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Chapter Five

Sawyer

I’m not sure what makes a person a monster. Is it the rage they fly into when they feel injustice? Is it the thoughts that brew within them when those they love are being scorned? Is it the pleasure they take in the pain of those that have caused it?

If any of those are true,I’m a monster. Maybe the worst of them all.

I pull my gun from the back of my jeans and aim at the douchebag’s tires. One. Two. Three. Four. Flat.Instantly.Even with billions of dollars at his disposal, he won’t be going anywhere for a while.

I could say I’m here to protect Evie’s honor, and that would be true, but the bigger picture lies in the fact that I have something to say. Something I’ve bitten my tongue about far too long. Even more, I have something totake.Something that was stolen from me.

Stalking toward the gray four-door, I tug the skinny, little, bitch boy up and out from behind the wheel. It’s sad, really. He’s so drunk, I doubt he’ll remember any of this come morning.

“You’re not marrying Evie,” I growl, holding his frail, drunken frame against the side of the car. “Tell her it’s off.”

“Sawyer,” Evie calls out for me, but she doesn’t tell me to stop. Instead, she crosses her arms and stares toward her fiancé.“What are you doing with this girl, Leon? Is this what you want? I mean, why are we getting married?”

A cold breeze blows across the parking lot as Leon rolls his eyes and hangs his head, hair falling down into his vision as though it’s an effort to hold himself up. “Are you asking me if I want this?” He grins and glances toward the half-naked woman now prancing back and forth outside the car as though she’s panicked. “Yes. My cock is hard as fuck forthat.She’s hot! Look at herperfect, little body.She’s so fucking tight. And you,” he laughs, “when was the last time you went to the gym, Evie?”

Now I realize we’re deep in monster territory already, and I know a good man would walk away, let this dissolve, but there’s something about this piece of shit stealing five years of my life with a woman I love that starts a fire in me that I can’t control. Add a sprinkling of insult on top of it, and I’m a live fucking grenade.

I pull back my hand and release every bit of pent-up energy straight into his nose with the butt of my gun. I’ve been here once before, but this time, it’s even more satisfying smelling the iron in his blood, watching him shake, watching him shiver as though he’s scared for his life.

“I fucking hate you, Leon.” Evie stands emotionless, staring toward her ex-fiancé as the half-naked girl beside him tends to his cuts.

I’m never sure how things become so escalated, but here I am. Blood on my hands and the girl I love staring up at me for answers.

Maybe I should say something profound or tangle her up in a swath of sweet kisses. I’m sure some men would know all the right things to say or do, but I’m not some men.I’m a fucking monster.

I lift Evie up and swing her onto my shoulder, holding her across the waist as I head toward the truck.

“Sawyer,” Evie groans, “what are you doing?”

“I’m taking you away.”

“Where? I can walk.” There’s hesitance in her tone as though she’s not sure what to think of what’s happening.

“You belong to me now.”

A short burst of sarcastic laughter leaves her lungs as we near the truck. “I’m sorry.Umm… I don’t think that’s how this works.”

“I won’t apologize, Evie. You’re mine. I’m taking you home and putting you in bed with me, where you belong.”

She squeaks and hums low under her breath, but there’s no actual defiance. There’s no fighting back. Hell, she’s not even screaming. And after all that’s happened today, I’m taking that as a huge fucking win.

Chapter Six

Evie

“So, you’re kidnapping me now?” I stare up at the giant man beside me, studying the ink that’s drawn up and down his arms. “Do you really think that’s a smart choice?”

“No, but I’m glad I did it. I’m relieved you’re free from that insufferable trash bag of a human.”

“Right,” I groan, watching the pine trees fly by as we climb the mountain. I have no idea how fast the truck is moving, but everything looks like a blur, “and you’re the hero that saved me. I suppose I’m supposed to get down on my knees and tell you how thankful I am.”

He glances toward me with a playful expression. “I mean… I wouldn’t hate that.”

My eyes roll to the side. “And the part about my father and the millions of dollars he just spent on a wedding, the two families coming from all over the world, and the house Leon and I bought together… that’s all just nothing, right? Just forget about it and move on? Nothing is that simple, Sawyer.”

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