Page 56 of Scorched King

The crazy look in his eyes said it all.

Oh God. No.Not like this. I had survived a fire to die like this?

I struggled harder at his hands and kicked my legs and fought every which way I could to no avail. He probably had seventy pounds of muscle on me, not to mention the fighting skills thatcame with being part of an MC. Still I couldn’t stop fighting even as my lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen.

As a last ditch effort, I changed tactics and tried to scratch at his face and eyes. If I could inflict some damage…

He laughed, a sick and twisted sound that I realized would be the last thing I heard on this earth. My vision wavered and I could feel the swirling in my head as I fought to stay awake. If I passed out it was all over.

“Let her go, mother fucker, or you’re getting a bullet to the brain.”

The hands at my neck jerked and that darkness I’d been fighting intensified. The sharp tang of his cigarette-tainted breath filled my nostrils as black spots danced at the edges of my vision. It was too late.

It was tooooooo la…..

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

JD

“That would be a bad idea,” Cash said, yanking Sasha in front of him like a shield.

The red-hot anger already coloring every breath I took darkened as I took aim.

My voice was steady, but my entire body was locked on the razor’s edge between restraint and violence. My gun was targeted on his head, but I couldn’t risk the shot—not with Sasha between us. The bastard grinned, his grip iron tight, and his posture taunting me to make the wrong move. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Cash grinned, drawing her tight to him. The glint in his eyes pure insanity. “You’re not that good a shot. You’d hit her first.”

Sasha clawed at his hand, her legs kicking wildly, but it wasn’t enough. My blood boiled. I couldn’t wait any longer. My patience snapped like a live wire.

“Let her go,” I growled. My finger hovering over the trigger, desperate for the right opening. But Cash only laughed, a grating, hollow sound that echoed in my skull.

“You’re weak, JD. Always were. You can’t save her, just like you couldn’t save the last one. And you sure as hell can’t save yourself.”

That was it.

I charged forward. The bastard clearly hadn’t expected me to close the distance, and the look of shock on his face when I slammed into him was worth every ounce of risk. He stumbled, his grip on Sasha loosening just enough for her to drop to the floor with a gasp. I didn’t wait for her to recover. My focus was on Cash as I drove him back against the wall.

The gun was still in my hand, but he was quicker than I’d anticipated. His fist shot out, knocking the weapon free, and it clattered to the floor somewhere behind us. My instinct screamed to go after it, but I didn’t dare let him regain control. Not even for a second.

Cash threw a wild punch at my jaw, but I ducked, slamming my shoulder into his ribs with enough force to knock the wind out of him. His grunt of pain was like music to my ears. I followed it up with a right hook to his face, my knuckles crunching against bone. Blood splattered across my hand, but the bastard just grinned through crimson-stained teeth.

“You think you can take me?” Cash taunted, lunging at me with an elbow aimed for my ribs. I twisted, catching the blow on my forearm, but his other hand grabbed my shirt and yanked me forward. His head came down in a vicious attempt to headbutt me, but I jerked to the side at the last second.

“Shut the fuck up,” I spat, driving my knee into his gut. He doubled over, but not before swinging his arm up and clipping the side of my head. Stars exploded in my vision, and I staggered, barely recovering fast enough to block his next swing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sasha crawling toward the gun. Relief surged through me, but it was short-lived as Cash lunged again, this time grabbing me by the throat. His grip was brutal, and for a second, I couldn’t breathe. The bastard’s strength was unreal, his manic energy like that of a cornered animal.

“You’re done, JD,” he hissed, his face inches from mine. “Should’ve just left well enough alone and stayed out of my fucking way.”

I could feel the edges of my vision blurring, but I wasn’t about to let him win. With a desperate surge of strength, I brought my hands up, driving my thumbs into the hollow of his throat. His eyes widened, his grip faltering, and I used the opening to slam my head into his nose. He howled, stumbling back.

That’s when I heard the scrape of metal on the floor. Sasha slid the gun across the tile, and I dove for it, snatching it up just as Cash lunged at me again.

This time, I didn’t hesitate.

The red-hot anger boiling inside me crystallized into cold precision. I aimed, and with a steady hand, I pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot was deafening in the enclosed space.

It didn’t go into his brain. He was right about that being a bad idea. He still had a lot to answer for. But his ear? That was a clear shot.

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