll do it for all the women who have yet to meet you.”

A growl rumbles in his throat. “You fucking bitch! You wanted it!”

“I told you to stop!”

“You didn’t mean it!” Harvey thunders, oblivious to the thick pulse of shock that follows in the wake of his confession.

Lani lets out a soft gasp. “You admit it.”

“I’m not admitting shit.”

“But you just did.” Lani’s surprise is morphing into a triumphant smile, but it doesn’t have time to form, as Harvey lets out a lethal growl and reaches for her throat.

“Now,” Baxter snarls, and I release the roar that’s been building inside me, lunging at my cousin with the full force of my rage.

Snatching his jacket, I pull him back, spinning him around and throwing him to the floor. He lands with a shocked “Oomph!” while Lani lets out a shaky breath, like she was keeping it together just long enough for me to step in.

Fezzik starts barking, and Rachel struggles to hold him while I check Lani’s face.

She nods at me, resting her hand on her neck. “I’m fine.”

As soon as I know she’ll be okay, I turn back to my cousin, grabbing his shirt and hauling him to his feet.

“Let’s go,” I bark, yanking him out the door with a herculean strength that is born from pure, uncut fury.

CHAPTER 55

LEILANI

My knees give out and I sink against the back of the couch, forcing air into my lungs as Baxter shuffles toward me.

“I got it all.” He holds up his phone.

I nod. “Thanks for that.” I spotted him out of the corner of my eye when Harvey was telling me I needed a good fucking—asshole!—and it helped keep me grounded.

But now I feel like the floor is crumbling beneath me. I grip the edge of the couch and fight the urge to throw up.

“It’ll be enough, right?” Rachel looks between us, stroking the top of Fezzik’s head. The little pup has stopped squirming now that the bad man has been taken away. “I mean, he kind of buried himself with all that stuff he said to you. He basically confessed.”

“I hope it’s enough.” I rest my hand on my forehead, my insides trembling. It’s still a case of he said/she said, because he could easily go back on his word, but surely this footage will only help my case. Pair that with what I got from the football frat house and there’s no way the police can’t take this further.

They wanted evidence, and now I have lots of it.

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