Page 18 of His Mafia Sunshine

I don't remember moving, don't remember thinking. I only know that one moment I'm standing frozen, helpless, and the next I'm swinging the baseball bat with every ounce of strength in my body, a scream tearing from my throat like a battle cry.

The bat connects with the back of the bigger enforcer's head with a dull, meaty thunk. He crumples like a puppet with cut strings, his gun clattering to the floor.

I don't stop. I bring the bat down again, and again, my vision blurred with tears, my heart a jackhammer in my chest. Dimly, I'm aware of Liam grappling with the other enforcer, of grunts and curses and the sharp retort of a gunshot.

And then there's silence. A terrible, ringing silence, broken only by the rasp of my own rasping breaths.

"Asher." Liam's voice, soft and shaken. "Asher, baby, it's over. You can stop now."

I blink, the world coming back into focus. Liam stands before me, his hands held out in a placating gesture, his eyes wide and haunted in his too-pale face.

I look down at the bat in my hands, at the blood and hair matting the smooth wood. A sob hitches in my throat, and I let it fall from my nerveless fingers, stumbling back until my legs hit a chair.

"I killed him," I rasp, bile rising hot and sharp in my throat. "Oh God, Liam, I killed him."

Liam is there in an instant, his arms coming around me, pulling me into the solid warmth of his chest. "Shh," he soothes, his lips pressed to my temple, his heart a rapid tattoo against my cheek. "You didn't, sunshine. He's just knocked out. You did what you had to do, to protect yourself. To protect us."

I cling to him, my face buried in the crook of his neck, great, shuddering sobs wracking my frame. He holds me through it, murmuring soft nonsense, his hands stroking soothing circles over my back.

"I'm so sorry," he breathes, his voice thick and choked. "Asher, fuck, I'm so sorry. I should have been here, should have protected you."

I shake my head, drawing back to look at him, my vision blurred with tears. "This isn't your fault," I say fiercely. "Liam, you can't... you can't take the blame for your brother's evil. For his choices."

Something flickers in his eyes, a pain so deep it steals my breath. "If I hadn't brought you into my world," he starts, but I cut him off with a press of fingers to his lips.

"I chose this," I remind him, my voice steady despite the tremor in my bones. "I chose you, Liam. For better or worse, in sunshine and in shadow. And I will keep choosing you, every damn day, no matter what Declan or anyone else throws at us."

A shudder ripples through him, his eyes squeezing shut, his brow coming to rest against mine. "I can't lose you," he rasps, the words like shattered glass. "Asher, if something happened to you because of me, I'd..."

"Nothing is going to happen to me," I vow, cupping his jaw in my palms, holding his gaze with the force of my conviction. "Because we're going to stop Declan. We're going to end this, once and for all. Together."

For a long, stretched moment, he just stares at me, his eyes searching my face, looking for any hint of hesitation, of doubt. He won't find any. My path is clear, my purpose crystallized into diamond-hard resolve.

I will stand by Liam's side, will fight with him, for him, until my last breath. Until the bloody end of the world, if that's what it takes.

Because he is mine, and I am his. In life, in death, in whatever waits beyond. Always.

"Okay," he says at last, his voice rough and raw. "Okay, Asher. We do this together. No more hiding, no more secrets. We take the fight to Declan, and we end this fucking nightmare."

Relief crashes through me, dizzying in its intensity. I surge forward, claiming his mouth in a kiss that sears and consumes, that feels like a vow inscribed in fire and flesh.

He meets me with equal desperation, his tongue delving deep, his hands fisting in my hair. We cling to each other amidst the ruin of the diner, glass and blood crunching beneath our feet, the future a yawning chasm before us.

But I'm not afraid. Not with Liam by my side, his strength and his love a shield against the darkness.

We're in this together, come what may. And Heaven help anyone foolish enough to stand in our way.

The safehouse is a nondescript warehouse on the outskirts of town, all corrugated metal and rust-eaten doors. Finn and a handful of Liam's most loyal men are waiting for us, their faces grim, their eyes hard and watchful.

Liam keeps me close as we move through the cavernous space, his body angled to shield me, his gun a constant weight in his hand. I can feel the tension thrumming through him, the coiled readiness for violence that lives under his skin.

It should scare me, should make me recoil. But all I feel is a fierce rush of love, of pride. This man, my man, would raze cities to keep me safe. Would paint the streets red with the blood of those who dared to threaten what's his.

And God help me, but I glory in it. In him, in the savage beauty of his devotion.

We gather around a battered table strewn with maps and blueprints, Finn laying out the plan in clipped, efficient tones. It's a good plan, a smart plan, utilizing all the evidence and allies Liam has spent weeks gathering.

But it hinges on a crucial element. A linchpin without which the whole thing crumbles.

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