Page 48 of Seizing Control: Part One

“I shouldn’t have hit you—” Dropping my gaze to her belly, I add. “—while you’re pregnant. For that I apologise... but I won’t apologise for the arse-kicking you’ll receive if you ever try to use the baby I lost to attack me again.” Bebe snorts, apparently unimpressed by my threat. “The same goes for any further attempts you make to hurt the men I love. Come for them, and I promise you’ll be sent home in a body bag.” This time when I drag my gaze over her bump, she takes a step away from me. “Pregnant or not... since you’ve made it abundantly clear that your strong baby boy can survive without you.”

When Bebe’s already ashen face drains of colour, I don’t allow myself to bask in her fear.

The men I love are trying to kill each other, which means I have a brawl to break up, regardless of my reticence to get between them. After I flip my hair over my shoulder and dismiss Bebe with my back, I survey the unfolding carnage. Zeke is out of control and, while it’s clear that Slash has put up more of a fight than usual, he’s already on the losing end of their battle. Curled up on the floor, he does the bare minimum to defend himself when Zeke kicks him in the stomach. On the verge of being stomped into unconsciousness, Slash’s refusal to properly engage with Venom’s violence is a testament to his cast-iron control and his inability to truly rain down indiscriminate punishment.

He’s a big man— tallest in the club by three inches and almost as solid as Zeke—yet Slash has always lacked the innate savagery that comes with being Venom. He might be the Shamrocks torturer, but he’s not a predator. His track record as enforcer and then SAA might speak differently, still I know that he lacks a killer’s instinct.

As much as he tries to hide it, Carter Hudson is cerebral.

Gentle and wise.

And that’s why this is a scene I witnessed more than once growing up.

Their friendship has always been volatile.

With and without Toker’s involvement, they’ve fought more times than I count.

Usually over me...

Initiated by Zeke’s explosive temper.

Restrained by Slash’s lack of participation.

Terminated by my panicked intervention.

Another day. Another fight. Another intermediation.

“Zeke!” Stepping into the fray, I grab hold of my ex-fiancé’s arm and pull him away from his prone best friend. Although I manage to move him a couple of feet, he easily shakes me off. When Slash launches himself upright and attempts to spear tackle him from behind, Zeke reacts with predatory instinct, turning to use both hands to shove the bleeding big man back to the floor.

“Stop it. Please. Zeke.”

Once more, I try to get between them, only this time I’m hindered by Hunter. As I angrily pull free of the younger man’s grip, I have an unimpeded view of Zeke’s killer instinct in action. Driven by his dented pride, he seizes hold of Slash’s hair and pulls his fist back. The craziness in his eyes sets my heart racing. Pupils blown out. Breathing hard through his mouth. Leonine in movement. He’s past the point of no return. Venom’s barbarity is unleashed, ready to land a knockout blow, and determined to follow it up with a lethal strike.

As Slash’s life flashes before my eyes, terror surges within me. I take a running leap to launch myself onto Zeke’s back. He tries to throw me off. I cling to him. Anxious not to fall. Determined not to allow him to do something he’ll forever regret. My first love’s reaction to being constricted is fierce, his movements savage, until he realises that it’s me clinging to him.

As that comprehension dawns, I feel his reticence to hurt me take over. Zeke’s attempts to dislodge me immediately die down. Spurred by his restraint, I sink my hooks in under his chin. I loop my other arm around his neck and shift my weight backward. Thighs squeezing tight around his hips, I limit Zeke’s movements with my legs and a headlock while I work to wedge my thumbs into the pressure points under his jaw.

Hugging him tight, loving my long-term lover with every ounce of my heart even as I hurt him, I deliberately restrict his breathing. Once my grip is set, I press my lips to his ear and croon in a lilting, sing-song voice designed to calm Venom’s fury, “Please. Stop. I didn’t fuck him. There’s been no one but you, I promise.”

My declaration makes Zeke stiffen as he asks in a guttural tone, “Promise?”

Infusing every ounce of truth I can muster into one word, I pledge, “Promise.”

When Zeke lets go of Slash’s hair and stands up straight, I allow myself one glance at the injured man. His nose bleeds freely. The gaping split in his right eyebrow requires stitches. The swelling around his left eye narrows Slash’s field of vision, but it doesn’t take any of the impact out of his hot gaze as he peers up at me with heartache and betrayal in his eyes.

I quirk my lips into a timid smile, offering love and pity, then I force myself to look away.

I have already done enough damage.

To Slash.

To Zeke.

I’m not going to compound the destruction by offering either of them false hope. Especially now that I know Slash is going to be a father again and my dad plans on using Zeke’s freedom as an anvil to hang over my head, so I’ll marry Hugh St. James.

Caught between the proverbial rock and hard place, my choice has been made for me.

In love or not, I cannot have either man without deadly repercussions.

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