Page 34 of Ruthless

“No. Don’t!” I lunge forward, but I’m not fast enough.

He squeezes the trigger, and I’m forced to watch the life leave her eyes. He tosses her aside and aims it at me, but I’m quicker. I tackle him to the ground, grab the butt of the gun, trying to get it from him, but the kid is stronger than he looks. It becomes a tug of war for the weapon, and then a loud crack breaks through the air. His eyes go wide as his body goes slack and blood trickles out of the side of his mouth.

“No!” I drop the gun as a coldness seeps into my body.

I’ve killed many faceless enemies in battle, but nothing prepares you for something like this. I suck in a few deep breaths and stand to my feet as I stare down at them. Just kids caught up in a war that’s not their fault.

“God. Damn. It!” I run a hand through my hair and try to calm down enough to figure out my next move.

My muscles strain from exertion, but I know I have to keep moving if I’m going to make it out of here alive. I shake off my emotions and turn to find my way out, but I’m tackled from behind. Arms come around my throat as the prick behind me puts me in a headlock. I try to push off the ground and flip us over, but the fucker is too heavy.

My elbow cocks back, nailing him in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him. I use his distraction and flip him over onto his back. My knees cradle against his sides as I straddle him and use my body weight to pin him down. He manages to get a few punches in, but I’m bigger. My hands wrap around his throat and clamp down. I squeeze until I see his eyes bulge out of his head. Fingernails slice down my neck, and this heat feels different.

My eyes shoot open, and that’s when I’m met with an explosion of color. “Fuck.” Everything inside of me turns cold. My hands drop away from around her neck, and I jump the fuck off the bed like it’s on fire. What the fuck did I just do? “Did I hurt you?”

Kennedy scoots up toward the headboard and grabs at her throat. Her tits are out on full display because we fell asleep naked after I fucked us into a coma, but I’m too focused on how they’re heaving up and down as she struggles to catch her breath to care about anything else. Her face is a bit paler than normal, and that only sinks home how badly I’ve just fucked up.

“I’m fine.” Her voice comes out strained and raspy, adding to the disgust I feel at myself.

I rush over to her side of the bed and move her hands to inspect what I’m pretty damn sure is lying beneath them. When I see the red fingerprints on her smooth white skin, I want to kick my ass.

“No, you’re not.” I fist the sides of my hair and squeeze until I can feel it pulling at the roots. I deserve the pain for what I’ve just done to her. “Goddammit!” I pace around the room in a piss poor attempt at controlling my temper.

“Zane.” She tries to get my attention, but I’m so disgusted that I don’t look up. I can’t. Seeing the fear behind her eyes will be my ultimate undoing.

“This is why I kept my distance. I knew shit like this was bound to happen.”

“It’s okay.” Her hoarse voice shoves the dagger into my heart even deeper.

This is why I’m always alone. I’m dangerous to her. To our baby.

“Nothing about this is okay. I could have killed you.” Every muscle in my body is corded tight and ready to snap.

“You’re right. You could have, and now that I know this happens, I’ll be sure not to try and wake you in your sleep.” Her lips spread into a smile, but it doesn’t erase the uncertainty that’s warring behind her eyes.

“There isn’t going to be a next time.” I’ll make sure of it. I grab my shit and exit out the door before she can stop me. I need to get out of here and out of my head, and there’s only one person who knows better than me what I need.

I send a text to Connor before pulling my truck out onto the highway and head to the one place where I can think with a clear head and with no distractions.

When I pull up to the tree line, my temper still hasn’t cooled. I check my phone and see that I have a few missed calls, Axel and Asher. No doubt Connor called them after I sent him a text. Kennedy left a voice mail, but I can’t bring myself to listen to it. I’ll deal with it later. I toss a piece of Juicy Fruit into my mouth, wishing like fuck it was a cigarette instead, and climb out of my truck. Before I disappear through the trees, I grab the ax that’s lying next to the front porch of the small one-bedroom cabin and continue on my way to the clearing. The place used to belong to my mother’s parents, and when she and my dad died, it became mine. It sits on the back edge of our family property and is far enough away that no one will even bother me out here.

My fingers itch to destroy something, to dull the shit storm I feel brewing inside of me. I grab a small log and set it on the large stump. I raise the ax above my head and slam down onto the log with one deep breath. It cracks down the middle, just like me, broken and jagged. My anger eases with each one I split, but nothing can fade the memory of those marks on her neck. I could have fucking killed her and our kid.

I’m several logs deep when I feel his presence behind me. I should have known if anyone found me, it would be him. Once a cop, always a cop. I continue chopping the wood and wait him out. I’m not sure who will break the silence between the two of us first. It’s usually Axel that does that shit.

I’m so focused on my brother that I’m not paying attention and eventually run out of logs, which leaves me no choice but to acknowledge him. On a deep exhale, I turn to face Asher. He’s leaning against a nearby tree with his arms folded across his chest, face blank.

He continues to watch me and pick me apart. Ever since Florida, he’s been giving me looks, and I knew sooner or later we were going to end up here. He’s working something out in his head. I have no idea what, but I still brace for what’s to come. My big brother isn’t dumb, and like me, he doesn’t feel the need to waste words on bullshit.

“Do you know what happens to an ex-cop in prison?”

His question throws me for a loop. It’s not what I expected him to say, but Asher never does what you expect.

“Ash.” Muscles in my jaw clench as he brings up his past. Neither one of us likes to talk about this shit. We prefer our demons to stay dead and buried, which is why I am not sure why we’re even talking about it now.

“It takes a toll on your soul. Every single day I woke up wondering if it would be my last.” He takes a cigarette out of the pack in the back pocket of his jeans and lights it up. “If maybe it would be the day I’d see Lauren and our son again and be able to beg their forgiveness for letting them down that night.”

“Ash, that wasn’t your fault. And the bastards paid. We all made sure they were sent to hell where they belong.”

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