Page 83 of Broken-Hearted

I don’t want Adrian to hurt or kill him. It’s why I gave myself up in the first place. But after I pushed him down a hill, he accused me of believing he couldn’t protect me. And later, he said he was a joker, but that wasn’t all he was.

That sometimes, he wanted to be more.

So I don’t stop him.

I walk back to stand beside Dayne, who, now that I’m paying attention, brought almost the entire pack with him. He said he came prepared, and he wasn’t wrong. In the forest, just out of sight, I spot Kier, Hallee, Dean, Gavin, and Dean.

I don’t see Jenna, Savannah, or Talis. Given Jenna and Savannah are pregnant and Talis is watching the twins, they’re probably back in Hardin.

I swing back around, chewing my lip as I cross my arms and prepare for this looming fight between Nathan and Adrian.

An enforcer has his eyes glued to Nathan’s back. He takes one subtle step forward. Dayne clears his throat. The enforcer looks at him and stops.

Dayne smiles. “Smart. You might just live through this.”

“Do you honestly think you stand a chance?” Adrian spits out, glaring at Nathan.

Okay, so I said I wouldn’t intervene, and I meant it at the time. But this is Nathan. I can’t just stand by and let someone kill him.

Adrian deserves an ass kicking, especially after he choked me upstairs. I’m willing to let it go if it means Nathan doesn’t get hurt.

“Maybe we should—” Mid-way through trying to convince Nathan to drop this, Nathan drives his fist into Adrian’s jaw.

Adrian hits the ground with bruising force, and it isinsanelysatisfying to watch.

“Never mind.” I back up.

If this is what Nathan wants to do, then who am I to stop him?

No sooner has Adrian hit the ground than Nathan is on him. If the guy hadn’t choked me upstairs, with all the blood flying, and the crunch of the bones in his face breaking asNathan unleashes a torrent of punches into him, this would be sickening.

But I cross my arms and take pleasure in the pounding Adrian is getting.

I’d have thought Adrian’s pack—his enforcers, at least—would do more to intervene. Maybe Adrian has already started showing signs of craziness and his pack sees this as an opportunity to get rid of him without having to get their hands dirty.

Whatever the reason, they awkwardly stand around, doing nothing.

Minutes later, Nathan is bruised and bloodied from the few blows Adrian got in, but he looks surprisingly happy after making mincemeat of Adrian’s face.

“You ready to go home, peach?” he asks me.

I nod. “Did you beat him up for me, Nathan Blackshaw?”

“Of course I did.” He kisses me. “And we need to talk about your impulsiveness.”

“My—”

Crunch.

I snap my head to the right. So does Nathan.

Dayne is rising from the ground, and Adrian’s head is bent at an unnatural angle.

That sound… I can hunt rabbits and squirrels like the best of them. I’m not squeamish. But that sound of a neck breaking is one I willneverget used to.

“Time to go home,” Dayne tells us and turns to Adrian’s pack, still awkward and silent. “Looks like one of you is getting a promotion.”

To no surprise ever, no one tries to stop us when we leave.

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