Page 26 of Dangerous Devotion

I cried out. “Stop.” I moved to rush between them, to stop this madness, but Alex wrapped his arm around my waist and held me back.

I closed my eyes. On some level, I understood that this confrontation was inevitable. But then again, this was my dad and Vince.

I opened my eyes again.

Vince’s brothers closed in, as did Dom—Vince’s friend—who must’ve come with Matt. A bunch of Salvini men advanced, as well, but Vince shook his head, and they all stepped back again.

Dad’s fury was unleashed now. His fists flew, connecting with Vince’s face and body in a flurry of blows. And Vince…Vince grunted with every hit but remained standing, taking hit after hit without so much as raising a hand to defend himself.

What the hell? Why wouldn’t he at least defend himself?

I watched, my emotions a tangled mess. Concern for Vince warred with a grudging respect for his stoicism. He was thirty years younger, and even though my dad was a giant, as well, he could have easily overpowered him.

But chose not to.

He was letting Dad work through his anger, accepting the punishment as if he believed he deserved it. This man, whom I’d thought was a bully and would never let anyone overpower him, was showing a depth of character and emotional intelligence I hadn’t expected. But also, ouch.

He was taking a beating for me, for us, to give my father the outlet he needed and clear the air.

I’d never expected it, and despite knowing this was probably the fastest way to clear the air, seeing him being beaten to a pulp was hurting far more than I’d thought possible.

And then blood seeped through the sleeve of Vince’s shirt right where Hawk had just stitched him up.

I stiffened, and the sight of his blood made my stomach churn.

This was my fault, in a way. None of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t gotten involved with the hacking. Vince wouldn’t even know my name, and he’d never have demanded this asinine arrangement…and this situation would’ve never happened.

“Stop, right this second.”

I pulled Alex’s hand off my waist and jumped right between my dad and Vince.

My dad’s fist came toward me almost in slow-mo until Vince grabbed his wrist in midair and stopped him just inches before he hit me in the face.

“That’s enough,” Vince said, his voice firm.

It was the first thing he’d said since Dad had started to pound into him.

“Dad, please. This isn’t helping anyone,” I said, my voice trembling.

My father’s chest heaved as he stared at me, his wrist still clenched in Vince’s grip. “Move aside,” he growled.

But I shook my head. “No. I won’t let you hurt him anymore.” I turned to look at Vince, wincing at the sight of his bloodied face and the growing red stain on his sleeve. “He’s alreadyinjured.” I turned back to my dad. “And he’s not even defending himself, Dad. This isn’t right.”

Dad pulled his hand back with a growl and let it fall.

Vince’s eyes met mine, a mix of surprise and something else I couldn’t quite decipher swirling in their depths. He reached out and gently cupped my cheek. “It’s okay, Punk. Your father has every right?—”

“No, he doesn’t,” I cut him off, surprising myself with the vehemence in my voice. I glared at my dad whose jaw was clenched, and his eyes remained hard.

“At least, Gabe had the decency to lose consciousness and fall into a coma. This guy’s still standing,” Dad grumbled, clearly frustrated.

I rolled my eyes at him. “This is stupid.”

My father’s gaze sharpened.

I grabbed both his and Vince’s hand, then turned to Vince. “Violence isn’t the answer here. We need to talk this out like adults.”

I turned back to my father and saw the conflict in his eyes. “Dad, please. Let’s sit down and discuss this calmly. There’s so much you don’t know, so much I need to explain.”

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