Page 107 of Holy Sinner

Chapter Forty-Seven

GRANT

The second Rafe said “It’s Jax”, I saw red. I’m still seeing red and the fire and hunger in my veins that I fight control over is screaming. I don’t pull it back, I let it out. I let it move me and fuck it feels good.

Freedom.

I roll my shoulders and throw the breaker in the main house before I turn and make a run through the house. I don’t bother being silent. There’s no use. Everyone and everything I’m after is in the storage building. I don’t see the house as I sprint through it, I’m focused on getting outside. I throw the patio door open and take the stairs two at a time until I hit the bottom step a few minutes later and keep going for the open door I know is waiting for me.

Rafe cleared it and we made a plan when we saw Kit’s mom enter the scene. She’s an aging angry bitch, not bad on the eyes but definitely out of her depth with this revenge bullshit she’s pulling on her daughter.

It was her and those dumbfucks the entire time. I’m going to rip their spines out and choke them with it. I let them near Kit. I should have known.

I should have known.

I got soft trying to make the movie happen just the way Kit wanted it. I’ll never let my guard down after this is over. If Kit doesn’t like it, I’ll fucking chain her to the bed until she learns better. I’m never going to let anything or anyone hurt her, never again. Not even if I have to lock her away for the rest of her life with only Rafe and me for company.

She’s going to be safe even if I have to set the world on fire. I pause and listen. Silence. I’ll have to get closer to hear them panicking, I guess. I wonder if Rafe has already dropped Scott’s ass. I hope not. I want to be the one to do it.

I pull out my knife as I walk through the building. I know Jax has a gun, because he’s a little bitch that can’t kill on his own. I’m going to shoot him in the leg while I let Rafe play with him. I stay low and feel my way forward. Rafe is in here too, closer to them. He hasn’t made a move yet from how quiet it is.

“What the fuck was that?” Kit’s mother yells. Alana lets out a cry and there’s the sound of her hands and knees hitting the floor. Jax must have turned her loose.

I can hear Kit trying to comfort her friend. “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

“I’ll go look,” he says and I smile.

Perfect.

He’s making this easy, serving himself up like this. I stay still and listen. I hear his footsteps, slow and practiced. He’s taking his time, which means he suspects he’s not alone. Guess he’s not completely fucking stupid.

“Breaker is in the main house,” Scott calls out to him.

“Fuck,” Jax mutters as his footsteps turn towards me. I wanted to be the one to kill Scott but the gun is what I want most. There’s a flash of lightning that outlines Jax’s shadow on the floor in front of me. I wait for him to keep going and a second later, he leaves the building. I pocket my knife and slip out after him before pausing by the door. I want to see if he’s smart enough to turn back before he hits the stairs.

Spoiler alert: he’s not.

Jax starts up the stairs and that’s when I take off at a jog after him. I can’t let him get too high up or he’ll see me. I need to time it just right so I take him by surprise and disarm him. The last thing I need is a man like Jax putting a bullet in me.

I’d never live it down if Rafe found out I got shot by Jax.

He’s nearly to the first landing when he thinks to look behind him. The rain and thunder did most of the work in keeping my footsteps a secret but the man does finally look to confirm if what he saw out of the corner of his eye was really there. When he does, I’m half a step behind him and ready.

“Surprise, motherfucker.” I swing and hit him square in the jaw. He throws his hand out to try and catch himself but he misses the railing and lands on his back in a puddle on the landing. Water splashes up from his fall and I roll my eyes when he tries to kick at me. I block the kick and then slam my foot down on his wrist when he tries to aim the gun at me. If he’d gotten the shot off, he wouldn’t have hit me anyway, not with the way he’s flailing around like a flipped over turtle.

I lean down, grab him by his shirt and punch him in the throat. The move has the intended effect of making him choke and gasp. I kick his gun away while he claws at his throat and rolls over onto his side. He crawls forward on his hands and knees while I debate shooting him now or fucking with him for a bit. In the end, I opt for both and snag the gun off the ground before he can reach it. A pistol-whip later and he’s stumbling to his feet, which makes shooting him in the leg much easier.

“I never liked you,” I tell him before I fire. He can’t hear a word I’m saying but Kit’s been on me to share my nonexistent feelings. Now seems like a decent time to start and at least I’m having fun while I do it. Jax’s leg shoots out from under him and he goes head-over-ass down the stairs. Normally I’d worry someone may have heard a gunshot but the only people around have Rafe on them, so I take my time down the stairs. I don’t want to slip after all.

Jax gets up but he’s too slow after a bullet and a fall. I catch him by the stupid fucking tie he’s wearing and kick his good leg out. He’s on his knees when I wind the tie around my fist and twist it right around his neck. I lean away from him and let gravity and leverage do the rest of the work for me. Jax struggles harder than I thought he would, fingers and nails scraping at my hands and face to try to get free. At least, he does until I blow a hole in his hand. I think he loses a finger from the shot. Warm blood mingles with the rain on my skin and even then he doesn’t give up. I grunt and turn my face away from him when he swipes a bloody palm across my jaw while I twist his tie harder. He doesn’t have much left in him. I can feel it. There’s a particular feeling when someone’s life is slipping away, it’s acute. Sharp in the way it verges on almost sweet, because there’s nothing they can do to stop it. Most people accept it. Some people fight, but they’re rare. I’m not surprised Jax is one of the rare ones but the way he’s fighting catches my attention.

Whatever he’s fighting for—it’s not money.

It’s someone.

But who would he fight for like this? He can’t win, but it doesn’t change anything. He fights me anyway, surviving on the small gasps of air he’s managing to choke down until I jerk my hands and snap his neck. I expect him to keep struggling but the paralysis keeps him down and I drop him. He lands facedown in a puddle of water. I think about killing him but I don’t. He’ll die choking on dirty rainwater or Rafe will finish what I started. I turn back to the building and square my shoulders. I’m going to get my girl back.

Chapter Forty-Eight

---