Page 145 of Dmitri

Kaleb grabs Ace’s gun and shoots all four of the projector screens, like it’ll stop the show, then he aims the gun at Daelyn. “You’re out of the crew, just like you wanted, babygirl.”

“No!” I lunge to shield Daelyn and knock her to the ground. The bullet pierces my shoulder instead of her head, the pain searing as I climb to my feet and barrel into Kaleb, taking him down. Except I go off kilter thanks to my head injuries fucking with my coordination, and Kaleb manages to roll on top of me.

We go blow for blow.

All the while, the surveillance footage plays around us on the big screens.

“Who owns you? Say his motherfucking name.”

Daelyn groans.

“Better keep me inside you. Or I will stuff this pussy with my cock and fuck you until you taste my cum on your goddamn tongue.”

“Dmitri!”Daelyn screams as she comes.“His fucking name… is…Dmitri.”

The video loops again.

Kaleb’s eyes widen because there’s nowhere he can look that Daelyn won’t be.

Smashing his head with mine, I knock him off me and we tumble across the concrete floor, tearing at each other. He’s no match for my strength but makes up for it by being manic. Nothing causes him pain. He just swings, kicks, laughs, and screams.

The man’s checked out.

“Who owns you? Say his motherfucking name.”

Daelyn groans.

“Better keep me inside you. Or I will stuff this pussy with my cock and fuck you until you taste my cum on your goddamn tongue.”

“Dmitri! His fucking name…is…Dmitri.”

Kaleb clamps his ears with his hands. “Fuck!”

“Go!” I holler at her.

Daelyn doesn’t move. Neither do Ace or Casey.

“It was supposed to be us!” Kaleb screams. “Us, Dae!”

She flinches when he screams her name.

Scrambling away from me, Kaleb bolts for her, and I tackle him to the ground once more. He’s not getting his hands on her ever again, goddamnit.

Without a cage to keep us contained, we’re like two wild animals off our leashes. And we’re both fighting for the same thing.

If I kill Kaleb, Daelyn will likely resent me forever because she loved him first.

If I die, she’ll hate Kaleb for taking away the man who showed her that love is safety, kindness, and support.

There’s no winning this fight for either of us because we both stand to lose Daelyn.

It’s hopeless.

So, I change the trajectory of my thoughts and block Daelyn out. I imagine everyone that’s abused in some way. How they feel helpless and scared. How they have to bandage and hide their wounds. How they feel like no one in the world is on their side. How they blame themselves for doing something that makes them deserve to be treated so badly. How terrible things happen to good people and it’s not fair. I think of bad people getting away with everything and that’s not fair either. I think of Miss Ashley and Ryker and Vault. I think of Sophie and Knox. Of my dad. My mom. I think of Addie. Every time my fist connects with Kaleb, it’s one more goodbye. One more door closing.

The more I swing, the better I feel. Pain sings through my body. My vision blurs. I can’t move my left arm that much, thanks to the bullet hole, but it’s okay. I still have my right arm, which works good enough.

Kaleb’s jaw opens and closes.

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